Issues with Face Mask - Solutions? (Frustrated!)

Hi there,

I am having issues with my full face mask. First mask I tried was the Quattro mask but it kept moving too close to my eyes while sleeping and my skin was irritated. They immediately gave me the Quattro FX mask but I am having trouble with it too. I have wore it twice and then by Friday I woke up with extremely dry skin with my eyes draining. I tried to put moisturizer on my face during the day to alleviate the dryness and tightness but it majorly burn. Again I had to give the mask a break so that my skin could heal as well as my eye areas. It look like wrinkle alligator skin and now is flaking of dry skin. My face hurt to move throughout the weekend due to tightness and uncomfortableness. Today is my skin is a little better. I let my doctor and DME know and they gave me several options. DME thinks I am allergic to it and think I should try nasal pillows. I have several questions and wonder if anyone dealt with the same problems like me. I REALLY think the air from vent is deflecting into my eyes.

Doctor said I should try the Liberty mask by ResMed which she said I wont have to worry about the air blowing into your eyes. However part of the mask is nasal pillows and that give me major concerns. During my titration study, they try a nasal mask on me but I about had a panic attack. The air from the nasal mask burn in my nose and I felt like I could not breathe. Is that normal and something I have to get use to? I am sure I have a slight deviated septum and get several sinus infections every year with constant congestion.

Another option is to try the CPAP mask liners from Remzzz.com but they do not have a liner for Quattro FX. Has anyone got these liners for the Quattro FX and it improve their skin problems?
Also they suggested to wash my mask everyday and make sure my face is clean right before sleeping with mask.

I am torn because I do not know what I should and I am really scared to try something due to reactions from my skin. Has anybody dealt with this before? Or should I try nasal pillows even though I can hardly breathe through my nose? Any advice is greatly appreciated! I am ready to throw in the towel on this.

Blessings, Corinne

HI.. sorry you are having problems with your mask. I tried almost every mask out there except for the full face mask. I am having issues myself. Sorry that I am not any help..but I hope that you can find a solution soon.

angcor580 wrote:Or should I try nasal pillows even though I can hardly breathe through my nose?

If you cannot breathe through your nose during the day then a nasal pillow only mask won't work for you.
The Liberty or the Hybrid both have nasal pillows but they also cover the mouth and would certainly help with the reduction of the air getting to the eyes. They are often suggested for people who are mouth breathers or don't breathe through the nose for various reasons.

Unsure if their materials will impact your skin but they do have less of a physical presence on the face than some of the other full face masks.

Hi,
I use nasal pillows because the masks took the skin off my face.(really). I had to be treated by a Dermatologist for quite a while.

I now use nasal pillows and have made a cover for them so nothing touches my face.
I didn't think I could ever use pillows either but I got used to them and they don't bother me at all.

I like the Comfortlite 2 because nothing touches the face at all.
Good luck!

So glad to see this post, hope for even more responses! I'm having the same problem, and was coming on today to investigate.

I use the full face mask, because I actually found it to be the most comfortable during the sleep study. Firstly, I tend to be a bit congested, and the nasal pillow sounded a lot nicer (I mean pillows are great!)... but both the nasal pillow and the mask that covers your nose I found so weird because air would come out of my mouth when I coughed (and I get coughs).

BUT! I am waking up every morning now with lines on my face and my eyes are swollen and puffy all day. I'm afraid it is damaging the skin on my face. That doesn't seem right! One lesson I've learned with the cpap in general, is with practice and time I can get used to uncomfortable things and so maybe I should try the nasal pillow.

So here is my one suggestion: I loosened my mask considerably, to the extent it would leak very easily. But then I'm learning to sleep with the mask of my actual pillow so that it's not getting pushed both against my face, and pushed so that it starts leaking. I hope what I'm writing makes sense, and that it is helpful.

And, hoping for even more advice from the awesome people on this forum. Are there masks that are especially cushioned and not prone to leaking. I think I have the Quattro too.

<3

by the way, I don't mean "of the pillow"... I mean "OFF the pillow." As in my head lies on the pillow but I have it so the mask doesn't. That seems to keep it from leaking even when strapped on loosely. Does that make sense?

Yes, yes, yes...I am having these issues, and I have the Quattro. I have been back on the hose for four months, doing well, but in the last week, I have gotten a really bad rash. It is exzema. It's swollen, and red, and flaking, and really just irritating.

Thanks to the XPAP vets here on the forum, I started making my own liners out of, uh, ahem, panties. Others make them out of old tee shirts or any soft cotton material. I just lay my Quattro on the material, trace an outline a bit larger than the mask, then cut it out. I then cut a small, oval hole in it, and when I go to bed, I position the liner on the mask, set it on my face, and adjust the straps. I have found that the liner help to cut down on leaks, but ymmv.

Some people really like the Pad-a-cheek products. Pad-a-cheek makes liners for all kinds of masks, including the Quattro, and strap wraps, too. You can order online, and have a soft fleece or flannel set of protective wraps that will help, too. I'm consider Pad-a-cheek but I wanted to make sure a liner would work for me.

