How to Prevent Mask Acne

How to Prevent Mask Acne

Have you been dealing with blemishes on your chin ever since the pandemic first began? Here in Florida, we are required by law to walk into any establishment wearing a mask covering. With this new law in place, I had to order plenty of masks to stock up for daily errands.

Mask acne has not been an issue for me until recently. These tiny breakouts could also be the result of the change in seasons, too. My chin and around the sides of my face have broken out. Since this happened to me I figured I could write out a helpful post detailing what I’m doing to prevent future breakouts and treat the ones I have on my chin.

Tips to Prevent Mask Acne

1. Wash Your Face Every Night

Cleansing the skin ensures that new breakouts stay far away from your face! No matter what happens during the day, even if you didn’t wear any makeup, you should take a few minutes at night to cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser. Some of my favorite cleansers are Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser and Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash.

2. Wash Your Pillowcases More Often

Another important tip to prevent mask acne? Washing your bedroom pillows more often. Sleeping on your pillows can cause oil build-up on the pillowcase night after night. I wash my pillowcases or change them out on a weekly basis to prevent acne in general. I recommend using a soft silk pillowcase to help prevent wrinkles, too. These are my favorite silk pillowcases from Amazon.

3. Add a Chemical Exfoliant to Your Skincare Routine

Chemical exfoliants use facial acids to achieve smooth and clear skin. A few key ingredients to look for in a chemical exfoliant are salicylic acid, AHAs, BHAs, retinol, glycolic acid, niacinamide. All of these powerful anti-acne ingredients can aid in preventing mask acne.

One drugstore chemical exfoliant option is from the popular brand CeraVe with their CeraVe Renewing Face Cleanser that contains salicylic acid and ceramides. I’d recommend this drugstore cleanser if you have sensitive skin and a tight budget but still want a product that effectively kills bacteria and removes dirt and oil.

Chemical exfoliants sitting on my bathroom counter right now include a tried and true bestseller from The Ordinary. It contains 10% niacinamide and 1% zinc to balance sebum activity on the skin. These two active ingredients found in this $6 product are excellent for treating and preventing mask acne.

4. Don’t Forget To Wash Your Masks!

Even though face masks are small cloths wrapped around our heads it’s a good idea to toss them in with the rest of your laundry. I’m constantly making sure my face masks are clean and washed before I wear them so close to my face every day.

As someone who is on a mission to switch out my household cleaning products for a more natural approach, that means the same for my laundry detergent. The brand I continue to repurchase from is Seventh Generation and their laundry detergent works well to destroy odors and clean my clothes and face masks.

Dermatologists are recommending people wash face masks using hot water with fragrance-free, hypoallergenic laundry detergent. Washing face masks remove oil, dirt, and skin cells which can build-up after constant usage.

5. Treat Your Acne To a Face Mask

A face mask that I bought during the Sephora VIB Sale a couple of months back is from Ole Henriksen called “PHAT Glow Facial” which retails for $50. It was pricey but during the sale, I saved 20% off of it! PHAT Glow Facial contains potent PHAs and Nordic birch sap to exfoliate, illuminate, and brighten skin.

My Face Masks to Treat Acne Breakouts

More face masks to help with breakouts include Origins Clear Improvement™ Charcoal Honey Mask, Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ 25% AHA + 2% BHA Mask, KORRES Pomegranate Triple-Dose Resurfacing Mask, and Origins Out of Trouble™ 10 Minute Mask to Rescue Problem Skin.

shop best face masks for acne-prone skin

6. Apply a Gel Moisturizer

Apply a lightweight gel moisturizer before and after wearing a face mask. One of my top picks for a gel moisturizer is the Versed Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Moisturizer ($14.99). Putting some moisturizer on your skin will hydrate the areas that are broken out. Keeping your oily areas hydrated can eliminate the chance for new acne to form.

Lightweight moisturizers, such as the affordable one from Versed or one with hyaluronic acid from Youth to the People, adds a protective layer. Moisturizing the skin every day reduces dryness.

7. Use a Spot Treatment

In a pinch, you can easily dap a spot treatment on top of a blemish to dry it up overnight. Since receiving this product in the mail I’ve been testing it out on my chin breakouts.

The First Aid Beauty Pharma BHA Acne Spot Treatment Gel contains salicylic acid to treat active pimples. So far it’s been decent at treating my active breakouts, but the gel itself can slide down on my chin so I use the smallest amount. I am going to keep testing it out to see if my skin improves as I use this product.

Another spot treatment I frequently use when I see breakouts forming comes from the brand Mario Badescu. The Drying Lotion contains sulfur to dry up active breakouts overnight. Honestly, this product has an award-winning label on it for a good reason!