Buying a mask for my beard

[CzechCzar]

Hi all,

I have a full beard and moustache. The plastic and gel masks sometimes leak for me, and I was wondering if there was any consensus on what masks work best. The sleepweaver masks are made of cloth, and might work better, but I am just starting out and don't really know what is what!

[GordieK]

I also have a full beard and mustache. Like you I have had a miserable time with masks. In my experience, nasal pillows work well with a full beard and so does the Sleepweaver. I found pillows easier to adjust to and they would be my first choice. However, but they are a problem with my badly deviated septum. Getting the Sleepweaver to fit correctly takes some trial and error. Once I got past this (videos on their web site were very helpful) they work very well with my beard. Unfortunately, there are huge individual differences in mask preferences. What works for me may be a disaster for you. It is not unusual for people to go through a half dozen or so masks before they can find one that they can tolerate. (Choosing a mask is often a matter of picking the lesser of the available evils: few of us are actually happy with what we use.)

[SleepyToo2]

I also have a full beard/mustache. Nasal pillows work best for me, but I have also used the FitLife (total) face mask, and a Zest nasal mask. With the pillows, I do have to use a chin strap (Ruby, non-adjustable), although I have recently successfully modified it by adding a strap across the upper lip (between lip and nostrils) to really keep the leaks down with the TapPap mask (without the headgear).

For the other types of mask, you have to experiment with the right length and softness (altered by making sure you wash you beard just before you put the mask on, and not completely drying it) of your beard. It is just another variable, and you probably will never get the leaks to anything close to zero, even with the straps so tight you get sore spots on your face/forehead/nose. You can also try using a silicone dive mask sealer, or Lansinoh (lanolin, but this gets messy), although I don't guarantee that any of that will work. You can get/make liners for some nasal/full face masks, which may well help. Another experiment!

Some folks will tell you to lose the facial hair, but that is unnecessary. I have not tried any of the cloth masks, although I am very tempted by the full-face masks that have recently been released. The designer has facial hair, so they should work! Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

[RogerSC]

The nasal pillow masks work well with beards. If you haven't tried one or two of those you should, and see what happens. There's several of them out there, The Swift FX, Aloha, Tap Pap, and so on. I'm not sure from your posting whether you were referring to cushions in masks, or just anything silicone-based, so I thought I'd ask and see what you thought.

Anyways, give it a try, if you haven't already, works well for me.

[CzechCzar]

Thanks for the advice guys. I actually have a swift FS nasal pillow, and I find that it really starts to hurt after an hour or so, and I always take it off after awhile. I guess I just have to experiment!!

[islandboy5150]

I used a fleece mask liner and cinched the mask down tight. That stopped all my leaks when I had a nice duckman going on. I had to sweet talk Karen into making it special for me though. It's a bit on the warm side, but I hot used to that pretty quick.

[Pugsy]

I actually have a swift FS nasal pillow, and I find that it really starts to hurt after an hour or so, and I always take it off after awhile. I guess I just have to experiment!!

I assume you are meaning the Swift FX nasal pillows.
They shouldn't hurt..ever...and if they do then the most likely cause is either improper fit (normally straps too tight) or the wrong size nasal pillows are being used.
At most only very minor discomfort at the nostril area simply because that area of our skin is virgin ground and not used to have anything rubbing on it.
We normally advise using some Lansinoh lanolin ointment to help with this very minor soreness.

That said not everyone likes the Swift FX nasal pillows the best...but there are several other nasal pillow masks that are very good and have a high success rate...so give them a try.
With facial hair...the nasal pillows are going to be the easiest to seal because the facial hair doesn't directly affect the nostrils all that much...any other mask where it has to touch the facial hair is going to take more work to get it sealed and keep it sealed.
It can be done as lots of guys with facial hair have success with other masks but in terms of area needing to be sealed...the nasal pillows have least amount of real estate.
I don't know if an over the nose mask would interest you but the Swift FX Nano cushion might work well with the mustache. It probably depends on just how much hair is in that area just below the nostrils..and I am talking just barely below the nostrils because that is where the Nano rests. BTW the Swift FX Nano cushion will fit on the Swift FX nasal pillow headgear slots. I got one to try it. Nice little mask.

In terms of the Swift FX fit....when you look in the mirror with it on..do you see visions of "piggy nose"? That's the most common fitting error. Top strap is too tight and pulls the end of the nose up and it will cause pain.
Have you seen Jan's hints on fitting the Swift FX nasal pillows?
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/swift- ... ing-guide/

Or look at the link to the mask I now use (prior to it I used the Swift FX) and see if it interests you.
Also...check out the new Respironics Nuance or Nuance Pro...the nasal pillows have a bit of gel in them. Helps seal, is comfy and greatly reduces the tendency for people to use the wrong size which sometimes sucks the rim of the pillow into the nostrils and that hurts. Nasal pillow masks don't require much tension to stay seated and sealed.
The other nasal pillow masks mentioned...are all good too. Keep trying different brands. Some people do prefer one brand over another for various reasons and that's true with every mask out there. There's always lovers and haters of every mask available.

