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Had the same problem myself - believe it or not, K-Y Jelly is the answer - Vaseline has petroleum and will break down the material in the mask. During the day, I used an antibiotic salve to dry up the irritation; when wearing the mask at night, I used the jel where ever the mask would rub.

Best of luck.

I learned 2 important rules about new masks:

• Soak them (whichever parts you can) in warm soapy water for 30-60 minutes before use.
• If you have a sore, take a break

The skin on our face is not used to being touched for hours on end, and for some us, that means pressure sores may develop. Those are not necessarily the result of excessive pressure but of the pressure as such and its effect on the tissue. You have to give you skin a perioud of relief from that touch so that the sore heals - - it may only take 2 days -- if you stop soon enough.

O.

Ozij,when my husband developed a pretty severe rash early on, we went to the Derm, he diagnosed contact dermatitis, gave us a cortisone cream to use for a week, told us not to use mask for 2 nights and it was fine after that and when we learned not to make the straps too tight.

DoriC wrote:Ozij,when my husband developed a pretty severe rash early on, we went to the Derm, he diagnosed contact dermatitis, gave us a cortisone cream to use for a week, told us not to use mask for 2 nights and it was fine after that and when we learned not to make the straps too tight.

My first mask (a nasal mask) gave me carpet burns -- they disappeared after I learned about the recommendation to soak.

It was the first mask I could really use, the Breeze, the created the beginnings of pressure sore in my nare. A two day break solved that - and it never returned.

You're right about the need not to make the straps too tight Dori -- I'm glad the rash healed so quickly -- that timely healing is so important at any time in this therapy, but maybe especially so in the beginning. You're vets by now...
O.