FACE is SWELLING

I started using a BPAP Aircurve 11. Doctor has the pressure at 10/13. I have to have the mask tight to keep the air from escaping and making weird sounds. However the tight masks leaves my face and eyes swollen really bad. My eyes were so swollen I had to go to the eye doctor to make sure it wasn't infected. Any suggestions. If I loosen straps, air escapes.

See the first MD again and talk to him/her about it, the pressure, etc... maybe it's the wrong mask for you or needs readjusting, We can't comment without seeing what's what and it may be more rhan a matter of loosening straps.

Thank you. I will start there.

I have found that modern masks often do best when they sit loosely upon the face so that the pressurized air then inflates the seal evenly against the skin.

On the other hand, overtightening a mask can be counterproductive and can cause more leaks than it prevents.

It can be counter-intuitive that leaks may at times indicate a need to loosen straps instead of making them tighter.

That said, if a mask cannot be adjusted to prevent leaks when relatively loose, it may indicate a need to try a different size or try a different mask completely.

I have the same problem and I agree that getting the right tight/loose balance on the mask is key. Basically, lying down tends to cause fluid in your upper body including face and head that isn't there during the day because you're vertical but normally it's more evenly distributed and you're less likely to notice it in the morning. The pressure of the mask pushes it up into the bags under your eyes. At least that's my theory. So too tight makes it worse. Too loose you get air leaking of course. So yeah, what lazarus said, try loosening the straps a bit. If you can't without too much leaking maybe a different mask or type is needed like Julie said.

Thank you all for your response. I called my supplier and they measured my face over my cell phone (even though the hospital charged over 10,000 dollars to determine which mask fit best) They sent me a nasal mask (F30i) which works better, but condensation is to much; I can turn that down. But face pressure is a lot better. The full face mask F30, if I remember correctly was swelling up my face. Doctor told me we have glands in our face that need to drain nightly and the mask was preventing natural drainage. Thank you for your responses.

I hope things continue to go better for you.

Let us know, please.

-Jeff

Jimmydon2025 wrote: ↑

Mon May 05, 2025 9:48 am

Thank you all for your response. I called my supplier and they measured my face over my cell phone (even though the hospital charged over 10,000 dollars to determine which mask fit best) They sent me a nasal mask (F30i) which works better, but condensation is to much; I can turn that down. But face pressure is a lot better. The full face mask F30, if I remember correctly was swelling up my face. Doctor told me we have glands in our face that need to drain nightly and the mask was preventing natural drainage. Thank you for your responses.

Ah, lymph glands. Interesting! I have condensation issues in the nasal mask even though I don't use a humidifier but they seem better since I turned up the ambient temperature. I put the A/C on 74 instead of 72. You wouldn't think a two degree change would matter but I've had less condensation since then.