Taping question/Skincare regimen for women of the mask?

Hi there --

Ok, I've been doing a ton of experimenting. Swift LT = horrible aerophagia. Hybrid mask = too tight, can't get it loose enough not to wake up after 3-4 hours with a hurting face....

So last night I tried the Swift LT again, this time taping my mouth, and it did seem to solve the aerophagia problem. (An extreme I really didn't want to have to go to). I did have SOME aerophagia though, and so after about 6 hours started burping a lot -- and then wondering....when you have big burps and your mouth is taped up, then what?? If you swallow the air back down, won't that give you more gas? How do you let air escape when burping with tape on? At the point at which it became a real question, I'd had the mask on for about 6.5 hours -- by FAR my most successful night so far, so I just took it off. Still, I have the question...

Also, wondering about skincare regimens for women. Have you changed yours since doing CPAP?? I finally (at 40) have settled into a routine where I really take care of my skin -- and now with CPAP, I've been afraid to use moisterizer before putting my mask on. Anyone still do what they always did? I know the mask info always says a clean and dry face, but maybe with nasal masks like the Swift LT, it's not that big of a deal? Curious to know your experiences....

Thanks! Lisa....

Burping: As a guy, I recall learning how to burp with my mouth closed and exhaling it through my nose. "Don't burp with your mouth open!" or so my mother would say. This is most easily practiced with some soda. If you get good, you will be able to yawn that way as well.

My machine has a setting for the Swift. I noticed a marked decrease in the bloated feeling by the morning when I changed it to that. Does your machine have such a setting?

As for tape, I used 3M Transpore last night and it worked really well. In

I can't help you in terms of skin care. I've noted that people have recommended using Lanolin (see the nipple grease thread) around the nares of the nose. This is supposed to help with the seal of the cushions. Somebody else recommended a brand of lotion/moisturizer called CeReVe. It can be bought at CVS. I have some of this as well and it works well. I would recommend doing some searches for more info.

My doc emphasized using a cleaners to get my face clean before using the mask. I hated this idea because I have rosacea, and I try to use as few facial products as possible, to the point, where I don't even use a cleanser, just a light moisturizer. Really washing at bedtime in the winter was out of the question.

As you say, a cleaning regimen may be unnecessary for the nasal pillows, which I have now, too, though at the time I was using a mask.

So I started a regimen that I still use anyway: I shower in the evening, and don't use any kind of cleanser. Just let the warm water rinse my face clean of any excess oil.

In the morning, the routine starts: I take a white washcloth, put it into a small microwave safe bowl and cover it with water. Then I microwave it until it's warm but not steaming. I press this against my face until the heat runs out. Then, I use a cocoa butter moisturizer.

I think this regimen helps get the straps marks off (I have these with my nasal pillows; I use the Optilife kind) plus it gives me a great start in getting moisture back in my face that may have been lost the night before after showering.

This has worked great for me. As I say, I have rosacea, and this routine has not made it any worse. My skin may even be a little better than before the mask.

Worst cpap night of my life last night:
i had slathered my face in the morning with a $400 dollop of pterodactyl poo
due to extreme wrinkliness caused by desperation mouthtaping (NOT old age, geez),
and had carefully washed activa mask, then at bedtime carefully swabbed around my nose with
astringent where the mask would touch.
Sigh. Entire night mask slipped, skipped, leaked, farted, hissed, yowled. I clamped
my fist on it to keep the volumes of air from shooting out--ha. Tried to kill it with pillow powerstrapped to face....
Nasal prong people have it best, i think. Goop up your face with what it needs and
no slippage. Of course, if you are a mouth breather, then you get to tape and then your
upper lip looks and has the texture of a chimpanzee's.
So, scour face nightly with Ajax and rubbing alcohol. In two days a beautiful 40-year old will look
like an 80-year old chimpanzee. But your mask will have stuck to your face. If you are lucky.
That is why they call it "beauty sleep." Beauty bleep, i calls it.
Leonbergergirl, too pooped to perform self-surgery for gallbladder tomorrow; must rely on surgeon instead.

