engleski

The attitudes of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County residents towards mask-wearing during the Covid-19 pandemic – preliminary results

Introduction: The everyday life is almost unimaginable without wearing protective face masks, which have become necessary in order to flatten the epidemic curve and stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As a result of a prolonged contact with personal protective equipment and excessive personal hygiene, several skin diseases have been described, but also exacerbation of existing skin diseases, including seborrheic dermatitis and acne. Aim: The aim of this research was to evaluate which types of protective face masks are commonly used by the general population during the current pandemic and to link the incidence of facial skin changes with the use of face masks. Materials and metods: The research was conducted during 2020 in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in several different locations. We conducted a short questionnaire-based study among 500 residents in order to assess some skin changes during the use of face masks. Results: Based on the obtained results we observed that the two most commonly used types of masks are cotton/cloth face masks and surgical masks. Although they have much higher efficiency, the participants rarely used other models of masks (filtering face piece masks (FFP) or copper masks). The results of the study show that 113 participants detected some skin changes during the use of a face mask. None of the participants visited a dermatologist and sought professional help, and therefore none of them received appropriate therapy for skin changes. Only 22% of 113 participants who noticed some skin changes during the use of face masks visited a pharmacy to reduce/cure the resulting skin changes. Conclusions: According to the research results, all participants wear face masks which indicates compliance with current recommendations related to the pandemic. Although numerous cases of acne on the facial skin that appeared as a result of wearing masks have been reported in healthcare professionals, outbreaks of acne that occur due to mask-wearing have also become very common in the general population and because of their frequency they have been called maskne. The results of our research confirm these findings.

coronavirus ; effectivness ; masks ; maskne

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