"I am getting many complaints from my patients for many reasons," said Dr. Michelle Henry, board certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon. When we are wearing a mask it's the friction of the mask rubbing on our face. There is also the humidity inside the mask and the combination of the two will cause many problems."

"The first of which is irritation and that chronic irritation combine with that humidity, the vapors from your mouth and salvia can cause something called irritant dermatitis and this is a rash from the irritation. Further there are different materials and their processed in different ways and sometimes those chemicals can actually cause an allergy, allergic or contact dermatitis. And what we are hearing a lot about is maskne, acne caused by the mask. That's from the combination of the friction and the oils of the skin. And last probably the most concerning of the side effects of wearing the mask a little bit of skin breakdown. That happens from the pressure, friction and the moisture."

"In the summer time sometimes wearing a mask can even become more difficult because again you are dealing with friction, moisture and the oil. Having a really good skin regimen is really critical. I recommend a simple skincare regimen. The three steps; first, cleanse your skin. Use a gentle cleanser morning and night. You want to cleanser that is not going to strip the moisture from your skin. You want something that is going to be gentle. If you're having a little bit of acne may be use low concentrations of active acne fighting ingredients. Step two is to moisturize and this is really critical because having an intact robust skin barrier is critical to avoid all those side effects I mentioned. I really love cream that hydrates my skin. One of my favorites is Olay Micro -Sculpting Cream Moisturizer Fragrance-Free Cream. This is really great it has some vitamin B3 in it which helps to hydrate, soothe and protect the skin. It has hyaluronic acid which is a rally potent hydrator and the combination of those two helps strengthen the skin barrier so it protects it from the friction and also protects from the moisture."

"You want to make sure you're cleaning it daily which is also in alignment with the CDC guidelines. Use a gentle soap something like Tide Free and Gentle is going to be great. Make sure that you are drying it thoroughly in the dryer to make sure it's nice and dry."

For product information visit https://www.olay.com/

For more information on face coverings and more visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

About Dr. Michelle Henry

Dr. Michelle Henry is a, board certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon. She trained at Harvard and Mount Sinai medical schools. She is currently a Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College. She practices Mohs micrographic surgery, laser surgery, and cosmetic surgery.

Dr. Henry attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and completed her residency in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she served as Chief Resident. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in cutaneous oncology, Mohs micrographic, and reconstructive surgery at Harvard Medical School. She specializes in high risk skin cancer treatments, cosmetic surgery, skin of color, and anti-aging treatments. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on skin cancer treatment and surgery, including publications in Dermatologic Surgery on complex reconstruction techniques after Mohs surgery, new surgical techniques for basal cell carcinoma, and innovative uses for photodynamic therapy. She has lectured at the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the National Medical Association on the proper techniques for injecting dermal fillers, hair transplantation, body contouring, and Mohs reconstruction.

Dr. Henry has been featured in many magazine and newspaper publications, including Instyle, Cosmopolitan, Woman's Day, Essence, Better Homes and Gardens, Health, Black Enterprise, Beauty in the Bag, Plastic Surgery Practice and Newsday. She has been a featured expert on HLN, Dr. Oz, The Rachael Ray show, ABC and Fox. She has been a guest speaker on SirusXM Satellite Radio. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, American Society for Laser Medicine, and American College of Mohs Surgery.

Interview Courtesy: Olay

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Skin Irritation Caused by Protective Face Coverings - Patch.com