By Elise Lucas, Licensed Esthetician
Maskne is the 2020 skin pandemic. What is this trendy term “Maskne“? And why is it called a 2020 skin pandemic? The newly coined term maskne was birthed when wearing masks started equaling more acne. Maskne or the technical term, acne mechanica is real! It is a type of acne caused by friction. Pre-pandemic, it seen mostly with sports that use helmets like football, hockey and baseball).
Now we are seeing maskne because the masks that we are all wearing are rubbing against our faces all day and mixing with dirt, sweat, oil and bacteria. Frontline works are most prone to maskne. They are not only wearing masks all day, but usually multiple layers of masks. Adding more fuel to the fire, the typical treatments for acne can leave the skin too sensitive for the constant friction of the masks.
Treatments for the 2020 Skin Pandemic
Treating maskne – the 2020 skin pandemic is tricky because we can not remove the main source, our masks. However, there are ways of treating your skin with the source still in place. I will list some tips and ingredients you will want to include in your regimen to treat and prevent maskne below.

Tips for clear pandmeic skin
- Wear a clean mask everyday(treat it like your underwear)
- Hand wash your cloth masks with a unscented detergent or soap(no softner)
- Do NOT wear make-up under your mask(you can wear it on the upper part of your face and no one will know)
- Take your mask off whenever you can and let your skin breathe (such as when you are in the car alone)
- Let your serum and moisturizer dry before you put your mask on
- Treat maskne with a gentle cleanser, a benzoyl peroxide spot treatment and a hydrating moisturizer
Putting these tips into practice will greatly reduce or maybe even prevent future breakouts. You might avoid the 2020 skin pandemic.
Need recommendations on skincare products with great ingredients?
Look up:
Esthetique Facial Spa
Andrelle’s skincare
Neauxla Beauty
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Wow~ I thought it was me. I wash my face over and over but I keep getting these bumps on my face. I will try to do what you suggest