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Tan lines have always been the trademark of a summer well spent, and with Singapore’s climate, they’re a year-round concern. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought along many lifestyle changes: working from home, the regularity of washing and sanitising our hands and spaces, and most importantly face masks.
With this new (and necessary) accessory in tow, one of the worries that some may have are face mask tan lines. Especially if you’re planning to spend a lot of time outdoors or in direct sunlight. After all, the use of masks is mandatory whenever we’re outside our homes. If this is a concern of yours, here’s a guide on four ways to prevent and fix face mask tan lines.
Wear sunscreen on the entire face
Just because we’re wearing face masks doesn’t mean that sunscreen should be left out of the routine anytime soon. For many people who are dealing with mascne, the instinctive solution is to stop wearing any makeup or skincare products underneath the mask. And while the logic of keeping your skin as bare as possible is there, there are still a couple of essentials that shouldn’t be left out of the process.
Keep wearing sunscreen on the entire face, even around the nose, cheeks, and chin, where the mask covers up. Stick to a sunscreen that’s light and fast-absorbing. For Singapore’s humidity and for touch-up purposes (if you’ll be spending a lot of time outside), try to use spray-on sunscreens instead. As a final tip, be sure that the sunscreen is absorbed and dry to touch before putting the mask on.
Use accessories for extra UV protection
If you’re in it for the long haul and will be spending hours in the sun, then the best way to prevent a face mask tan line is to cover-up generously. Accessories like a hat or sunglasses can help give you extra UV protection. If you really want to go all out and commit, try a wide-brimmed hat or bucket hat, along with sunglasses with larger lenses for full coverage.
Exfoliate regularly and gently
If you’ve already seen the beginnings of a face mask tan line forming, then it’s time to move onto skincare for the fix. If you’re new to the benefits of exfoliating, it’s time to add this one to the routine – face mask tan line or not. Exfoliating helps to remove dead skin cells and stimulate the production of new skin cells, what this means is that gentle exfoliating will help reduce the appearance of the tan. The keyword being gentle and you can keep to a routine every other day, as over-exfoliating, either too harshly or too often, might irritate the skin and prompt acne breakouts.
Double down on vitamin C
Vitamin C significantly improves the appearance of uneven skin tone and research shows that when you combine it with other skin-brightening ingredients, the results can be even more effective and powerful in the long run. Research shows that vitamin C can help stimulate collagen production and even help with antioxidant protection against UV-induced photodamage. So if you want to speed up the balance of the uneven face mask tan lines, start using vitamin C serums or boosters to brighten up the skin.
This story was originally published on The Singapore Women’s Weekly.
