How to Make Your Face Mask More Comfortable
“As COVID cases continue to surge, it looks like wearing face masks will continue to be part of our lives for the foreseeable future. Although I completely understand why wearing masks is so critically important, I still find them quite uncomfortable and difficult to breathe in. Do you have any suggestions or tips for making masks more pleasant to wear? ”
Dear Out of Breath,
I hear you—for most of us, unless we’ve spent time working in the healthcare sector, wearing a face mask on a regular basis is simply not something we’re accustomed to. For many, masks can feel difficult to breathe in and irritating to the skin. But as you mentioned, with COVID cases continuing to surge, masks will not be leaving us any time soon and they are an important way to combat further spread of the disease.
Thankfully, there are several small changes that will make wearing a face mask much more comfortable! Here are some of my suggestions:
Note: According to The World Health Organization, in order for a cloth face mask to provide effective protection against the virus, it should have three layers:
First (inner) layer: cotton or another moisture-wicking fabric that absorbs droplets from your exhaled breath.
Middle layer: polypropylene fabric or a removable polypropylene filter.
Third (outer) layer: a fabric that repels moisture, such as polyester or a blend of polyester and cotton.
One rule of thumb is to hold up the mask to a bright light to check if the light outlines individual fibers in the cloth. If it does, the mask is not likely to provide effective protection.
Many people find that wearing mask causes a sensation of shortness of breath, especially during exercise. Called dyspnea, this is caused by the increase in effort it takes to breathe when pulling air through a mask (Dr. Richard Schwartzstein, chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine Division at Harvard-Affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.) Try breathing at a slower rate and exhaling with pursed lips. This will decrease the resistance against the mask (Dr. Bartolome Celli, Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital). Another tip is to drop a small amount of peppermint oil at the base of your mask. This can help ease breathing and comfort.
Skin irritation is also very common when wearing masks. According to Dr. Jason Frangos, dermatologist at Harvard-Affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “Masks can trap oils, irritants, and allergens against the skin and block hair follicles and glands, causing pimples. In other cases, some people have a form of dandruff that affects the face called seborrheic dermatitis. This is a red, scaly rash that may be worsened by heat and humidity that builds up beneath the mask.”
To combat skin irritation, keep your face clean and moisturized and make sure you are washing your masks regularly. Masks should be washed in detergent at a minimum washing temperature of 60° to kill any bacteria.
The elastic straps on masks can put a lot of pressure on your ears and cause pain or discomfort. There are many new gadgets designed to alleviate this issue, such as the “ear saver”. This device attaches to both ear loops and is worn behind the head. Or, try using a tie-on mask, which allows you to create a more customized and comfortable fit.
If you wear glasses, masks can cause the lenses to fog up with condensation. Look for a mask with a flexible metal strip along the top that allow the mask to fit snugly on the bridge of your nose. There are also over-the-counter anti-fog sprays that you can use on your lenses.
Remember, although a face mask protects you from breathing in aerosol particles from people who are infected with COVID-19, the primary public health rationale for wearing a mask is to protect other people from your own respiratory droplets, because there is a chance that you may be carrying the virus but not exhibiting any symptoms (Dr. Scott Segal, Chairman of Anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health). So although it may feel like a nuisance or inconvenience at times, let’s each do our part to get through this together!