When the lockdown first lifted, salon owners were inundated with requests to fix what customers had coined “iso skin” – a complexion that was stressed, congested and lacking a professional’s touch.
A couple of months on, and with the call for masks to be worn by adults in public, and the latest request iso for help with “mask-ne”; the acne resulting from wearing a mask for long periods.
Given the extended hours we’re wearing masks, Kimberly Verschuur, founder of scientific skincare brand Ellus & Krue says that the build-up of bacteria, make-up and dampness that wearing a mask can bring all contribute to troubled skin. “With mask wearing rising, unwanted breakouts and irritations around the lower part of the face due to moisture, heat and friction can become an additional stress for skin,” she says, highlighting that therapists should ensure their clients are thoroughly cleansing their face after a day of mask wearing, as well as using less cosmetics throughout the day. “Minimising the amount of makeup under the mask will help decrease skin congestion. Cleansing the face every evening will not only help to remove makeup and pollutants from skin, but also avoid clogged pores. [Customers should] avoid touching their skin at all costs as our hands are carriers of germs and we don’t want to add to the irritation already caused by maskne.”
Syliva Down, clinic practitioner at Skin Renu, says that in addition to good hygiene, there are treatments that can assist in clearing congested skin, brought on by mask-wearing.
“Clear + Brilliant is a fractionated laser that treats the skin by penetrating the top layer a fraction at a time through many microscopic columns,” she says,. “This works to stimulate the skin’s repair and renewal process, by resurfacing and remodelling tired and damaged skin cells. During the treatment, damaged skin cells are brought to the surface and begin to shed, boosting the future production of new collagen and hyaluronic acid.”
Similarly, Sylvia says that Fraxel can address concerns such as pigmentation, acne scarring and melasma. “The non-ablative laser works its magic by coagulating small columns of tissue underneath the skin called Microthermal injury zones. There are two laser wavelengths you can choose from – the erbium and thulium wavelengths – the thulium 1927 wavelength mainly targets the pigmentation in the skin. This can “magically” erase away significant amounts of your pigmentation. The other is the 1550 erbium wavelength, it grows new collagen and elastin which gives a radiant glow to the skin over time. You can use either one wavelength or a combination of both which gives you the best of both worlds.”
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