Which mask with facial hair

My pulmonary doctor ordered me a new machine but only had 3 to show me in the office and said he though the amara view would work okay for me. Mind you I'm standing in his office so he knows me and that I have hair. Now I use a swift FX but I still snore and stop breathing at night but with my S9 escape we don't have any data to tell us what is going on. PArt of why he ordered a new machine besides the fact he said I needed an autoset machine.
Well I go to the DME to get the new setup, read other posts to see the issues there. But I do talk to them about a mask. Told me on the phone they had it down I could get that ever they had. Talked to her about the amara view and she said I would never get a seal. Said I liked the Airfit F20 and was told I would never get a seal with it as well. She showed me a paper with the mask she said was the only one she ever could get to seal with facial hair. Well I'd never seen it before and it had the part that sits on the forehead which I hate. Now I have only used them during a couple of sleep studies but still who wants all that in their face. Talking to her some more she said she though I could use the dreamwear. Now if the doc ordered a full face mask how is this going to fill what he ordered? With no data from the S9 escape I don't know what is going on with my swift FX. I don't think I breath thru my mouth but I can't say for sure.
Which mask works with facial hair? I know everybody has different luck with them but something has to work besides the ones that sit on your forehead. I figure the one they are pushing is the cheapest out there.

bmanley wrote:My pulmonary doctor ordered me a new machine but only had 3 to show me in the office and said he though the amara view would work okay for me. Mind you I'm standing in his office so he knows me and that I have hair. Now I use a swift FX but I still snore and stop breathing at night but with my S9 escape we don't have any data to tell us what is going on. PArt of why he ordered a new machine besides the fact he said I needed an autoset machine.
Well I go to the DME to get the new setup, read other posts to see the issues there. But I do talk to them about a mask. Told me on the phone they had it down I could get that ever they had. Talked to her about the amara view and she said I would never get a seal. Said I liked the Airfit F20 and was told I would never get a seal with it as well. She showed me a paper with the mask she said was the only one she ever could get to seal with facial hair. Well I'd never seen it before and it had the part that sits on the forehead which I hate. Now I have only used them during a couple of sleep studies but still who wants all that in their face. Talking to her some more she said she though I could use the dreamwear. Now if the doc ordered a full face mask how is this going to fill what he ordered? With no data from the S9 escape I don't know what is going on with my swift FX. I don't think I breath thru my mouth but I can't say for sure.
Which mask works with facial hair? I know everybody has different luck with them but something has to work besides the ones that sit on your forehead. I figure the one they are pushing is the cheapest out there.

Just FYI, I have a full beard and mustache. I use a Comfort Gel nasal mask. According to the stats from my CPAP, the fit is 100% on most nights. Once in a while, it's 99%.

D.H., he's looking for FF mask suggestions for now. He's been using a Swift FX but doesn't know if he mouth breathes. As his post states.

OkyDoky wrote:D.H., he's looking for FF mask suggestions for now. He's been using a Swift FX but doesn't know if he mouth breathes. As his post states.

Fitting a full-face mask is generally harder than a nasal mask. This is probably even more true when facial hair is involved. If he must use a FF mask, he might try the Comfort Gel FF mask, since I'm doing well with the nasal version.

FF masks are very difficult to seal with any facial hair. My suggestion would be to get the new data machine and evaluate your leaks with the mask your are using. If you want to keep the hair, you may end up looking at other ways to keep air from escaping from your mouth if leaks are truly a problem, which we don't know yet.

I recently ordered the Amara View and I'm not a fan. I've become a mouth breathing in the last 6 months and thought this looked like a good solution. I have a goatee so, my situation is slightly different but I do get a good seal even with my facial hair. The bad part is if the mask moves while I'm sleeping, it looses the seal quick, fast and in a hurry... then it's a pain to reseal when I'm woken up by the noise of the air escaping. For me, it feels like the curvature of the mask is too much for my face. Maybe less of a curve and a bit wider would be perfect, or at least better.

I switch between the Amara and my Dreamwear, which I love, for my wife's sake. I've been using a CPAP for almost a year now, and I think my success so far is due to the less intrusive Dreamwear mask. I can now see how others have problems adjusting to CPAP therapy since I received my Amara mask.

OkyDoky wrote:D.H., he's looking for FF mask suggestions for now. He's been using a Swift FX but doesn't know if he mouth breathes. As his post states.

