CPAP mask causing discoloration

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awakeornot
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CPAP mask causing discoloration

Post by awakeornot » Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:38 am

I used to have a nasal pillow mask but it kept waking me up in the middle of the night so I switched to the F&P Vitera Full Face Mask. I've been using it since October 2022 and I loved it at first. It stayed on and allowed me to sleep all night. But I started noticing that the area on my face that held the mask was turning red. So I ordered some cotton mask liners from Amazon to try and help with it. It isn't very comfortable and it causes a lot of leaks. I recently noticed that the skin area under the mask is a little darker than the rest of my face, making me look like a panda. I just ordered some CPAP gel for my face, hoping it will help. I'm going to see if I can get a different mask but I'm not too sure what I should go with next since I've already tried the nasal pillow. Has anyone experienced anything like this before? Has anything helped?

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LSAT
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Re: CPAP mask causing discoloration

Post by LSAT » Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:09 am

Personal comment. I have been using the Vitera for about 15 months. I am on my 3rd cushion. I do not use a mask liner and have never noticed what you are describing.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: CPAP mask causing discoloration

Post by chunkyfrog » Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:36 pm

Two possibilities I can think of:
1: The mask is too tight, and pressure causes inflammation.
2: You are allergic to something on the mask--soap, etc.
Note--silicone is inert, allergy to silicone is unheard of--at last I never heard it.

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robysue1
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Re: CPAP mask causing discoloration

Post by robysue1 » Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:14 pm

chunkyfrog wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:36 pm
Two possibilities I can think of:
1: The mask is too tight, and pressure causes inflammation.
2: You are allergic to something on the mask--soap, etc.
Note--silicone is inert, allergy to silicone is unheard of--at last I never heard it.
Silicone allergy does exist, but it is rare.

A quick google search turns up a link to a 2022 article in Neurology called Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Silicone causing PAP Intolerance that is not behind a paywall.

There are also some additional papers that talk about specific cases (i.e. anecdotal evidence) where a silicone allergy may have been a factor in CPAP intolerance or where a silicone allergy was clearly ruled out as the cause for CPAP intolerance:

Mask Interface and CPAP Adherence published in JCSM in 2008
Allergic contact dermatitis to silicone in a continuous positive airway pressure mask published at Research Gate in 2020. (You may need to join Research Gate to see the article.)

So while a silicone allergy is rare, it's not unheard of.

But before jumping to the conclusion that the OP is allergic to silicone, the more obvious causes of the skin irritation need to be considered.

And chunkyfrog is correct: Those very common causes can be as simple as the mask is too tight. Or sleeping in a way that is pushing the mask into the face. Or an allergic reaction to something used to clean the mask. Or something new in the facial care regime---i.e. a new facial soap or a new skin care product being used since starting PAP therapy. All of those are a herd of horses to consider as causes of awakeornot's skin discoloration problem before jumping to the zebra of silicone allergy.
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Julie
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Re: CPAP mask causing discoloration

Post by Julie » Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:40 am

Agree - I have had the same problem, not an allergy, because of how I sleep, with mask being pushed into my face (forehead), not at all tight otherwise. You can buy products to counteract (or restore natural color) the problem, or just use makeup.