Conceal and heal maskne with Eucerin

Words can’t describe 2020, or the start of 2021. So many things changed, including our language. In 2019 most of us hadn’t heard of lockdown, furlough or support-bubbles. Now we’re bored of them.

Are you fed up with maskne too?

A mash up of mask and acne, maskne = the spots that pop up in the places where masks rub our faces. Friction increases sebum production and leads to blocked pores and spots.  And, as well as rubbing, masks increase humidity – creating the perfect breeding ground for acne bacteria. When we fiddle with our masks, we spread the germs and make things worse.

Even the cleanest people can get acne and spots – if your skin is prone to them the causes are most likely genetic and hormonal – but there are things you can do to help. Regular, gentle cleansing with products that suit your skin is the most important one (my next post will be on cleansers). Be sure to wash your mask daily too.

In the meantime, how do you deal with the maskne you already have?

My teenage son is plagued with spots and wants to put his best face forward at Zoom-school. I set off to find him a cover up that would heal, not just conceal. Harder than it sounds. Clearasil, the brand I used as a teen, is still on the shelves but I couldn’t find the cover up. The pharmacist looked at me blankly and recommended foundation instead. I ended up back online where I found a few options from Eucerin, Vichy and BareMinerals - with the best selection on www.escentual.com – but all only available in pasty shades.

I went for the Eucerin DermoPurifyer Cover Stick which seemed to match our brief with the best combination of promise and price. My son’s happy that it’s doing the covering job, and I feel good about the ingredients list, and that it’s helping to heal not just hide his spots.

But how to deal with masque if you’ve got darker skin?

It seems you need two separate products – a spot treatment followed by a concealer. Rhianna offers the best range of concealer shades. I recommend the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer which comes in 50 different shades and is available at Boots. But it’s £19 versus £9.50 for the Eucerin cover stick (currently £6.33 at Escentual). 

I think there’s a gap out there for a reasonably priced brand that helps teenagers of all skin types and colours to heal and conceal maskne.