Do Masks Cause Acne?

Courtesy+of+Lucas

Courtesy of Lucas

Lucas Nguyen

Acne is one of the most annoying things in most teens’ lives. It populates teens faces and is a simple annoyance to take care of. Even if you kill it, it will spread if left unclean. Every teenager gets it, but more and more people think the main motivator are masks. Are masks really the cause of acne?

First of all, what is acne? Acne is a skin condition that occurs most normally in teenagers. It happens when pores or follicles clog with dead skin and oil. This causes the spot to inflame and look red. Over time, it fills with oil, and covers itself with a cap. These can differ based on what plugged it in the first place. When you pop a filled acne, pus, or oil, will gush out of the pore and infect other parts of the face. If left untreated, they will also form acne, making it sort of a virus. The only way to pop them without causing infections is to pop everything out of it, and then to clean and wash the face. Now to answer the question, do masks cause acne?

To answer this question, we have to ask ourselves, what do masks do? Masks are used to protect from harmful viruses by blocking air particles from going in or out. This also means that the wet air that fills your mask will clog your pores. This, combined with the mask pressing against your face, can cause the breakout. But, because of Covid-19 and it’s variants, we should wear them. It blocks harmful particles from entering our lungs, especially because Covid-19 attacks the lungs. Now that more volatile variations of the virus are popping up, like the omicron, getting vaccinated and wearing a mask will protect you.

There are ways to prevent acne, though. Most of it revolves around keeping your face clean. Acne appears on the surface of your skin, so always make sure to keep it clean. You can wash your face daily, which will help a lot. There are tougher solutions to acne, like pimple patches, which you stick onto the affected area to dry it out. There are other acne treatments, but a lot of them can cost an excessive amount of money. If you just want the easy option, all you have to do is wash your face.

So do masks cause acne? Well sort of, the air trapped in the mask can cause acne, although treatment can help get rid of it. Make sure to wear your masks though, as Covid-19 and its variants are still going around.