Full face masks - NONE of them work... ?

[queenbee125]

Hi all,

I have tried the following full face masks and none of them work!

• Resmed Mirage quattro (medium)
  Resmed Airfit F10 (medium)
  Resmed Quattro air (medium)
  Philips Amara (medium)

All of them are uncomfortable because there is too much pressure on my cheeks (left and right side of my nose) and then the bottom and top are not sealed very well. If I make it loose enough that there isn't too much pressure on my face, then they are too loose.

I have played around with all the straps to try variations of fit, have watched youtube videos on mask fitting, have read information online, have tried to have them 'floating' on my face instead of strapped tight. Seems that ALL of them are just too tight on my cheeks... Is this a unique problem for me? Have any of you experienced this? Are there masks that can be adjusted or 'molded' more to my face? (I am an occupational therapist and have worked with thermoplastic making splints and braces for kids for many years... seems that it shouldn't be too difficult to have a soft thermoplastic adjutable face mask that could be molded? )

I have a very average face, average size, no fat on my face, small nose etc. I just don't understand why I am having so much trouble finding a full face mask to be comfortable?????

Help?

[Denial Dave]

You might consider trying the quattro air in a large size. It is not a match to the standard Quattro in sizing.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I have a very average face, average size, no fat on my face, small nose etc. I just don't understand why I am having so much trouble finding a full face mask to be comfortable????? Help?

Sounds like you've made up your mind... can't argue with that. What are you going to do now? Total face mask TFM? Try nasal pillows? Drop CPAP altogether? As a side note, there are a couple of companies that do make custom masks but I don't have the links, plus I can't begin to imagine how expensive they'd be, even just to replace cushions.

[jaycee2]

queenbee125, I am very, very new at this. But my DME said that even though I would be a large in the Simplus if we went by the template but I should try a small and it worked as far as that goes. (It doesn't work very well due to slack jaw/mouth opening). There was very little leaking except when my mouth opened. Some people find that mask liners help the leak problem. The brands Remzzz and PadaCheek are mentioned most often. Hope this helps.

[M'ohms]

You might also look at the Innomed Hybrid. It has nasal pillows as well as a mask that covers the mouth, so you won't have pressure on the sides of your nose.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -Mask.html

[Sir NoddinOff]

(It doesn't work very well due to slack jaw/mouth opening). There was very little leaking except when my mouth opened. Some people find that mask liners help the leak problem.

Here's how I keep my jaw from dropping while I'm in deep sleep... I use this instead of a chinstrap:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=96560&p=894169&hili ... ff#p894169

[Wulfman...]

Hi all,

I have tried the following full face masks and none of them work!

• Resmed Mirage quattro (medium)
  Resmed Airfit F10 (medium)
  Resmed Quattro air (medium)
  Philips Amara (medium)

All of them are uncomfortable because there is too much pressure on my cheeks (left and right side of my nose) and then the bottom and top are not sealed very well. If I make it loose enough that there isn't too much pressure on my face, then they are too loose.

I have played around with all the straps to try variations of fit, have watched youtube videos on mask fitting, have read information online, have tried to have them 'floating' on my face instead of strapped tight. Seems that ALL of them are just too tight on my cheeks... Is this a unique problem for me? Have any of you experienced this? Are there masks that can be adjusted or 'molded' more to my face? (I am an occupational therapist and have worked with thermoplastic making splints and braces for kids for many years... seems that it shouldn't be too difficult to have a soft thermoplastic adjutable face mask that could be molded? )

I have a very average face, average size, no fat on my face, small nose etc. I just don't understand why I am having so much trouble finding a full face mask to be comfortable?????

Help?

I don't see that you've tried the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face.

The mask needs to be properly sized and adjusted. Too much tension (cinching them down too tight) will make the leaks worse.

Maybe your problem is actually your bed pillow.

Edited to add: My bed pillow is in my profile....."Chiroflow" (aka "Mediflow") water-based pillow.


Den

.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Maybe your problem is actually your bed pillow.

Den

.

Den's idea is not that wild, if you actually think about how a pillow fits your face and makes room for your mask. Here's one I like and use every night and it's super moldable IMO. It's very firm and may take a few nights to get used to, but once you do that its very comfortable and stable:

http://pur-sleep.com/shop/cpap-bed-pill ... illow.html

It's not the cheapest pillow out there, however only you can decide what good sleep is worth

[palerider]

You might consider trying the quattro air in a large size. It is not a match to the standard Quattro in sizing.

the weird thing about that, and I've heard it from several people, is that both masks use the same sizing guide, from what I've been able to google up!

[Goofproof]

I suppose if you even need a iron lung and you don't like using it the only option would be to die. To me that's not acceptable. We are humans, if we ture off our can't gene, we can adapt. The problem isn't so much a mask problem as it's a I don't want to problem. With time the face structure learns to fit the mask, unless you are a skeleton.

Adjust mask, at full real pressure. I hold the mask to my face, and adjust the straps hold it into that position. If I have to reposition it a few times in the night, I take a sip of water move the mask and straps as needed, sleep on, 2 minutes at most, hardly wakes me up. Jim

[purple]

You might try to cover the bridge of the nose with Mole Skin, so you can lighten up on the straps. Notice the seal is partially achieved in some masks by an air channel, which can distort and collapse if the straps are too tight.

Mole Skin is totally synthetic product sold in the foot care aisle of grocery stores and pharmacies. I comes in small sheets which one can use scissors to cut out the exact size one needs.

Curious, did the DME actually suggest the full face mask, or just the size? Often someone who dispenses masks can suggest the most useful model of mask just by glancing at a face and hearing the persons concerns. I have ignored them to my suffering until I tried what they suggested.

[Guest1]

Tried Mask liners yet. Better still, make some mask liners from a used cotton/flannel tshirt/shirt.

I have a F10 FFM and I could tame it only with some mask liners cut from a used 100% cotton tshirt. I am an active side-sleeper and I can play rough with the mask with the liner and my leaks are contained and I don't wake up with the leaks. You may want to extend your experiments with these FFMs by adding liners to the mix.

[queenbee125]

I have a very average face, average size, no fat on my face, small nose etc. I just don't understand why I am having so much trouble finding a full face mask to be comfortable????? Help?

Sounds like you've made up your mind... can't argue with that. What are you going to do now? Total face mask TFM? Try nasal pillows? Drop CPAP altogether? As a side note, there are a couple of companies that do make custom masks but I don't have the links, plus I can't begin to imagine how expensive they'd be, even just to replace cushions.

No - I definitely haven't made up my mind. I have only had the CPAP machine since July this year and I am at a loss as to what to do - I obviously want to continue with the CPAP but that is why I am asking for help on this forum....

[wilsonintexas]

Look at the cloth masks, easy n the face. Look at the sleep weaver masks. I have a collection of about 15, before I tried this one. CPAP.com offers a free fit insurance on them..... so low risk.

[Sleepy Granny 72]

Have you tried the Mirage Liberty full face? Like you, I tried 4 or 5 different styles but this one is
really comfortable. It is basically just the nasal piece which is attached to the small soft silicone mouthpiece.
It feels light and no pressure on cheeks or nose bones or forehead at all. I've used it for 18 months now.
You don't tighten it down much and once I finally learned to relax with it on, it is great.
Now I actually look forward to putting it on to sleep. Don't give up in finding a good mask. It makes all
the difference.