[chunkyfrog]

I have always been a fan of the Swift FX pillows, but Respironics has a GEL nasal pillow mask, that is now my favorite nasal pillow.
It is so soft!
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... -mask.html

[NateS]

The Wisp works for me!

Have you seen their morphing video? - lots of men with mustaches and beards wearing the Wisp!

Best wishes, Nate

[CzechCzar]

The wisp looks truly awesome... as for my nasal pillows, maybe they were too big? It didn't hurt for the first half hour, but then it got to be a small pain so annoying that I couldn't fall asleep.

[RogerSC]

The wisp looks truly awesome... as for my nasal pillows, maybe they were too big? It didn't hurt for the first half hour, but then it got to be a small pain so annoying that I couldn't fall asleep.

They nasal pillows could have been the wrong size and/or the mask was adjusted too tight. There are various fitting videos for the Swift FX on youtube, but the essense is that the top strap should be pretty loose, and the back strap should be a little tighter, but the mask as a whole should be as loose as you can make it and still stop most leaks. Sometimes people, especially "beginners" *smile*, tighten masks too much to try to stop all leaking, which can end up with a mask being a lot tighter than it needs to be, and then the mask hurts and creates sores fairly quickly.

If you can make a minimal mask like the Swift FX work, it's hard to beat...there is the Tap Pap that has no headgear, but I'm personally not a fan of anchoring a mask to my teeth. Howvever, that one also works for a lot of people, as does the Aloha and the Nuance Pro. There's also the Swift LT, but that one is a little more mask than I like personally.

[msla]

Short facial hair here, about 1/4 ". I have had success with Opus 360. I started with a medium but now use the large. I am currently using the Nano standard size. There is a small amount of contact with the hair under the nose.

[CzechCzar]

So, my current masks are:

F&P ESON
F&P Pilario
Philips Nuance
Philips Wisp

Of these, the ESON is the only one with which I have had any success. The Pilario hurts, which is probably because my DME gave me the wrong size. The nuance feels OK, but each morning I find I have taken it off during the night. The wisp feels great, but I get so congested that I have to remove it during the night.

I think that buying yet another mask, and introducing yet another set of new circumstances, is a bad idea. I am tempted to try to keep on going with the Nuance, since that is the mask with which I have had the best success. I can fall back on the ESON, and maybe get a Mirage FX or a Swift FX Nano, if it comes to that.

How is the Philips Nuance? Is it at all comparable to the Swift FX Nano nasal pillow? If I can't find success with the nuance, am I any more likely to find it with the Swift FX nano nasal pillow? Or would you just proceed directly to the Mirage FX? So many questions, I know...

[CzechCzar]

Bump?

[Pugsy]

Do you sleep well with the Nuance nasal pillows and your only complaint with them is that you take them off and don't remember doing it?

Mask preferences and needs are highly individual...what one person might just love the next person might hate. We don't know what you might hate or love.

I have used the Swift FX nasal pillows in the past and in fact it was my primary mask until I changed to the Tap Pap nasal pillows mask last March. See the link in my signature.
You can get a Swift FX nasal pillow and put it on the Swift FX Nano headgear that you already have...so you don't have to buy anything but the nasal pillow.
It will work because I did the opposite....got the nano cushion and put it on the old Swift FX nasal pillow headgear and short hose that I already had.
They will work together quite well.
I have also tried the Nuance nasal pillows. I liked them well enough I suppose but of the 2..the FX nasal pillows and the Nuance nasal pillows I prefer the Swift FX. So I can use several nasal pillow masks successfully but none beat out the Tap Pap. I just like not having stuff on my head so I don't use any headgear at all. It suits my needs very well but there is no guarantee that you will do well just because I do well.
That's just the way with any mask.

If your only issues with the Nuance is just the removal during the night..put a couple of bandaids (or tape) over the side cheek straps so that when you attempt to remove it in the middle of the night the discomfort associated with the tape pulling on the skin will wake you up so you can stop the behavior.

Otherwise what you have to do is keep trying masks...you might or might not do well with any of the masks I have used or currently use. There's just no perfect mask that makes everyone happy.

But you can try the Swift FX nasal pillows just by buying a replacement nasal pillow all by itself and use it with your Nano gear.