ReviewThe Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology2021
Adverse Effects of COVID-19 and Face Masks: A Systematic Review.
Review in The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Headaches and facial pain attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination: a systematic review.European journal of neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Impacts of relaxed mask policies on COVID-19 epidemics: a modeling study in South Korea.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Longitudinal association between psychological distress and mask-wearing post COVID-19 among psychiatric outpatients in Japan.PloS one · 2025Article
- Analysis of Surgical Masks Adverse Effects on Facial Skin in Long Term Usage During COVID-19 Pandemic.Turkish journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2024Article
- Physical problems and fatigue level of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.Nursing forum · 2022Article
- Acne care in health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey.Dermatologic therapy · 2022Article
- Types and prevalence of adverse skin reactions associated with prolonged N95 and simple mask usage during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2022Article
- Season- and facial site-specific skin changes due to long-term mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2022Article
- The change in the frequency and severity of facial dermatoses and complaints in healthcare workers during the COVID-19.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2022Article
- Changes in the Mean and Variance of the Numbers of Medical Visits for Allergic Diseases before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Facial dermatoses and use of protective mask during Covid-19 pandemic: A clinical and psychological evaluation in patients affected by moderate-severe atopic dermatitis under treatment with dupilumab.Dermatologic therapy · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDue to the public health risk associated with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection, universal use of face masks has been recommended to protect against viral spread. Adverse facial reactions from the utilization of masks in the general public are poorly characterized in literature.
objectiveWe aimed to provide a systematic review of studies reporting adverse facial reactions associated with use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsPubMed and Cochrane databases were searched using the following search terms: "masks" AND "skin reactions, facial dermatosis, rash, acne, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, OR seborrheic dermatitis."
methodsA total of 954 cases of dermatological adverse effects were reported. Over 17 different adverse facial reactions were found, including the top 10 in order: itch (370, 38.8%), indentation/ear pain (102, 10.7%), discomfort (90, 9.4%), erythema (72, 7.5%), dryness (62, 6.5%), rash (60, 6.3%), scarring (42, 4.4%), desquamation (22, 2.3%), pain (19, 2.0%), burning (19, 2.0%), and wheals (7, 0.7%). Face masks can increase acne (n=44), rosacea (n=14), and seborrheic dermatitis (n=9). LIMITATIONS: Publication bias of articles, with limited studies available regarding this topic.
conclusionWearing face masks to protect from COVID-19 can increase adverse facial dermatoses and exacerbate underlying dermatology conditions; however, several preventative measures may be taken.
Indexed as
Identifiers
34980966PMC8562946W3202926045What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.