Men with mustaches & beards: Which masks seal on you?

My father was just prescribed APAP 14-17. He has a mustache and a short beard. Toward which masks should he be steered? Thanks!

SleepingUgly wrote:My father was just prescribed APAP 14-17. He has a mustache and a short beard. Toward which masks should he be steered? Thanks!

I've never really had a problem with any FFM, with a beard, but it does help to keep it trimmed short.
I mostly use M Quattro and QFX

When I was using FF masks I had to shave my beard to get a good seal. My mustache was never a problem. If your father is a football fan, now is a good time to practice with his machine and a nasal pillow mask in front of the TV watching football and not leaking out of his mouth. I am a mouth breather, but I learned how to use nasal pillows watching football. I don't have too many leak issues at night and I grew my beard back.

Dale

I have no problem with the ResMed Swift LT nasal pillows. Note that the FX are not intended for people with facial hair.

I use a Fisher Paykel Flexifit 431 full face mask. It fits low under the chin (below my short beard) and keeps my mouth closed so that I don't have to wear a chin strap.

Breathe Jimbo wrote:I have no problem with the ResMed Swift LT nasal pillows. Note that the FX are not intended for people with facial hair.

Really? I've been using Swift FX with moustache (my DME didn't mention LT vs FX), its working ok now that I put a homemade barrel cozy, polar fleece cheek pads, and the velcro-hooks-on-the-back-strap mod on. Unfortunately the chin strap is making my chin all itchy because of the beard.

My husband has a nice beard and moustache. He does very well with a Mirage Quattro full fask mask. He tried the Quattro FX and it leaked too much. He started out with nasal pillows (I don't know which type) but felt he had better results with the full face mask.

My beard has never been an issue with my Quattro FX. I have used homemade mask liners from day one. Originally I did this because I thought I'd have trouble getting the mask to seal around my beard, but now I do it to protect the mask from the oils. I don't really know how well this mask would work without the liner.

One thing to consider is the pattern of your dad's facial hair and the shape of the masks. For the most part, my mask isn't on my beard, and where it does cross fur, my beard is relatively thin.

I find nasal pillows better for me. My beard is kept trimmed closely, about 1mm, and I can use a FFM. My wife says I snore more with the FFM. I do find that even a short beard allows the mask to slide around when it could stick better to a smooth chin.

I have a Fisher & Paykel FFM that extends down and cups my chin. It also has a double layer seal that helps.

I tend to eventually open my mouth using nasal pillows. I'd love to be able to lose the chin strap, but I seem to lose the ability to keep my tongue in the right sealing position when I enter REM sleep.

I grew a beard this summer, so I've had a chance to observe whether it made things worse, and I haven't noticed anything. I use a Mirage Quattro. The line of the seal pretty much follows the line of the beard along the cheeks, and the only place where it crosses much hair is the "soul patch" area under the lip, which is not a big leak area. I think most people have their leak problems around the nose and eyes. Beards are less relevant than I thought.

I have temporarily changed my avatar to show the new beard. Unfortunately, this picture was taken in very bright sunlight, which somehow makes the beard look white and hair look nonexistent.

milw wrote:

Breathe Jimbo wrote:... Note that the FX are not intended for people with facial hair.

Really?

Per the FX specs provided by our host. Yours sounds quite modified.

I have only used the Mirage Quattro and have had major leak issues. I have a short beard (never more than 6 days growth before I trim it down to minimum (setting "1" on my trimmer). I have noticed that I have had smaller leaks with 1 day beard growth and larger leaks with 5 to 6 days growth.

HOWEVER, since I got a Padacheek mask liner, I have had very little if any leak (with the exception of the first night I used the liner, I haven't had more than a 4 L/min leak.

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for my endorsement of the Padacheek liner. It may not work for everyone, but it seems to be working for me!!

milw wrote:I've been using Swift FX with moustache (my DME didn't mention LT vs FX), its working ok now that I put a homemade barrel cozy, polar fleece cheek pads, and the velcro-hooks-on-the-back-strap mod on. Unfortunately the chin strap is making my chin all itchy because of the beard.

Beards itch because they dry out the skin. Oil will fix this. I use jojoba, mostly because it doesn't smell too much and won't go rancid. However, oil is not good for rubber, so make sure your mask cushion is protected if you want it to last. The chin strap might need a cover too.

I use the Mirage Quattro FFM. I keep my hair and beard short (#2 clipper). I do notice when I let my beard grow out I can start to get leaks. Also, I had to tighten up the mask when I upped my pressure. I've not tried mask liners, but have been thinking of it just to help insure a tight fit.

Devin

I used nasal pillows since day one. Haven't had any issues with the mustache.