Sore spot on the bridge of my nose

[tiredted]

Does anyone else's mask cause a sore spot on the bridge of your nose? What do you do to solve this problem?

[Fifi]

Hi Tired Ted. I have it on occassions but I just ignore it and it goes within a few hours.

How bad is yours? How long have you had it? How long does the mark remain on your face upon waking?

Have you tried the obvious:
1) Making sure face and mask are well washed and perfectly dry, before you go to bed. You are not allergic to any of the products you youe on your mask to clean it.
2) loosening mask tension.

You do not mention what mask you use or what pressure you are on?

[WillSucceed]

EVERY mask that I have tried has chewed a groove into the bridge of my nose. Hurts something evil. I recently purchased an Activa (shallow) and love the mask, but it also brutalizes the bridge of my nose. I have taken to purchasing Duo-Derm and cutting out a crescent shape strip that I put on the bridge of my nose. I leave this on all night -it comes off in the morning while in the shower (the water makes it let go of my skin). This helps alot and is so thin that it does not lessen the seal.

Good luck with this. I have best success with nasal pillow systems and am currently using Respironics Custom-Lite.

[tk]

I'm worried about the marks left too, the Breeze with pillows in the nose left me with raw sores after two days, tried it for about 8 days. Switched to a gel mask that just covers nose, it left a big red spot and bump on my forehead the first night, then a red mark with a small blister the second night, faint redness where bottom of mask is. The forehead bump is small but now looks like it has a small pit in it, like a pimple or blister broke. (I wore a big bandage over it last night. Have loosened the mask a little but can't loosen it anymore without losing air. Wondering if I'm sensitive to the silicone or whatever those masks are made of. Reading this forum with great interest.
tk

[BetterBreathinBob]

Hey Ted, all of us have probably had the same spot at onr time or another. Mask is tooo tight on the top straps. If it's the correct size for your nose then try loosing the top straps a bit.

Lots of masks on the market--between trial and error and education you will get it right.

Good Luck

[rested gal]

Willsucceed's Duo-derm idea sounds good. Have also heard of people using the little Nexcare spot bandages to pad the spot lightly. Also have heard of moleskin being used. Regularly alternating between two or more masks can help, if a person finds more than one mask type that works "ok" - and can afford several.

[captcpap]

Haven't been on the CPAP too long but definetly have had the nose soreness. My third mask seems to take care of it. I don't recall the name of the mask but it does not rest directly on you nose. It has a piece that rests on you forhead. I do get a little redness but it is gone within an hour or so of taking it off. I had the traditional and the gel. This one works on a baffle system. It is loose until the cpap hits your pressure level and then seals on your face. If interested, I could get the info to you.

[wading thru the muck!]

captcpap,

Are you refering to the ResMed Mirage Activa? That mask and it's loose fit is a favorite of many including myself.

[captcpap]

Wading,

Yes, the mask that has worked the "best" so far is the Mirage Activa (https://www.cpap.com/productpage/767). I still have a hard time with it but it's the most "comfortable" (if you can call it that) and leaks the least amount and doesn't leave many marks and they go away quickly. I have been on the cpap for about 8 weeks and still struggle quite a bit.

This forum has been encouraging. At least now I have others to talk too. I joined the forum yesterday and have bee "wading" as your username suggest through all the posts. Every issue I have has been talked about somewhere in the forum (mask issues, dry mouth, waking frequently, still tired... etc.) so at least I know I'm not alone but still struggling to find answers...

[UKnowWhatInSeattle]

I seem to have a nose bridge somewhere between "Standard" and "Shallow" in Resmed terms. I've been using an Activa with a Shallow cushion and it gives me the irritation on the bridge, but the Standard does not. The Standard leaks into my eyes sometimes. The Shallow seems to fit better height-wise (north-south).

With my UltraMirage, I think the Shallow is working better leakage-wise and doesn't seem to irritate my nose.

[Dillard]

Thanks for all the information here and helpful hints. My mask is very comfortable with nothing hard or uncomfortable rubbing the bridge of my nose---but I still get a blister every morning!

In fact, the edges of my mask are very pillow like and comfortable. It is a Flexifit HC405A by Fisher & Paykel. If I was allergic to the material I would get redness all around my nose where the mask fits.

Do I just need to wear a bandaid everynight?

[DotM]

I have been having a problem with the sides of my nose and face where the sides of the nose connect to the face on each side. It gets chafed like when you are out in the cold wind too long. Didn`t have this problem with old full face mask, but do with the new one. I am able to heal it using vaseline. Any one have any ideas for me to try to prevent the sore white chafing from happening?

[JohnB]

I started with the ComfortGel and it would rub a blister on the bridge of my nose. By the 4th day, the blister was bleeding. Wearing a bandaid on the nose bridge helps. I complained to DME and switched to ComfortLite and it solved the nose problem, but I found it very uncomfortable and difficult to sleep with. Tried again with the ComfortSelect and it is more comfortabe and does not cause problem on bridge of nose. It turns out that the ComfortGel was wrong size. I had large and should have been using medium or small.

My DME only offers Respironics products. I ordered UltraMirage, standard size, from cpap.com. I find this one very comfortable and can even sleep on side without leaks.

Bottom line is that it may take several masks to find one that fits and works for you. We are all different and you need to find one that is best for you. I alternate between ComfortSelect and UltraMirage.

JohnB

[rested gal]

hi JohnB,

You said it right!

Bottom line is that it may take several masks to find one that fits and works for you. We are all different and you need to find one that is best for you.

For side-sleeping me, any ResMed mask is good...except their Mirage Vista - leaked up around the eyes on me. I've never yet met a Respironics mask, (gel, whatever) that I liked anywhere nearly as well as ResMed's masks. The only interface of another brand that I like as well has been Puritan Bennett's Breeze with nasal pillows - still my favorite, followed closely by ResMed's Activa nasal mask. For occasional nights when I'm congested and need to breathe through my mouth - ResMed's Ultra Mirage FF (full face) mask is the one I reach for.

[cb]

I had awful soreness on the bridge of the nose and above my lip that resulted in nasty scabs that took over a week to heal. The doctor gave me a "barrier cream" (said it is commonly used for burn patients - can't remember the name) to apply to those spots before going to sleep. Completely solved the problem.