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Close-Up Portrait Of Woman Wearing Pollution Mask

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Current CDC recommendations advise citizens to wear face masks to help slow the spread of Covid-19, but while masks help protect us from airborne droplets, they can be less than complementary when it comes to our skin goals.

“Acne, seborrheic dermatitis, and perioral dermatitis are becoming a huge issue that I am seeing amongst my patients in clinic,” Dr. Melanie Palm, Consulting Dermatologist for Clarisonic shared in an email. “Changes in humidity and micro-environment of the skin by wearing necessary facial coverings can wreak havoc on the skin. The skin microbiome, sebaceous gland function, sweat production, and skin turnover are all being affected.”

Of course, in the grand scheme of things, I think we’d all choose acne — or maskne — over the virus, but the good thing is with the right skincare regimen you don’t have to choose. Click through to see Dr. Palm’s recommendations for battling maskne and keeping your skin breakout free during the pandemic.

 

Garnier SkinActive Water Rose Micellar Cleansing Water

Source: SkinActive Water Rose Micellar Cleansing Water / Garnier

 

Wash Your Face

It sounds super basic, but many of us don’t think to wash our face as routinely as we do our hands right now and that’s not a good thing.

“Clean skin thoroughly after wearing a mask during the day,” Dr. Palm advised. “In order to remove makeup, cellular build-up, and sweep off excess sebum, you need an effective cleansing routine,”

Garnier’s Micellar Cleansing Water is my mid-day go to because it requires no rinsing. Simply apply the cleanser to a cotton pad and wipe over your face to remove all that sweat that was building up under your mask. “Be clean with your makeup application under your mask as well,” Dr. Palm added. “Make sure that your beauty tools including poofs, puffs, and brushes are cleaned frequently to decrease the opportunity for breakouts or worse, skin infections.” Check out our guide to keeping your brushes clean here.

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