CPAPtalk.com

intchy nose wrote:I have just been diagnosed with mild apnea, and started using a full mask with humidifier. Having a real problem adjusting and the main thing at this stage is the nose itching, outside of nose, not where mask touches skin.
I talked with my rep for the machine, and he said it is from a bit of condensation in the mask.(like if you are in the bathtub, and touch your dry nose it inevitably starts to itch until its wiped away or when it dries.) The condensations can be just from your breath and or the humidifier.
I changed the settings on the humidifier, to the lowest, but then my nose and even eyes felt really dry. I give up and take the darn thing off!!
To me it is a no win situation, and I think I will have to try the nose pads.

The outside of my nose itches too when I first turn on the CPAP. I often have to undo the mask to scratch the top of my nose. Last night I chose to bear it and the itching eventually stopped.

I am relatively new to using the CPAP and still trying to adjust to sleeping with it.

Concentrate (mentally) on the itch, and it goes away.
This is an old trick that was used in the days of plaster casts.

intchy nose wrote:I have just been diagnosed with mild apnea, and started using a full mask with humidifier. Having a real problem adjusting and the main thing at this stage is the nose itching, outside of nose, not where mask touches skin.
I talked with my rep for the machine, and he said it is from a bit of condensation in the mask.(like if you are in the bathtub, and touch your dry nose it inevitably starts to itch until its wiped away or when it dries.) The condensations can be just from your breath and or the humidifier.
I changed the settings on the humidifier, to the lowest, but then my nose and even eyes felt really dry. I give up and take the darn thing off!!
To me it is a no win situation, and I think I will have to try the nose pads.

trim your nose hair. blowing air in the mask makes your nose itch, though it never feels like it's itching "in" your nose, rather it feels like it's itching OUTSIDE your nose.

I also have this problem, but i have found a good solution. Get ointment with lidocane in it, example: Polysporin complete.
The lidocane is for numbing pain, but also has a side effect of nullifying itch. putting it on the inside and outside of the nostrils will get rid of the itch and also lubricate your nostrils and help you breathe easier, win win.

sirus2000 wrote:I also have this problem, but i have found a good solution. Get ointment with lidocane in it, example: Polysporin complete.
The lidocane is for numbing pain, but also has a side effect of nullifying itch. putting it on the inside and outside of the nostrils will get rid of the itch and also lubricate your nostrils and help you breathe easier, win win.

expensive, and dumb.

overuse of antibiotics when not needed.
messy.
contains petrolatum which is contraindicated for silicone.

easier to just trim, plus you'll look better.

Topical anesthetics are also potentially very dangerous when used near the EYES!
--especially when ASLEEP,
DO NOT DO THIS---EVER!

PailRider wrote:expensive, and dumb.

overuse of antibiotics when not needed.
messy.
contains petrolatum which is contraindicated for silicone.

+1

Humanity - OK to do stupid things. Not OK to recruit others.

+1 for Palerider, trim those nasal hairs cause they blow in the wind and makes your nose itch.

And keep lidocaine off your face, especially at night, when it might get transferred into an EYE.

There was a young belle of old Natchez
Who ripped all her garments to patchez
When comment arose
On the state of her clothes
She drawled, When Ah itches, Ah scratchez.
Ogden Nash

This is a common problem which most FFM wearers have to deal with sooner or later. When I started out I had a real problem with nose itching. It's much better now. I infrequently have a problem any more. It's because I do _all_ of the things mentioned in this thread. Just one of them wouldn't have fixed it.

> Before you put the mask on at night, rub the area under where it will sit.

Yes. And if you have to get up in the middle of the night, do it again.

> I lift the FF face mask body a tiny bit and stick my index finger under the Silicone seal and scratch while the machine is on.

I read in this forum a long time ago a better trick: a small emery board. It's so thin that you barely lose any pressure, and it's rough enough to be effective. You just have to put it where you can find it in the dark.

> Trim your nose hair.

This is really important. If they're long enough to extend past "the hole" (there must be a medical term for that), they will definitely cause your nose to itch.

> I found that using a good moisturizer on my nose before bed helped alot

We're talking FF masks here. I believe if there is a moisturizer under where the mask contacts the skin that it allows the mask to slide, preventing a good seal and causing leaks.

I think that lotion on the lower part of the nose (around "the holes") would help, but not near the bridge. And lotion _all around_ the nose after a shower would help keep the skin from drying out. Before bedtime it's important to wash your face with a warm washcloth to remove all the facial oils that would allow leaks.

> Last night I chose to bear it and the itching eventually stopped.

Emphasis on the word "eventually." My problem is I can't go to sleep when it's itching. So waiting doesn't work.

> I've found that using Ayr gel inside and out helps

I did that for a long time. And itched the whole time. I stopped and I rarely itch any more. I don't know that they're related because I made the mistake of changing more than one thing at a time. At the same time that I stopped using the gel, I started cleaning my gear a) better and b) more often.

My experience leads me to believe that for those of us with allergies (skin red, rough, and itchy; or if you sneeze a lot), that we need to take measures that those with the hide of an alligator do not. Use distilled water. Empty the humidifier every morning to allow it to dry. Clean your gear well using a free and clear detergent, e.g., Seventh Generation. The F&C version, not the lemon/lavender/etc.

I do still use Ayr saline nasal mist. I think it helps to moisturize the inside of the nose. If you get up in the middle of the night, use it again.

> Get ointment with lidocane in it

Maybe not. I never used lidocane, but I used OTC cortisone. My dermatologist didn't like that idea, so I stopped. Itched like crazy until I started doing all the things above. Very much better now.

xyz wrote:> Trim your nose hair.

This is really important. If they're long enough to extend past "the hole", they will definitely cause your nose to itch.

And your social life to disappear.

xyz wrote:> Before you put the mask on at night, rub the area under where it will sit.

Use a clean, dry wash cloth to rub.

CapnLoki wrote:There was a young belle of old Natchez
Who ripped all her garments to patchez
When comment arose
On the state of her clothes
She drawled, When Ah itches, Ah scratchez.
Ogden Nash

Good one!

I think the itching is from the air gently blowing on the nose. Rubbing a minimal amount of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the area which itches before putting on the mask has totally resolved this problem for me. I assume the Vaseline works by protecting the area from being itched by the feel of the very gentle CPAP wind.

Whats causing the itch is those nasal hairs blowing in the wind, trim them.