A friend recently reached out to ask about mask productions on behalf of someone in the business. Halfway through the conversation, we realized that she was not talking about the hydrating sheet masks or face masks but rather, about protection masks (PPEs- like the N95 or three-ply dental masks) for COVID19! 

The word “mask” has exploded on search terms and in the media lately with what’s been going on with corona, so today, I want to talk about (sheet/ face) masks for (protective) masks! 

I’ve been in Seoul, Korea the last two months and EVERYONE has been wearing protection masks to shield their face, especially since we are past the lockdown phase here and a high percentage of people have returned (albeit slowly) to fairly normal lives.  The idea is to create an extra layer of barrier to prevent the spread of contamination- both from lowering the chance of passing and catching germs including coronavirus that travel through droplets. Earlier in the US, whether one should or should not wear masks was up for debate, but it’s becoming more commonplace across the cities. I’m sitting in a fairly well occupied cafe as I write this but the staff have been turning away anyone not wearing one of these masks.

While these masks serve as preventative equipment, there are unintended side effects that affect your skin. A few weeks into wearing these masks regularly, I started getting itchy on the areas where the mask touched my face, and soon enough, I started seeing a breakout right along the outline of the masks!

You’ve seen the pictures of healthcare workers who have had to wear tight fitting masks for long periods. They have sores, skin tears, indentations from wearing PPEs for hours. While it provides an extra layer of protection, wearing these tight masks will increase dryness, irritate sensitive skin, and can cause acne. Studies also show that this can increase risk for developing infections of the skin (bacterial, fungal, viral) from poor barrier function and open sores.  And when you have damaged skin, the masks may not seal properly, increasing exposure to the coronavirus. Over 97% of healthcare workers on the frontline will experience skin issues! 

If you are dealing with this or know someone who is, please take a Mask Moment! The friction from the PPE (masks and goggles too) along with the humidity trapped inside the mask makes your skin drier. The fact that the weather has been changing (aka allergy season) does not help! 

For relief, the idea is to focus on strengthening skin barrier, hydrating your skin and relieving inflammation and redness.

Here are the DO’s and DON’Ts!

DO NOT:

1. Wear heavy makeup. Instead, skip the heavy foundation that can clog pores and worsen acne. 
2. Sleep in makeup and be sure to remove it as soon as you can. (This is true for all times, actually!)
3. Exfoliate too hard but go easy on the overly physical kind of exfoliation. The friction from the masks can cause microtears in the epidermis and you don’t want to be exacerbating the area with scrubs or gommages. I would stick to enzyme washes if you must exfoliate.
4. Touch your face!! And please wash your hands before applying anything!
5. Put on anything you might be sensitive to. Even if you use it in your normal skincare routine, this may be the time to take a break from retinoids or hydroxy acids or strong vitamin C’s.  You can always come back to them once you recover but avoid anything you are sensitive to during this time.

DO:

1. Use hydrating serums with active ingredients, morning and night! 
2. Lubricate the area with petroleum jelly before putting on protective gear.
3. Frequently apply an occlusive agent (lotions, moisturizers, oils) to prevent water loss.
4. Remember to apply lip balm for chapped lips.
5. Use Mask Moments for hydration, restoration, relief from inflammation and redness. Our masks have ALL the ingredients that are your best friends right now: glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5. And both the niacinamide and biocellulose (coconut jelly) will help reduce inflammation and redness. 

Know any healthcare worker who can use Mask Moments?  Nominate a hero to thank them for their service and we will select a winner everyday throughout the rest of April to receive a FREE mask to offer some relief as a sign of appreciation! 

Here’s how it works:

1. Follow our IG account @maskmoments and tag your hero in the healthcare field on our post.
2. Have them FOLLOW our account. Increase your chance by DMing us your stories and pictures. Multiple people voting for the same person will also count towards the entry.

We live in a world of modern science where we KNOW what the well-researched examples of skin-restoring and skin-replenishing ingredients are. One of the most FAQs I get is, “What ingredients should I look for in my beauty products?”

To help you, we came up with the 4 Pillars of Anti-Aging. These are the 4 As, to help you remember.

1. ANTIOXIDANTS

Not only great in food, anti-oxidants are a MUST in skin health too.  They help create a barrier and fight environmental toxins that cause aging. Natural or chemical, each anti-oxidant works in different pathways so it’s important to have a potent MIX of them. You can’t get enough of these powerful guys nor start young enough! Our masks include coconut, pomegranate, fig, ginkgo biloba, white mulberry, raspberry ketones, aloe.. and MORE! Look for anti-oxidants in the ingredients of your entire beauty routine!

