Painful Red bruise from CPAP turned Black and left Mark

I recently started using my CPAP after some time and my mask was pretty old. I ordered a new one but in the interim I used my old mask and due to my beard I made the straps pretty tight. The next morning I had the marks on my face which I am used to as they go away within a few hours. However, I also had a red bruise on my cheek that was considerably redder then the other marks and had a burning sensation like friction mark or bruise. The redness went away in day but it has left a black mark that is still there after almost a week.

I'm writing not in how to prevent these marks but how specifically can I get rid of the black mark on my face. It no longer has any pain the skin feels normal but it has left a black line that I'm worried is permanent. I don't know if in more time this will fade but its quite noticeable and looks like some sort of scar on my face. Kindly help.

Residual discoloration from any injury to the face simply takes time for the body to heal for it to fade away.
Time involved is going to vary a lot between individuals.
I once had a head injury over my left eyebrow that required stitches...got the usual black eye and it even affected the right eye. I had racoon eyes for nearly a month.

Short of trying to cover the ugliness with concealer makeup there's nothing that I know of that can speed up mother nature.
You could maybe try vitamin E oil and warm moist compresses in an effort to speed up circulation a bit in hopes that more circulation can speed of mother nature...won't hurt to try but I don't know how effective it will be.

Ask a dermatologist - you wouldn't want to be stuck with gangrene!

Thanks, I'm hoping it's just something that will take time. If I don't see it gone in another week or so I'm going to see a dermatologist.

Julie wrote:Ask a dermatologist - you wouldn't want to be stuck with gangrene!

SERIOUSLY?

Well, you never know...

Julie wrote:Well, you never know...

so, has there ever been a case of gangrene from a cpap mask... or are you just trying to freak someone out?

Relax... I don't think anyone will freak out, but the (even remote) possibility is there after all... tissue will go black when it dies.

A bad bruise will slowly fade away in about a week. I fell and had a doozy one down the side of my face and had two black eyes.... my friends had a good laugh speculating how "I must have
ran into a door". It will go from black to blue, green and then yellow and just disappear.

Probably you made it way too tight. Most masks form a seal by inflating like a balloon. Too tight is just as bad as too loose! Pay special attention to the relative tightness of the upper and lower straps.

Look closely, and see if there is any yellowing in the area. Yellow is ugly, but it is a sign the bruise is healing.