how long will the memory foam cushion last for the airtouch f20

hello I have the airtouch f20 mask and i may have to start paying out of pocket for it because my insurance no longer covers this type of mask how long will this memory foam cushion last I figured it would last somewhere between 6 and 8 months before I have to buy a new mask the reason being that the gel mask that the insurance is paying for me irritates the skin around my nose and mouth.

I don't know that you could get 6 to 8 months out of one of the memory foam cushion masks. From what I was told by my DME who actually is a cpap user and uses the F20 AirTouch memory foam cushion is that he thinks about 3 months would be doing good.
Exposure to the air itself will degrade the memory foam cushion material. Of course water can't be used to clean it because water makes it even worse in terms of speed of degrading. So between the air exposure and facial oils and minimal ability to remove those facial oils the life of the cushion itself is going to be shorter than the other traditional silicone cushions.

As with anything cpap related though...YMMV and you might be able to get lucky and get a longer life span.
Have you been using the mask long enough to get a feel for how long it will last or have you just been getting a new cushion each month?

Now there are parts to the mask that will last months and months and months with common sense care. The frame and the headgear will last a lot longer than the cushion so replacing the cushion will be your greatest expense.

Amazon has just the replacement cushions for around $38 and I see EBay for around $40 both with free shipping.

I ordered mine cushion from amazon this past Friday and got it today how long do the silicone cushions last

springman946 wrote: ↑

Sun May 27, 2018 1:51 pm

I ordered mine cushion from amazon this past Friday and got it today how long do the silacone cushions last

Did you read what I said?
ResMed says 30 days...my own DME says maybe 90 days but YMMV depending on facial oils and how quickly the foam degrades.

springman946 wrote: ↑

Sun May 27, 2018 1:28 pm

my insurance no longer covers this type of mask

Who told you this? It doesn't sound right.

I am on state insurance I live in ct and my dme told me that my insurance will no longer cover the mask that I am currently using which is airtouch f20 Full face mask I am going to call my insurance on Tuesday

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Sun May 27, 2018 3:05 pm

Who told you this? It doesn't sound right.

You would need the info from the other thread
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=171600&p=1250812#p1250812
His insurance is state medicaid and it might be possible for them to have decided to only pay for a certain mask but most likely it was the DME who decided that whatever Medicaid paid for a full face mask wasn't enough to cover the expense or put enough profit in their wallet.

Given my "love" for DMEs I lean toward them doing the usual lying about insurance coverage and blaming the insurance instead of owning up to the fact that they just want a bigger profit margin.

My wife uses the Airtouch F20 and her memory foam insert portion of the mask lasts for two to three months. It will depend in part on whether you drool or otherwise contaminate the foam. The foam insert does get stiffer and dirty over time as you cannot clean it as well as other mask types. The other portions of the mask, hose, and headgear last a long time. She's been using it for almost a year now and everything looks pristine.

You might try a PadaCheek Liner and see if that helps to increase your use time. www.padacheek.com/

Replacement cushions are rather expensive, and your DME may be hoping
to make more profit by pushing you into a cheaper mask.
Check your INSURANCE for what it actually covers.
DMEs have been known to "fib".

I have used mine for 90 days. Clean it with baby wipes to remove any crust or debris. Put it in microwave for 10 seconds. Ir comes out soft and new. I have not seen any degradation of the foam.