PPE Skin Damage

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Specializes in NICU.

Have you experienced any PPE-related skin damage? How did you heal it? Share your story.

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Glad you posted this and cannot wait to see some of the responses. This is why I was happy to wear the PAPR because of the tightness of the N95 straps also it is very hard to breathe through that mask for all those hours. It's tempting to want to move it away when not in patient's rooms, but I just cannot. I'd rather suffer. I did hear someone mention applying the gauze to areas where the skin is tender. I'm just not sure if that would keep the good seal..

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Specializes in NICU.

Hi, thanks! I will be watching every comment. I spoke to a wound care nurse specialist yesterday and I'm writing the interview up for Medscape. In the meantime, you are correct about the gauze. She said it can make the N95s ineffective if you put anything under them without having another fit test done (yeah, right!) but I know she is correct about that even if it's not practical. Just be aware of that. She recommends using a barrier wipe at least, and if you really need a dressing, then a very thin hydrocolloid-type dressing. There are a few other recommendations on dressing type. I'll add the link here when I'm done. You are lucky to have a PAPR and I hope you get to keep using it. Frankly, I can barely last 20 minutes in the grocery store with a mask on! Laura RN

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Here is some interesting information...

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/beards-n95-face-masks/story?id=69916196

There is the mention of skin irritation and advice from a dermatologist.

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