The Best Skincare Products To Treat & Prevent Maskne

Most of us have been dealing with maskne, aka mask acne, for a while now. When wearing a face mask, we keep our germs to ourselves breathing them out only to let our skin breathe them back in. Combining that with sweat, humidity, and our own oils in an occlusive environment, we end up with these breakouts from wearing face masks. If you tried but failed to deal with those breakouts and clear up your skin, it might be time to branch out. There are fast-acting, effective skincare products to treat maskne.

But first things first. Know that mask acne is not really different than regular acne. Only this time, the acne forms in a very localized manner: the lower part of your face. Acne is the same, but the reason is different. And that can change things.

You’re not treating oily and acne-prone skin. You’re treating acne caused by wearing face masks. And that can happen even if you don’t have oily skin.

So that means though retinoids are great for treating acne, grabbing a retinol cream to use all over your face is not the best idea for someone with dry, sensitive skin. But hold on to your face mask, because below are the best skincare products for maskne.

The Best Skincare Products To Get Rid of Maskne

From treatments to cleansers, find below the best skincare products to treat and prevent maskne.

Best Cleanser For Maskne: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gentle Cleansing Lotion

Fragrance-free, oil-free, hypoallergenic, and in lotion form, this is the gentlest way to cleanse your skin right now. Your regular cleanser may have worked until now. But as you’re dealing with acne, irritation, and sensitivity in the lower part of your face, that area needs special attention.

Instead of using two different cleansers, you need to switch to a gentle cleanser to use on the entire face. Exfoliating cleansers are great for people who are dealing with acne on a daily basis. If you have oily and acne-prone skin, you’re probably already doing that.

However, don’t incorporate exfoliating cleansers into your routine if your acne is mask-related and specific to certain areas on your face. There’s a chance you might cause further irritation and dehydration. So, try a gentle cleanser like this one for facial cleansing and leave exfoliation out of it.

Best Toner For Maskne: Pixi Beauty Glow Peel Pads

Alpha and beta-hydroxy acids are gold when dealing with acne. They prevent congestion, unclog pores, kill bacteria, and reduce breakouts. But there’s no need to introduce additional exfoliants for the entire face, especially if you have dry skin.

So use chemical exfoliants only on the problem area. Try these exfoliating toner pads. Unlike liquid toners, these are very unlikely to spread out to the other parts of the face. These are glycolic acid pads you can use to press on breakouts.

Instead of wiping them like you’d do under normal circumstances, soak problem areas with a pad and leave it to dry before following with your routine. If you generally have oily and acne-prone skin, you can try salicylic acid pads on problem areas too.

Best Treatment For Maskne: Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

This alone is something that’s going to banish maskne in no time. Because some of the most effective ingredients to treat acne are sulfur and chemical exfoliants like salicylic. And this spot treatment contains both!

It’s perfect for drying out pimples on the chin, the nose, and the cheeks. Use a cotton swab and get a tiny amount to dab onto the pimple and leave it overnight. The redness and inflammation around the acne will go away almost entirely the next morning.

Additionally, you can also try using spot treatments or pimple patches during the day under your mask if you’ll be wearing your mask for long hours.

Best Moisturizer For Maskne: Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer

Moisturizing is still a must even if you have oily skin. And this, feather-light gel moisturizer is the best one for that. Remember that all those maskne treatments can be drying and dehydrating for your skin. And that can lead to worsened acne.

But by using a non-comedogenic, and fast-absorbing moisturizer like this one, you can maintain a healthy skin barrier, and keep your complexion plump too. It hydrates but doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. On the other hand, if you aren’t using any treatments, you can use a daily salicylic acid moisturizer to target acne too.

A salicylic acid cream will moisturize and keep excess oil and breakouts in check at the same time. But always remember to apply sunscreen when you’re using exfoliants like salicylic acid. And that brings us to our next point.

Best SPF: BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30

The benefits here are two-fold. This oil-free tinted moisturizer is going to help you with both skincare and makeup. Because any type of acne treatment has the potential to dry your skin or irritate it. And most of them are known to make the skin prone to sunburn. So you need to wear SPF one way or another.

This tinted moisturizer is made with mineral SPF to protect your skin without irritating it, which can happen with chemical SPF. But using a tinted moisturizer will also help cover and conceal acne too. Because let’s face it. Non-comedogenic or oil-free makeup doesn’t really mean anything when you’re dealing with maskne.

Because non-comedogenic means that the ingredients in the products are unlikely to cause acne. Well, it doesn’t matter because your face mask is comedogenic! You already know what’s causing your acne. So to avoid making things worse, you can go easy on your base makeup and try a tinted moisturizer for oily skin to keep the skin clear.

Tips To Prevent Maskne

Try minimal skincare. When your skin is already inflamed, and you’re dealing with breakouts, it’s a good idea to minimize the number of products you use.

Using different serums, and exfoliants topped with a ton of other skincare products is great when your skin is thriving. But to get rid of mask-related acne, keep your products and steps to a minimum and let your skin rest.

A basic cleanser followed by a product made with one of the active ingredients we mentioned above is more than enough.

Seal everything in with a moisturizer and let your skin heal. There’s no need to freak out and try different products. Because you might just make things a lot worse.

Also, remember to keep your mask clean. Never re-use a single-use face mask, even if you’re going to wear it for a very short time. At best, it has your germs on it. And remember to regularly wash your mask if it’s cloth.

If you have dry or sensitive skin, you can try different fabrics to avoid chafing and irritation. It might reduce acne from friction. Cotton and silk are easier and more comfortable on the skin.

Additionally, go for tie-back masks. You can fit them accordingly so that they don’t rub the back of your ear and your cheeks.

Not long ago, we used to think nothing beats having perfectly clear skin. Not surprisingly, alive skin beats smooth skin. So hold on to your mask.

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