I did have to change my skin care regimen when the weather turned warm here in Oklahoma, I started cpap in Dec 08 so this is my first warm season.
I tried using my daytime moisturizer in place of my night time product, which made my mask slide around and leak badly.
That solution has worked good for me. Now for the long run I may regret not using my beloved deep moisturizer but a few wrinkles are not as important and a longer, more healthy life.
Colleen

I use a piece of fabric between me and my mask. So what I do to my face doesn't matter. If I didn't use it I would have no skin to worry about, after the first night my face looked and felt burnt where the mask touched it.

I doubt that, with nasal pillows, there needs to be the concern to not put moisturizer on your face. After all, the pillows are not touching your face. Just be sure that your nostrils are clean and have no cream, etc on the openings.

If you used another type of mask you may have to stop using moisturizer but as long as it's nasal pillows, I don't see that it matters if you want to use moisturizer at night. You may have to wash your headgear more often.

I have a full face mask for times when I may not be able to use pillows because of congestion,etc. I bought a package of RemZzzs for that mask but, as Black Spinner mentioned, you can make your own version of the RemZzzs from an old T shirt. Then you can still use moisturizer if you want. So far, I have never had to use the full face mask so it looks like that package of RemZzzs are going to last a long time!

I just reread and see that the original poster is using the Hybrid. Maybe Black Spinner's suggestion would be good for the mouth cushion part if you use moisturizer on your chin area. No need to worry about the cheek area because of the nasal pillow part if the Hybrid.

leonburgergirl,

This is delicate subject with me - I'm on Medicare and that means I am not exactly a spring chicken. I used to take good care of my skin. Since starting cpap in January, if I put moisturizer on in the a.m., I have to scrub, & scrub to get if off in the P.M.

As the initial period of cpap, I realized my mouth leaks were upping my stats, so I started taping. The stats came down, and along with that my face started looking like an old potato. Recently I tried a chinstrap. It did a good job on the mouth leak, but it squeezed my face so hard, I thought I had it in a vise. I reluctantly have gone back to taping my mouth. It is so hard on the skin, I'll e able to pass as my own grandma next week.

Let me know if you find some way to keep your mouth from leaking?

Jan

I have not changed my skincare regime since starting CPAP 2 months ago. I also use the Swift LT and since the only thing that really touch are the nasal pillows, I kept up with my usual regime of anti-aging stuff (tazorac in the evening and vit C in the morning with a heavy duty sunscreen that has to be removed with an oil cleanser in the evening). I used the lanolin cream on my nares and have the soft sleeves for the mask "arms" where they have contact with my cheeks.

Yes, I've had to change routines -- no more moisturizer at night as it gunked up my headgear too much.

Before bed, wash face with Derma E's Papaya+Soy Facial Cleanser (it's like a liquid soap & removes all traces of makeup and oil without making your skin feel like sandpaper). Dry with clean washcloth. Apply 2 drops of Derma E's Vitamin C serum (gel, no moisturizer) to fingers and quickly apply to entire face. Brush teeth with Jason's NutriSmile toothpaste (inexpensive, has vitamin C & other good stuff), dissolve 2 Xytilol-sweetened (starves bacteria) Cherry TicTacs in mouth and swish around teeth -- all to prevent teeth probs. By now, my skin is dry to the touch and ready for my mask.

Morning: laugh at my strap marks and appreciate waking up again (will try microfleece padding and see if it helps). Wash face (same as night time routine including Vitamin C Serum). Apply Derma E's Alphalipoderm Facial Repair (alpha lipoic acid & green tea moisturizer, since I started using this in '96 no more visits to the Derm for removal of skin 'thingees' plus it works to reduce bruising, heal bites & other skin irritations, and reduces symptoms of skin aging) all over face. Apply makeup if I'm going out.

My skincare regimen did not change. And, thankfully, my moisturizer does not cause a problem with the tape sticking to the skin around my mouth (cheeks & chin). Mary Kay Balancing Moisturizer Formula #2 is my moisturizer of choice. It's applied every evening before sleep.

Practice with different moisturizers, hopefully you can find one quickly that works with the tape.