As for my rash, I am using what my doc has advised. I start by using hydrocortisone cream, and thank goodness, it's working pretty well considering how bad the rash was. THen I use a medical moisturizing cream-I prefer Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy. It's fragrance free and non-irritating. Another option is Aquaphor. I prefer the Eucerin, as it absorbs better, and isn't as greasy, but they both work. My skin is clearing up, and the swelling is going down.

Meghan, I think I understand what you're saying. Maybe a liner will help with leaks as it has with me. It might be worth a shot, especially with stuffed up sinuses. I have the same problem, and I sometimes go through a ritual of allergy meds and using a neti pot (I almost said "yeti"-ha) to help clear my sinuses. If you decide the nasal pillows are the way to go, the neti pot can be useful. In fact, I recommend the neti pot to anyone with sinus issues. It's not a miracle, but it does feel soothing and it does clear some stuff out.

I hope others answer--I'd like to see what other folks do with skin problems and masks.

Thanks everyone! I am torn on whether getting mask liners for mask and try the mask again. Or just try the Liberty mask even though my nose is congested most of the time. I have messaged my sleep specialist to see what I should do. I will certainly start using the neti pot to see if that help. I have to take 1 Zytrec pill every day in order to keep my allergies at bay otherwise I am hot mess with sneezing and congestion. I also take a Mucinex every once in awhile to help drain and not get stop up.

@Jersey Girl - Is a padacheek also liner for the mask so that it not touching my skin?

The chinstrap does not sound appealing since I am constantly breathing through my mouth day and night. I noticed that I have drooled some into my face mask. My skin is still extremely dry but no longer hurt when I put on moisturizer on my face. My skin is starting to feel less like sandpaper now so that good.

@sister - Yikes that scary it literally took off your skin. Glad you found a solution and hope to sleep well with a good mask soon.

@Meghan - I knew what you meant. My main concern right now is my skin reaction. It certainly a learning process to sleep on the edge of pillow with face mask.

@Rjaye - thanks for the tips! So you cut the cloth out of panty and then lay it on top of face? Do you have any trouble with the mask moving with the cloth on your face and have to reposition the mask? I will try Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy. Much cheaper than paying doctor copay with medication cost.

I also had nose bridge problems and blister-problems using the nasal pillows. I was at cpap.com and spotted the Fitlife total face mask (see the info on my mask below...). I tried it on and it was like God made that mask just for me. You have to look at it and decide if you can wear a "total" mask. The way I look at it is that the mask seal is above my eyes instead of below (across the bridge - which was giving me trouble). The mask seal is around the cheeks and above the eyes. No more nose problems! I used the mask since September 17, 2010, and have gotten the best sleep I've had in years! But... that's me.. I am amazed at what kind of masks different folks in this forum use. I also use Afta on the red red marks on my cheeks every morning. Afta removes the red marks.

Sheriff

Angcor,

Oh, I'm glad you're going to try the liners. The cotton ones I made I position on the mask itself, and then lean into the mask. They usually don't shift once the mask is in place.

And yes, Pad-a-cheek has liners that keep the cushion from touching your face.

Good luck. With this therapy we have to figure certain things out that work best for ourselves, but this site has been so helpful, and I hope you find it so. As Sheriff Buford wrote, and others will verify, sometimes it's the mask that makes the difference, so if the liners work well, AWESOME.

Thanks for posting this, by the way. The soaking the mask in dishsoap with bleach. I have a new cushion, so I'll try that too.

Metta.

Sheriff Buford wrote:I also had nose bridge problems and blister-problems using the nasal pillows. I was at cpap.com and spotted the Fitlife total face mask (see the info on my mask below...). I tried it on and it was like God made that mask just for me. You have to look at it and decide if you can wear a "total" mask. The way I look at it is that the mask seal is above my eyes instead of below (across the bridge - which was giving me trouble). The mask seal is around the cheeks and above the eyes. No more nose problems! I used the mask since September 17, 2010, and have gotten the best sleep I've had in years! But... that's me.. I am amazed at what kind of masks different folks in this forum use. I also use Afta on the red red marks on my cheeks every morning. Afta removes the red marks.

Sheriff

I use the fitlife some also,the problem for me is the marks on the cheeks.They stay for days and I can't get them out.
I really have sensitive skin though so I'm sure it's me. I too thought that when I first tried this mask GOD had made it just for me.
I really like it except for the marks on my face.
What is Afta?
Thanks so much.

Hey Sheriff! So the Fitlife total face mask does not bother your eyes? Do you have any problems with leaks?

So far it seems like my sleep clinic is more knowledgeable on helpful tips than my DME office. Thanks for letting me vent on this forum. It certainly reducing my anxiety hearing feedback.

Corinne

I made my own liners for the flexifit using felt and/or old jersey cotton t-shirts. They work okay at muffling leaks as well as keeping the silicon off my face.

The only mask I've used that has no leaks into my eyes is the Legends full face mask by Legend MD. It's one piece and very light. Leaks around my mouth sometimes, but never around my eyes.