CW Back to School Edition, Fall 2020

10 BACK TO SCHOOL
AUGUST 20, 2020
Mask-wearing brings own
set of problems
BY LINDSEY WILKINSON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Everyone from politicians
to package store clerks has
emphasized the importance of
social distancing, mask wearing
and washing hands, but the one
step that has been forgotten in
all the madness is mask hygiene.
At this point in the ongoing
pandemic era, most know that
wearing a cloth covering protects the
wearer and the people around them
from respiratory droplets that come
from talking, coughing or sneezing.
However, engaging in improper mask
hygiene practices can lead to other
health issues far less documented or
discussed than COVID-19.
One issue that arises from
lax mask washing is breakouts.
“When you are breathing out in
a mask, the bacteria from your
mouth gets trapped,” Miranda
Mellos, a registered nurse in a
level 2 trauma center emergency
department in Montgomery, said.
Mellos also warned that this bacteria
irritates the skin and that “the only
way to combat this is to make sure
you change your masks out frequently
and wash your masks frequently as
well.”
Novant Health recommends that
maskne – a term coined for breakouts
caused by a mask’s hot, humid
Graphic CW / Tomia Teague
environment – can also be prevented
by avoiding fabric softeners or harsh
detergents. A major ingredient in
most fabric softeners is quaternary
ammonium compounds, which fight
against static but have also been
found to cause skin and respiratory
irritation, according to a study done
by the NYU School of Medicine.
If maskne is not enough to make
you rethink your attention to mask
hygiene, then consider “mask
mouth” – whose symptoms can
include bad breath, tooth decay and
gum inflammation. Mark Fisher, a
dentist practicing in Georgia, said
some people tend to breathe through
their mouths when they wear masks.
“When you breathe through your
mouth, it dries your mouth out,”
Fisher said. “Without the humidity
from the air, it worsens this condition.
Dry mouth leads to bad breath, and
it is also linked to tooth decay and
inflammation of the gums.”
People who are most at risk are
those who wear masks for extended
periods of time. Fisher reinforced the
need to prevent this condition.
“You need to try not to breathe
through your mouth, stay hydrated,
[practice] good oral hygiene and
do not eat mints or sugary gum,”
he said. “The worst way to cope
Julia Irvin spent her quarantine time making these washable masks for her community.
Photo courtesy Julia Irvin
with it is to eat sugary mints and
gum. That’s where people will get in
trouble because those exacerbate the
problem by causing decay around the
gum line.”
Candida Overgrowth is another
perpetrator that reveals itself by
leaving the skin raw, red, irritated,
chapped, or rashy according
to Everyday Health. Candida
Overgrowth is basically a yeast
infection on your mouth. This
infection cannot solely be caused by
wearing a mask, but the conditions
a mask provides is perfect for the
infection to grow.
There are other, more coronavirusrelated
reasons why it’s crucial to
keep your mask clean. For instance,
when wearing a mask, one ought to
avoid adjusting it. The Moffitt Cancer
Center stresses the importance of
taking precautions. “If your mask
touches another part of your body
that is potentially contaminated
with the virus… you are at risk for
infection,” according to the center.
It’s a simple rule that can go a long
way to keeping campus safe, but it
may require breaking old habits.
Another basic addition to your
mask-wearing routine can be a new
increased awareness when removing
the mask. The CDC offers some
precautionary steps: “Grasp the
bottom ties or elastics of the mask,
then the ones at the top and remove.”
The CDC also advises mask wearers
not to touch the front of the cloth
covering due to it being directly
contaminated. Following these
simple steps will keep the virus on
the front of your mask and not on
your hands.
Keeping your mask clean can be
as easy as 1-2-3. CDC encourages
people to simply put their masks in
with their laundry. Yolanda Enrich,
a family nurse practitioner at
Novant Health Adult Primary Care
Waughtown, in an article published
by Novant Health explained that
“bacteria can form on moist surfaces
and that is why the mask should be
washed after each use.” The bacteria
referenced by Enrich is the same
bacteria that causes maskne.
While improper mask-wearing
and hygiene can cause quite a
disruption to your health, selfimposed
prevention measures can
protect you and the people around
you from harm caused by the virus.
Julia Irvin, a senior majoring in
marketing and entrepreneurship,
is one of many students at the
University who found a new hobby
over quarantine: mask-making.
“My mom is high risk,” Irvin
said. “So, I wanted to take extra
precautions. I use 100% cotton
because that is the easiest to breathe
through and prevents particles from
escaping. All my masks are machine
washable and customizable.”
As put forth in the guidelines
established by the CDC, masks
are most effective when fitted to a
person’s face. Irvin follows these
recommendations and makes masks
in various sizes and shapes – three
sizes you can choose from and two