2. ANTIINFLAMMATION

Did you know more than 40% of facials focus on calming inflammation? From  pollutants to stress, inflammatory triggers from our lifestyle and environment IRRITATE our skin.  It shows as blotchy redness, early signs of aging, uneven hyperpigmentation spots, breakouts and dry skin! Inflammation causes our skin’s collagen and elastin to break down at a faster rate and cause fine lines and wrinkles to appear earlier due to a weakened moisture barrier.  Focus on relieving and CALMING inflammation regularly in your skin routine! Mask Moments coconut jelly is naturally healing and cooling, calming your skin!

3. AQUA: HYDRATION

It’s all about KEEPING your skin hydrated, CONSTANTLY. Think of it like drinking water: just because you drank 8 cups yesterday does not mean you shouldn’t be drinking water the next day. Your skincare routine is like that. If you want that glass skin glow, infuse your skin with hydration with routine #MaskMoments. Women in Asia mask DAILY! With ongoing use, skin-replenishing ingredients in our masks help skin resist moisture loss and maintain an enviably smooth, plump appearance!

4. ANTIAGING Ingredients

We live a world of modern science where we KNOW what the well-researched examples of skin-restoring and skin-replenishing ingredients are. So here’s your #cheatsheet: so you know what to look for in #skincare products: niacinamide, peptides, adenosine, hyaluronic acid/sodium hyaluronate, ceramides, glycerin.  (P.S. Yes, all in our masks!) These ingredients can improve dull skin tone and rough texture, soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, give you radiance, firmness and an even-looking complexion! 

Try Mask Moments for $1 today 

I hope you are all staying safe during these troubling times. I thank all of you who are doing your part by practicing social-distancing and staying home, as this DOES help contain the virus. This is as much for the community and the country as it is for yourselves!  Thank you to all the front-line hospital heroes, as they are battling with very limited resources- I pray for protection over them. I also pray for all the families that are affected by the economic downturn.  

Now is a great time as any to practice #skincare as #selfcare right at home! Can’t get to your regular appointment with your aesthetician? No need to neglect or sacrifice your skincare but rather, remember to stay consistent! Get yourself on a Mask Moments plan, as it’s times like this that requires us to continue with a regular routine in our lives and strive to adjust to a new normal.  Life doesn’t have to stop. Instead, take the time to care for yourself and your family, to remind yourselves of what’s important- not to panic or live in fear but by acting calmly, responsibly and practically. 

Some things to remember as we adopt practical adjustments: 

1. Take this seriously!  You may not feel like your day to day is affected and that there are more serious things in life, but this is more about needing to do YOUR part by staying home, helping preserve resources, and containing a pandemic that affects everyone. Being young doesn’t make you immune, and even if you didn’t fall ill from it, you may help spread the virus to someone else that may not be so lucky.
2. Practice good personal hygiene. Wash your hands, wash your clothes (yes, even your PJs), wipe down surfaces, cough into your elbow when you need to, try not touch your face, etc. Wear a mask when you can- this is for other people! The best way to think about this is not “what if I catch the virus from someone?” but rather, “if I do have COVID-19, how can I not contaminate others around me?” 
3. Adopt to new social norms by discouraging gatherings, scaling down group activities and generally maintaining some physical distance from one another. 
4. Be prepared by managing resources, conserving, and planning ahead. While there’s no need to panic and hoard supplies, we do need to be mindful of the economic impact that this will have as the world heads toward a recession and this could impact some industries directly and others indirectly.
5. Look out for one another.  Facetime call or have a Zoom party with you friends and family and especially those that need assistance that may be feeling particularly isolated.  It’s important to stick together during uncertain times.
6. Even if you are quarantined at home, stick to a regular routine. This includes working out as you are home more and may be moving less.  Take care of your skin, air out your environment, keep busy, eat healthy- all that keeps your immunity and spirits high.
7. Remember the front-line workers.  We need to do our part to #flattenthecurve and #stayathome so that we help reduce resources that need to go to hospitals, first responders, nurses, researchers and doctors. Be mindful, make mask donations, request our representatives to take action, ask the medical staff around us how we can support them, or simply offer encouragement with a word of thanks and let them know we are grateful for their service. 
8. Lastly, take a Mask Moment! Take a moment to remember that as a group, we are resilient, strong and great at adapting.  We can defeat this by staying vigilant, working together, and each doing our part. 

We want to encourage those of you who are staying at home and help you get through quarantine with a limited time discount code to our masks. You can stay fab indoors by using discount code: “Homecare10” to get 10% off of any purchase through the month of April. (Applies to subscriptions and non-subscriptions but no the promotional masks.)   

Try Mask Moments for $1 today