Is there a mask that doesn't irritate sensitive skin?

[Peacenana]

Hi. I am posting this again as it doesn't seem that my earlier post went through.
I have been struggling with sores on the bridge of my nose, under my nose and on the sides of my nose from the various masks I've been using. I was using the DW under the nose mask and finally got the mask leaks problem under control, then I developed a bad sore under my nose. Tried a little larger nasal masks (Eson 2 and DW wisp) but they only created more sores - bridge of nose and on sides of my nose. I woke up this morning with a huge sore on bridge of nose so bad and swollen that I can't wear my eyeglasses without pain.
I've tried so many masks - between the leaks and the sores. Don't know what else I can do to keep treating the apnea but try dental appliance. I used one for a few years before going to Cpap but the appliance started moving my teeth, which hurt. Does anyone have any other solutions for me to try? I've been using cpap therapy for 17 months now.
Thanks.

[Pugsy]

Your original post is here
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=181238&p=1375489#p1375489
There were some replies.

You might look at barrel cozies to keep the mask from being in direct contact with your skin.

https://www.padacheek.com/barrel-cozies-1

And ResMed now makes a nasal cushion mask that uses memory foam cushion at the skin to mask contact area.
AirTouch N20

https://www.resmed.com/en-us/healthcare ... touch-n20/

[LSAT]

You may need a mask liner...Check here. padacheek.com

[Sleepingbaby]

What do you do for face cleaning?
I was washing my face well at night to remove any dirt /oils and developed a rash where my masked touched.
I am using a f30 that is an odd shape for liners, but I got covers for the straps.

I now use non-alcohol wipes to wipe down my face at night and the mask in the morning. (I find cutting them into 4ths is enough)
I also use a daily face cream in the morning-first was to heal the rash and now just to add moisture for the day.

When I do the full clean I use baby shampoo.

[chunkyfrog]

Sleepweaver (Circadiance) makes cloth masks.

[Peacenana]

Thanks for the great advice/suggestions. I have a call in to pad a cheek to purchase a barrel cozy. Also will check into the other masks.
Last night I went back to the DW under the nose but I had to turn off machine early as under the nose sore hurt a lot. But at least with this mask I only have to deal with the one sore, not four.
But checking my OSCAR data this morning, it seems I got very strange results. Wondering if there was a malfunction. For one, there were no leaks at all (never happens with me) plus weird looking flow line and mask pressure lines. I am attaching if someone could look and let me know. I generally have lots of general leaks and large leaks of 5-20%.
Thanks again.

[Pugsy]

I suspect a corrupted data file.

Unplug your machine from the electric wall outlet and let it sit for a minute or two and then plug it back in and let it reboot.
Then see what tonight brings when you use it again.

[Peacenana]

Dear Pugsy and all,

Thanks for the great advice. I bought the barrel cozy for the Eson 2 mask. I still have sore on the bridge of my nose but at this point I can live with it because:

The Eson mask which has been a godsend because it has had almost zero large leaks and very few (for me) leaks in general. And I wake up feeling rested for the first time in years!
The problem is that over the past two nights the large leaks are back and last night my normally very low AHI (like around 0) went to 2.37. The large leaks or the apneas disturbed my sleep a lot.
I am attaching one of the good nights that the Eson mask has been allowing me to have - then one from last night.

Is there something I'm missing?
Thanks!

[Pugsy]

Can you resize your graphs to include the flow limitation graph?

And omit the masked pressure graph and replace it with the regular pressure graph?

and repost last night's leaky night detailed report?

[Frequentflyermom]

I have had similar issues... sometimes the cozies work,,,the cloth masks are generally ok...but for me the best so far has been the Airfit P10 nasal. Even then I sometimes get irritation around the nostril, but I find it manageable with Vaseline or Aquaphor.

Good luck!

[Peacenana]

Thanks, Pugsy. Is this what you asked for? I am attaching last night's data with info you requested.

[Peacenana]

Mask leaked like crazy last night. I was awoken many times. Between the mask leaks (after trying at least a dozen masks) and the facial sores, I think I have to conclude I can't tolerate cpap therapy. I am posting last night's data so you can see what I mean.
Any other options for me? Dental appliance?
Desperate because my doc says I have to treat the apnea because it is severe during REM and moderate all other times.
Thanks for any other advice you can offer.

[Peacenana]

So tired I forgot to attach data from last night. Here it is. Thanks.

[michgol]

I am fairly new to this. However, I have sensitive skin and was having some irritation that I now have under control. Here is my routine at night which has really helped me

1) Shave
2) Clean face with a gentile cleanser
3) Apply a mild moisturizer

I do this about 30 minutes before I get into bed to allow the moisturizer to soak in.

I also do clean my mask cushion daily with some mild fragrance free dish soap.


I also do have multiple masks. I found that when my irritation flared up that switching to a different mask that contacted my skin in a different place for a few days helped. I no longer have to switch masks, but that really helped my skin heal initially when I was fighting this and I expect that some day I may have a skin flare up and may need to rotate masks in the future.

[Deborah K.]

Have you looked into the Bleep system yet? This has no straps on the head or face, and there is no actual mask, just a device that sticks on to the bottom of your nose with its own tape. The part that sticks on is thrown away every day, and seems unlikely to cause any sores. I sure don't get any.

Maybe Pugsy will chime in on this too. She has used it much longer than I have.