Not-so squeaky clean skin?

[Wrenna]

Is there a nasal mask that doesn't require your skin to be squeaky clean to seal? Or a skin lotion that won't interfere with the mask sealing??

I sometimes have to use astringent to get my face clean enough so my comfortgel doesn't slide around and leak. Even then my face sometimes gets oily in reaction during the night and then it leaks. I prefer nasal masks to nasal pillow masks but I have to split my time between them so I can use face and eye cream. Has anyone found an alternative?

[Spirit]

I have a very oily face, I wash my face with dial soap, towel dry, wipe face with non scented baby wipes, then put on mask. Works like a charm. You can try Noxema, I've heard that Noxema works well for oily skin.

[Gerryk]

I was washing mmy face real good at night before putting my mask on when I first started. when that didn't work, I got some cotton balls and alcohol and wiped my face where the mask would contact. Well that just made it worst, I finally realized to more I cleaned and removed any oils from my skin, the harder my skin worked to replace those oils. I got to the point I either didn't wash right before bed or I would wash just after dinner and just wipe my face with a clean tissue to remove any excess oil. That helped some.

Now as far as putting your moisturizer on. I understand women want to put it on at night since their makeup is removed at that time. Is it possible to find a moisturizer that can be applied in the morning before makeup? Forgive my ignorance on makeup as I don't use it.

Gerry

[Catnap]

Gerry, most women who wear makeup and use moisturizer for dry skin use it twice a day, morning and night. Typically the routine is wash face/apply moisturizer/apply makeup in the morning, and remove makeup/wash face/apply moisturizer at night. If skin is very dry, it usually needs a moisturizer each time it's washed, since washing removes the natural oils.

Wrenna, have you tried a water-based moisturizer that doesn't leave an oily layer on your skin? That might help. Also, don't forget that there are masks that don't rely on a skin-to-mask seal at all, e.g., the Nasal Aire II.

[Gerryk]

All the women on here will probably want to kill me for this.

But why wear makeup? I can understand a little once in a while if you want to cover something up. But I myself don't like it. I admire the natural beauty of a woman and your all covering it up with that expensive stuff someone told you that you had to wear.

Ok, now I am ready swing away.

Gerry

[Jaylee]

I rarely wear makeup Gerry

I use cetaphil moisturizer and apply it about an hour before putting on the mask. No problems so far.

[KatieW]

All the women on here will probably want to kill me for this.

But why wear makeup? I can understand a little once in a while if you want to cover something up. But I myself don't like it. I admire the natural beauty of a woman and your all covering it up with that expensive stuff someone told you that you had to wear.

Ok, now I am ready swing away.

Gerry

You are a brave man Gerry. I don't wear make-up either.

[Beulah]

But why wear makeup?

So that I don't scare young children.

[Gerryk]

How are you going to scare them? I was ahead of you and they all ran home crying already.

I was just being honest, and no one has said anything nasty to me yet. Hmmmmm

Gerry

[YawnGirl]

But why wear makeup?

Because we want to "enhance" our beauty. Bring attention to our best facial features, while down playing (or covering up) our less-than-best facial features.

[Muse-Inc]

OK, this is men and women with dry skin. I've pretty much eliminated mine by drinking more water and rubbing a cut grape over my face and eyelids and letting it sit while I brush my teeth at night. Been doing the grape thing for about 2 months now and it's pretty amazing...by now with cooler weather my skin would be flaky where I can't wear moisturizer at night. I wear the Hybrid so the top half of my face can be moisturized but instead I just use an oil-free vitamin C serum (DermaE's) as I'm not dry anymore. My cheeks are usually on the dry side but so far no flakiness. The grape juice also acts a mild exfoliator. I put it on over my foundation at night, then wash it all off. Mom (70s) has also been doing this too and her facial dryness is also pretty much gone. Worth a try, a few grapes/wk is pretty inexpensive compared to a moisturizer.

Gerry, I wear a light covering of foundation to even out the appearance of my skin & somewhat mask my dark undereye circles (I'm hoping they might fade as I continue with xPAP therapy, everything else continues to improve); it also contains an SPF that helps protect against sunburn. A drug I take photosensitizes my skin so my limit for sun exposure is 5-6 total mins a day or I burn with itching & reddness .

[Gerryk]

There ya go sunscreen. Sunscreen is so important and not many people wear it. Wearing sunscreen and not smoking will give you beautiful skin. Don't hide it under all that makeup.

Yawngirl says hide some features and highlight others. Ok either I am a different breed or I am missing something.

Those women in the movies, they aren't real women they are all plastic. Real women are the ones who go about their daily lives, going to work and what not.

Ok last post on here from me.

Sorry if I hijacked your post.

Gerry

[bailachel]

I stopped using moisturizer at night when I first started using CPAP but my skin started to get flaky within a couple of days. I started using it again and it has had no effect on the ability of my mask to form and hold a seal, nor has it appeared to damage the seal of my mask. I use a fairly heavy duty moisturizer for "mature" women.

[Muse-Inc]

...There ya go sunscreen. Sunscreen is so important and not many people wear it. Wearing sunscreen and not smoking will give you beautiful skin. Don't hide it under all that makeup...

Agreed! Most think I'm 15 yrs younger than I am and I do have beautiful skin in spite of multiple sunburns every summer growing up in So FL. I find the belief that physical age is the prime driver of the changes we call aging very amusing. My grandmother also looked yrs younger and so does my mom...some call that genetics, I say that too but natural food, good supplements, no smoking, and a positive outlook go a long way to creating the biochemistry that battles free radical damage.

Too often and too aggressive cleansing as you noted causes the skin to react with hyper-production of protective sebum whose excess then paradoxically irritates the skin and in some cases results in rosacea-like reactions. It also disturbs the acid mantle of the skin that protects against pathogens and helps the skin maintain itself. Gentle cleansing is best. Men's skin is 7 times thicker than women's so our skin must be handled more carefully to prevent irritation.

[gasp]

All the women on here will probably want to kill me for this.

But why wear makeup? I can understand a little once in a while if you want to cover something up. But I myself don't like it. I admire the natural beauty of a woman and your all covering it up with that expensive stuff someone told you that you had to wear.

Ok, now I am ready swing away.

Gerry

Because my husband gets that strange love puppy look on his face when I wear makeup : )