I'd love to stay with a nasal pillow or even a nasal mask if that would fix my issue but like what has been said I don't know what is going wrong. Asked today if once I got the new machine I wondered if I should keep using my old mask for a day or two and maybe see what is happening and she still said I should try a new mask. Like the amara view but I'm hearing they are not very good. I do sleep on my side most of the time so I need something that will work with that. I do go from side to back.

D.H. wrote:
Just FYI, I have a full beard and mustache. I use a Comfort Gel nasal mask. According to the stats from my CPAP, the fit is 100% on most nights. Once in a while, it's 99%.

Looked up that mask and if it's the right one it has the piece that sits on your forehead. Just don't think one has to have that to seal around the lower part of my mouth. I've has the facial hair since I before I started CPAP. Not sure of the models I used during the sleep studies, which is the only time I used a full face mask. Now I did use the swift FX during two sleep studies and they never said I had a problem with it so not sure what to do. I think the doctor is just trying to figure out why I still stop breathing at night.

bmanley wrote:

D.H. wrote:
Just FYI, I have a full beard and mustache. I use a Comfort Gel nasal mask. According to the stats from my CPAP, the fit is 100% on most nights. Once in a while, it's 99%.

Looked up that mask and if it's the right one it has the piece that sits on your forehead. Just don't think one has to have that to seal around the lower part of my mouth. I've has the facial hair since I before I started CPAP. Not sure of the models I used during the sleep studies, which is the only time I used a full face mask. Now I did use the swift FX during two sleep studies and they never said I had a problem with it so not sure what to do. I think the doctor is just trying to figure out why I still stop breathing at night.

You only need a FF mask if your mouth is staying open during the night and the other solutions (such as a chin strap) are doing the trick.

If at all possible, it's best to use a nasal mask, as it is so much easier to fit.

D H. wrote:If at all possible, it's best to use a nasal mask, as it is so much easier to fit.

Also much easier to seal esp. with facial hair. Nasal pillows are even easier to seal.

I have used the Comfortgel FULL FACE, which should have similar fit to the nasal comfort gel.
Of course, my facial hair is limited to a never-ending wellspring of "granny hairs".

The Avatar is me with an Amara View (Medium) with a seal and high pressure. Guess what? I have a significant beard!!!

The main reason for a full face mask is to manage mouth breathing, This is not the only method to do so. How you choose to do so is up to you. I'll guarantee that every one of these methods will fail for someone.

Mouth Breathing
Mouth Breathing is when you open your mouth and the air pressure from your PAP is venting out your mouth typically showing on your charts as a large leak which can substantially negate the effectiveness of your therapy. It is generally not good. The solution varies depending on the person

How to manage Mouth Breathing, not in any particular order.

Chin Strap. A chin strap is to manage mouth leaks from a variety of causes. Most result from the jaw dropping or opening either partially or wider. The chin strap is to gently keep the jaw closed. If you have to crank it shut to make it work this is not the correct solution. Note that your jaw is strong enough to open if it wants to.

Cervical collar. A Cervical Collar may also be used to keep the jaw from dropping.

Mouth Guard. The concept here is a closed mouth guard to keep the air from leaking out.

Taping. The purpose of taping is to seal the lips and prevent mouth leaks / mouth breathing. It is not to stop the mouth from opening. I make sure that I can easily open my mouth, when taped, if I need to.

FFM – Full Face Mask or Hybrid Mask. This is a very traditional solution and it is generally effective.

bonjour wrote:The Avatar is me with an Amara View (Medium) with a seal and high pressure. Guess what? I have a significant beard!!!

Knowing the pressure, expected leak, and actual leak rates would be helpful.

The one thing I have said is since I started CPAP I have never felt rested and not sure why. One thing could be poor fit on the swift RX. I said before my DME showed me that one and we put it on and they said it fit. They took the other sizes of pillows that come with a new mask so I didn't have any to try if it was wrong. Without full data how could we tell if it was working for me. Not saying that is the problem but who knows. One thing is my pressure. Right now it is 15 but I think with the autoset he out it down for 15-20. I know what will work for one may not work for another but I wanted to see if other could get a seal with facial hair. They told me they have never had any luck with the amara view or the Airfit F20 and facial hair. Too me it seems like the dreamwear might not work much better the the swift FX I have, doesn't look to me like it is any more stable since I move back to side