THE EFFECT OF FREQUENTLY WEARING FACE MASKS DURING THE COVID- 19 PANDEMIC ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACNE IN ADULTS: A CROSSSECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

The aim was to highlight the dermatological side effect “acne” of repetitive usage of face masks on the skin of adults living in Lebanon through a cross sectional descriptive study involving self-administered questionnaire. Following ethical and administration approval, the questionnaire in English language was generated on a link through Google forms. The link was disseminated through social media; Facebook, Instagram and to the WhatsApp groups of the research group who are nursing BS students at the Faculty of Health Sciences. A total of 305 completed the questionnaire. Data analysis was done via SPSS. The mean age of the study participants was 22.62 years (SD=6.29). The majority (n=218, 71.5%) were female and a large number (n=203, 66.6%) were students living in Beirut (n=172, 56.4%). Skin characteristics were changed significantly after wearing a mask for a long period of time. Maskne developed after routinely wearing a mask for at least five hours daily. Other factors that increased the risk of developing Maskne included female gender, gastrointestinal problems, using hydrating facial products, having an oily or sensitive skin, oral contraceptives use, stress, history of acne, and hot weather. The majority graded their acne as mild and experienced redness and oiliness underneath their masks. The study identified the association between wearing facemasks and acne development during the covid-19 pandemic. Wearing a mask during this pandemic is definitely necessary but expected skin changes can be avoided and skin health can be preserved with the appropriate measures. Additional studies are needed to better understand how to manage mask-related acne development and inform clinical decision-making.