Misty glasses, sheared ears, how to better support the mask?

Illustration of a woman with a mask and glasses.

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• The mask worn all day can cause undesirable reactions: fog on the glasses, pain in the ears or on the nose, pimples.

• To limit these discomforts, 20 Minutes sought advice from an optician and a dermatologist.

• Dressing, correct position of the mask, paper clip… Here are some tips to prevent wearing the mask 10 hours a day from becoming hell.

A fuzzy return to school.

To the uncertainty that hangs over school closures and the aftermath of the Covid-19 epidemic is added, for some of us, a new embarrassment: foggy eyesight.

With the mask that must be worn all day in companies (or almost) since September 1 and outdoors in some cities in France, eyeglass wearers are indeed not at the party.

More broadly, the French discover the inconveniences of wearing a mask ten hours a day, which caregivers know well.

We understand that the mask is not an option in these times of pandemic and protects (provided you put it on).

And to avoid minor annoyances on the eyes, skin and ears,

sought advice from specialists.

How to avoid fogging the glasses?

Why all the fog on the glasses?

Because of the temperature difference between the exhaled air, at 37 ° C, and the glasses, much less hot.

However, with a mask placed on the nose and the mouth, the condensation will try to escape from the top.

“This winter, it will be worse because it will no longer be 30 ° C outside,” warns Karine Lebonnois, optician at Atol les opticians.

So we haven't finished wiping our glasses ...

The secret is to position your mask correctly, as high as possible and as close to your face.

"The solution is adhesion", summarizes Laurence Desjardins, ophthalmologist.

Hence the importance of having a not too big mask, or of tying a knot behind the ears.

"We must prevent the exhaled air rising on the glasses, so if you have a surgical mask, you pinch the small bar on the top of the nose," continues the optician.

If you are making a fabric mask, consider incorporating a small bar inside.

»And to avoid pulling out the sewing machine, we can add a clamp (like the mid clamp) or more simply a small plaster on the outside.

“The bottom of the frame [of the glasses] has to rest on the mask,” she continues.

The weight of the glasses can help.

“The advantage is that we have our nose well covered, which is also effective compared to the Covid!

"

What if that is not enough?

Opticians sell anti-fog sprays, to be put on glasses twice a day, while wiping well.

They also offer lenses with integrated anti-fog treatment.

"This can be a good idea for those who are going to change their glasses, because I have the impression that we are going to put on the mask for a long time…", sighs Karine Lebonnois.

Who recognizes that these glasses do not promise zero fogging, but "there will be less and it will leave faster".

The optician warns, on the other hand, against grandmother's recipes that could be counterproductive.

"Washing your glasses with toothpaste or shaving foam will damage them and remove the treatments," she warns.

As for putting in a little soapy water, “it's great for cleaning glasses, but it has no anti-fog effect.

And above all, avoid hot water, which risks damaging the treatments.

And don't forget to dry with a microfiber cloth or a soft cloth.

But no paper towels, which scratch the glasses.

"

How to avoid ear pain?

You may have noticed it, but after a week of wearing the mask almost non-stop, the ears are sore.

First observation: some elastics, especially very thin, are more unpleasant to wear than others.

So if you are making a homemade one, the quality of the elastic matters.

"The mask is compulsory and it is for your health," introduced Marc Perrussel, dermatologist and vice-president of the National Union of Dermatologists.

But it is true that it sometimes causes small inconveniences.

If you can't stand rubber bands, you can put on masks with straps behind your head, which many caregivers wear;

it avoids the pressure on the top of the ears, which can be painful.

»Another solution: alternate between a fabric mask with straps and a surgical mask, sometimes more pleasant to breathe.

“If you only have a surgical mask, you can put a little cotton under the elastic, which prevents friction with the crease in the ear,” continues the dermatologist.

Internet users also suggest that you sew a button on a headband, cap or hat to prevent the elastic from snipping your ear.

Or suggest using a paper clip or a thin strip of fabric with two buttons to hang the mask behind the head.

Small tips for masks whose elastic bands are too large / go up in the eyes / make too much mist in the glasses / hurt the ears when you have long hair:

- pass the elastic bands through a paper clip

- pass the paper clip through the elastic bun pic.twitter.com/oUdbScAcsM

- Chloe 🌸👑 (@ChloeNouniz) May 26, 2020

Can you put moisturizer behind your ear before putting on your new fabric companion?

No interest, answers Marc Perrussel bluntly.

“When you put a rubber band around your wrist, after a while it's going to burn you.

Because the tourniquet that takes place causes discomfort.

Optionally, you can massage for thirty seconds so that blood circulation is restored.

“Same trick if you have pain at the bridge of the nose, at the level of the tight bar.

"If you lower the mask under your nose, its usefulness drops to zero," recalls the dermatologist.

On the other hand, you can put a small plaster for the blisters, for example at the level of the bridge of the nose.

It will mold and it avoids direct pressure on the skin.

"

Will we all end up, in 2021, with protruding ears?

“No risk, laughs the specialist.

Otherwise, there would be a lot of surgeons who looked like Dumbo!

When I was in the OR, I spent 8 hours a day wearing a mask… ”

What about the push of buttons?

The skin confined under the mask all day does not necessarily appreciate ... And some end up with a flare-up of black spots, red patches and an explosion of acne.

"Wearing a mask promotes bacterial proliferation, like diapers for babies," summarizes the dermatologist.

Not surprisingly, our schoolchildren go through this re-entry masked by an explosion of acne, since this worsens this skin problem.

Adults may notice sebum surges, which irritate the skin.

Third risk: outbreaks of rosacea [a common skin disease], red patches and pustules, which are located around the mouth.

"What to be delighted, paradoxically, to hide your face under the mask ...

For those who already suffered from skin problems before the Covid, it is better to follow your treatment to the letter, or even adapt it by talking with your doctor.

And clean the skin with gentle products, suitable for reactive skin.

Another little tip: "it's important to put on your treatment at night, when you don't have to wear the mask," so that it penetrates well the ventilated skin, insists the dermatologist.

These skin reactions should not cause panic.

Because some Internet users wonder: can we become allergic to the mask?

“Some people can develop an allergy to masks, especially colored masks, but this remains very rare, around 0.5% of the population, reassures Marc Perrussel.

We can be allergic to the dyes of the mask or to the detergent with which it is washed (in particular to essential oils, to the perfume)… The first thing to do is to find the cause ”.

In order to buy a mask without dye or to change laundry ...

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