Dermatological findings in patients admitting to dermatology clinic after using face masks during Covid-19 pandemia: A new health problem

September 3, 2021

İnan Doğan, E. & Kaya, F.

Dermatologic Therapy

Cross-sectional survey study with the aim of evaluating the presence of dermatologic symptoms and the effects of mask use on existing dermatologic diseases associated with the face in patients admitted with any dermatologic disease. It consisted of 150 patients, 91 women and 59 men, who met the following inclusion criteria: having any dermatologic disease, being older than 18 years, having schooling level to understand and answering the survey questions. All patients had been wearing masks since the beginning of the pandemic.The mean age of the participants was 28.6 ± 10.35 years. Among the patients admitted, 50 had acne vulgaris (33.3%), 23 had seborrheic dermatitis (15.3%), 13 had contact dermatitis (8.7%), 14 had acne rosacea (9.3%), 6 had atopic dermatitis (4%), and 44 had other diseases (29.3%) (i.e., diseases with non-facial involvement). No statistically significant differences were detected between the groups in terms of the distribution of males and females. The most common finding in all patients after mask use was itching, with a rate of 64.7%. A significant increase in the severity of acneiform and inflammatory dermatitis was detected after mask use. Long-term mask use was shown to cause primary skin symptoms in individuals with dermatological diseases, and also increased existing facial dermatological diseases.

İnan Doğan, E. & Kaya, F. Dermatological findings in patients admitting to dermatology clinic after using face masks during Covid-19 pandemia: A new health problem. Dermatologic Therapy 2021; 34(3): 1-7

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