Things to avoid while wearing a face mask

The pandemic outbreak fear is increasing day by day. The front-lines and experts agree that wearing a mask would minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus. In fact, the CDN –  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends wearing masks along with other social distancing of 6 feet.

Airborne diseases like coronavirus spread through air droplets that usually get into the air by sneezing or cough or sometimes while you speak. Check out the infographic below designed by Micornti that summarizes the do and don’ts of wearing a face mask.

Now that the CDC recommends face masks, and some states are even mandating them, you’ll want to wear yours properly, so it can protect you and others from COVID-19. Follow this expert advice to avoid making the most common mistakes when wearing face masks. Read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.

“Once you wear a mask once, it’s contaminated by whatever. If you take the mask off and sit it on another surface, that surface is now contaminated,” says Geoffrey Mount Varner, MD, MPH, FACEP, a Maryland-based emergency medicine physician.

The Rx: “It’s best to use one-use masks and once they are taken off, dispose of them,” says Mount Varner. “If you use a cloth or hand-made mask, it needs to be washed and sanitized between wears.”

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“When choosing a mask, experts say focus on the fabric, fit and breathability,” reports NPR. “How well a mask protects is a function of both what it’s made of and how well it seals to your face. But if you can’t breathe well through it, then you’re less likely to keep it on.”

The Rx: “The tightness of the weave is really important. That’s the first thing I would ask people to look into,” Supratik Guha, a professor of molecular engineering at the University of Chicago, tells NPR, which adds: “To check your fabric, hold it up to a light: If you can easily see the outline of the individual fibers, it’s not going to make a great filter. Researchers say a tight-weave 100% cotton is a good bet.”

“If you contaminate your mask even from the outside, you can get easily infected,” says physician Dimitar Marinov, MD, Ph.D.

“Taking off your face mask and then reapplying it with contaminated hands can move the bacteria or virus directly into the breathable area,” says Jared Heathman, MD, a Texas-based psychiatrist.

“A mask should be changed or disinfected as often as every 2 hours, otherwise viral particles can accumulate on it and you are more likely to breathe them in,” says Marinov.

“I see many people wearing their masks below the nose,” says Marinov. “While it will still protect others if you are coughing or sneezing, it will not protect you from COVID-19 if someone else nearby is infected and coughs.”

The Rx: Once the mask is fitted properly on the nose, it should be extended so that it fits right under your chin, says Angela Abernathy, a New York City-based dentist. “This is to ensure maximum coverage.”

Adds Heathman: “The purpose is to breathe through the mask, not around the mask.”

Without the mask, you’re susceptible to inhaling the particles in the air. “You must put it on ahead of entering an area of risk,” says Rafael Lugo, a general surgeon and owner/CEO at Lugo Surgical Group in The Woodlands, Texas.

You may think “the mask is 100 percent reliable,” says Lugo. Not so. “It is meant to decrease the risk. Ultimately, social distancing is king.”

“Applying any chemical like Lysol to the mask that makes it wet is bad,” says Lugo. “You can spray it to sanitize lightly, and then put it in a bag. Do not saturate it.”

“Once the mask becomes wet, it becomes less effective and needs to be changed to a dry one,” says Abernathy. Avoid touching the mask with your tongue. “Touching the mask with your tongue makes it wet and more porous,” advises Lugo. “You want the mask to stay dry.”

“Masks have a front (that is usually colored, textured or has the brand name) and a back (that is usually white and more cotton-like),” says Abernathy. “The back side should be touching your face. It is designed this way so that particles are properly filtered.”

Different masks have different uses. “An N95 mask filters out 95% of bacteria and viruses if they are correctly fitted to your face,” says Poston. This is what healthcare workers are using to better protect themselves when caring for sick patients. “A surgical mask is designed to contain your droplets to help protect those around you.”

When you’re done wearing the mask for the day, there’s a chance you could contaminate yourself taking it off. The bacteria on your mask could get on your hands, and then it would spread.

The Rx: Wash your hands before taking off the mask. Take it off my unlooping it from your ears first and then either throw it out (if it’s a one time use) or keep it in its special place.

If the mask you’re wearing doesn’t fit, it’s not as effective. If it’s too small, you’re either leaving your nose or chin exposed. Virus particles can get in through the side openings if it’s too loose. The mask should be snug against your face! This goes for kid masks as well.

Your hands should be clean before you originally put the mask on. If not, you get the participles from your hands on the previously sterile mask. For example, your fingers can touch and contaminate the inside part of the mask.

If you use a cloth mask, not washing it is the same as wearing a contaminated mask. A washing machine with the hot water setting on, using your normal detergent should be sufficient for cleaning it. Once clean, the mask should be thoroughly dried, on a clothesline or dryer.

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You should wear a mask when you go outside, but you should still only go outside for essential services—like groceries or work. Wearing a mask might make you more likely to go outside for social reasons, as you feel safer, but self-isolating is still safer.

“Wearing a neck gaiter may be worse than no mask at all, according to a Duke study. However, a follow-up study from scientists showed if you wear a gaiter the right way, they may work. “In response to the Duke study, aerosol scientists have conducted their own gaiter experiments, studying the face covering’s ability to block droplets and whether it is possible to produce smaller particles similar to what the Duke researchers saw,” reports the Washington Post. “The new research showed that when a single-layer gaiter is worn doubled up, it is highly effective at blocking a range of particle sizes, according to the results of tests done by Linsey Marr, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Virginia Tech who studies aerosols.”

Don’t do it. “The purpose of masks is to keep respiratory droplets from reaching others to aid with source control,” the CDC’s new guidance reads. “However, masks with one-way valves or vents allow air to be exhaled through a hole in the material, which can result in expelled respiratory droplets that can reach others. This type of mask does not prevent the person wearing the mask from transmitting COVID-19 to others.”

Says the CDC: “Cloth face coverings should not be worn by:

• Children younger than 2 years old
• Anyone who has trouble breathing
• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering without assistance”