Face masks and cold blisters

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I’ve been suffering with cold sores on and off for the past month. I hadn’t related it to mask wearing, but am now positive this is why they keep coming.
I’ve got some cold sore cream in and using it regularly - I will now try and use it prior to wearing a mask and see if that makes a difference.

Nonogran I cannot remember when I last had a full blown cold sore, could be as long as a decade ago, so to develop 2 in two days, each side of my nose, not on my lips, immediately .made me look for physical reasons for this, for me, unusual happening and masks were the first things that came to mind - and that I had unusually, worn them for prolonged periods three times in the immediate previous week.

I haven't needed to wear a mask for the last two days and do not expect to need to wear another one until Saturday - and then only for a short period, by then I should have the cold sores on the run.

What I have found is that the surgical masks, the blue ones, cause my nose to itch. I can cope with that, but when I wear one for a whole visit with mum in her care home, and am speaking to her, the fact that I’m breathing in through my mouth as I speak, has twice caused me to have asthma attacks. I’m on steroids for the asthma at the moment, and it doesn’t happen when I’m on oral steroids. I’m not allowed to wear a cotton home made mask in the care home, it must be one of their surgical masks.

That’s interesting to know, as August 2022 we are flying from England to Canada for our son’s wedding. I will do all I can not to develop any cold sores possibly caused by a disposable mask when flying on a non stop 9 hr flight... must remember this.

In the time since having to wear face masks i have just started getting dry lips and since Christmas have had coldsore like blisters. I think the material in the deposable masks irritate my skin but also I note that the winter with central heating can dry my skin out more, the blisters may well be something’s I’ve eaten over Xmas like crisps that had a lot of cheesy powder over them may have well irritated my lip. Regardless I think facemasks are irritating people’s faces, I keep moisturising with Vaseline but feel this is making problem worse. Any ideas from anyone would be gladly appreciated. I wear deposable face masks for work which is only 2 days a week, other times I try and wear any other kind like cotton. Of course I think moisture that occurs is affecting the lip area.

I'm afraid to post this, but I also read that we are breathing in micro-plastic particles from the masks directly into our lungs which could cause lung problems. I don't know how true this is, but it sounds worrying, especially for people wearing them all day at work. I suppose it's not a natural state of affairs, having that thing clamped over your face all day. Maybe again it depends on the type of mask? I don't know.

Interesting. ?
My OH had a cold sore just after we arrived in Texas having worn a mask for over 16 hours. I thought it was the sudden exposure to the sun but perhaps not.
We have another long haul flight in a month’s time. I think I’ll suggest some cold sore cream befor putting on the masks.

I have no intention of not wearing a mask. I have done it from the start when the government was saying it wasn't necessary, and I am not stopping now, but I do intend to wear disposable masks when, very occasionally, I need to wear a mask for over an hour.

I worked in the semiconductor industry for 17 years and we had to wear mask for the 12 hour shifts. I can tell you from my, and my colleague experience masks don’t necessarily increase herpes outbreaks but they will make them spread more widely when you do have an episode.
Please don’t give up on masks in public places

Many years ago I used to get constant cold sores on one side of my lips. I would get rid of one only to get another. I finally nailed it down to switching between extreme temperatures eg getting out of hot car into cold air, or sitting by a fire then going into a cold room. Haven't had any from wearing masks, nor heard of anyone else getting them.

Yes, my DD suffers from them. She works for the NHS, therefore has to wear one all the time but changes the morning mask for a new one after lunch.

That's an interesting connection - wearing a mask helps create an ideal environment for the herpes virus to flourish.
Similar to my dose of shingles which started on my face and head from a different virus .
Both resident in our systems, ready to flare up.

If your immune system is low & clearly it might be given you have a cold, take a Zinc supplement for the rest of the winter & beyond.
I have suffered cold sores since childhood usually brought on by a cold, stress, exhaustion or sun light which activates the dormant virus. After a series of 14 sores one after the other during a winter 7 years ago, it was recommended I take zinc.
I haven’t had one since.

No problems with my lips or skin. I am a lavish user of moisteriser every morning and spend several minutes massaging it in. I also usually only wear masks for half an hour or so once or twice a week. But in the last week, I have exceptionally worn masks for longer periods several times.

I was wearing cloth masks for about 6 weeks before this last exceptional week, so I am clearly connecting them to wearing masks for prolonged periods. I have also developed streaming cold over the course of today, although I do not usually have cold sores with colds. I do not have COVID as I completed a LFT earlier this afternoon and it came out negative.

I will stick to cloth masks, as I find them more comfortable and easier to breathe through. The disposable masks I used were the standard ones. However I will in future wear disposables if I am likely to be wearing one for over an hour.

I read also that a lack vitamin B12 can cause corners of mouth to crack etc.

I woke up with a cold sore Christmas Day. I normally get at least one each winter anyway. Didn’t give mask wearing a thought as I only wear a mask when I go out food shopping once a week or to go to the garage for fuel. Luckily I keep a new tube of cold sore ointment in medicine box so it was short lived.

Same for me. I ditched the disposable ones and returned to my cotton ones with resulting cold sores. Back now to the disposable ones, not a cold sore in sight.

you need to moisturise the area that your mask covers or it will dry out and break into sores/spots...
also when you blow your nose especially if you have a cold then wash the nose, mouth lips after each blowing or you will get cold sores.

The surgical masks (N95) don't have gaping? Perhaps better fitting masks would be helpful. In addition, cloth masks are reported not to be much protection against Omicron.

*Oopsadaisy, that is interesting because I too have made the same transfer recently because the disposable masks fitted so badly, gaping at the sides, no matter what I did.

Cloth masks may cause bacteria to build up because they are more effective at blocking leakage round the sides) while the disposals allow a gale to blow through from one side to the other.

I’ve had sore lips now for several weeks, coincidentally (?) I stopped wearing disposable face masks a while ago and stared wearing the reusable/washable cotton type, I now have a cold sore.
I didn’t put two and two together until I saw this thread……

I am interested to know others have the same problems. I also have a bad cold at the moment. Not to be confused with COVID as I do not have a headache, a temperature, a sore throat, nor am I coughing. I just have cold blisters and a runny nose.

Yes, I've had them a lot recently (never before) so I'm sure that wearing a mask creates ideal humid conditions for them.

My nurse friend wears masks for 12 hour shifts on Covid wards. She has a face full of spots!

I've not had any problems at all, despite wearing masks most of the day while teaching. Maybe it's the type of mask? I wear FFP3/N95 masks. They don't rest on the mouth (helps me when talking to a class) so there isn't anything rubbing on my mouth or nose.