Wellness

[patbz]

I just ordered a set of face mask brackets from Amazon; they will arrive next week.  Has anybody used these?  They go inside most masks and make it easier to breath and speak, as they hold your mask away from your nose and mouth.  They are very inexpensive and I would think almost be an essential for anybody who needs to wear a mask all day ( particularly teachers and health care personnel).  If they work well I'll give some to my son, who works full time in food service in an area that is considered a hotspot for covid.

[Jordan2]

I have never heard of these.

[NicksmomESQ]

@patbz  If the bracket holds the mask away from your nose & mouth I would think that it defeats the purpose of the mask. It's supposed to fit snugly around those areas to keep droplets from escaping from the sides of your mask or from getting in.

   I think that will give you a false sense of security.IMO  you're not  protecting yourself or anybody else.

[noodleann]

There's an article on Prevention that raises a lot of doubts about the wisdom of using this thing (re the integrity of the seal), and even suggests that it could exacerbate or cause "maskne."

[Skinsgirl]

I received my order of these from Amazon this week and I love then.  It holds the mask just far enough away from your mouth to allow you to talk clearly, wear lipstick and your mask will not be sucked into your mouth when you breathe.  Even if the mask does not have a "pocket" to slide this into, it is comfortable enough to just lay directly against your mouth.  Believe it or not, it does NOT compromise the seal of the mask around your face.  Most masks have enough fabric to allow for a close fit.

[ID2]

I've seen the infomercial for these brackets. I just shake my head. They look like a feeding trough attached to the face.

[Abrowneyegirl]

Try a mask style like this- it stays away from your mouth but still has a good seal.

[Growing]

I can only breathe in 100% cotton cloth masks. Those polyester masks breathe hot and the good KN 95 or the flat fold ones that are disposable all have a slight chemical smell that chokes me and make me have a bad runny nose for about two to three days after wearing one. I have a small face and have many masks hand sewn that I purchased on Etsy. My favorite all cotton, well sewn, easy to breathe mask on Etsy is from tiny jewelry (the seller). I put a cut to size paper towel or third piece of cotton fabric in the filter pocket if I am going to a crowded area or the doctor. I am very chemical sensitive so I think the Chinese made disposable masks have bad things in the material or the barrier filter, and the polyester masks are made out of petroleum. I was finding myself hot, anxious, and loopy feeling with those masks and now have switched to the all cotton with good results.

[I am still oxox]

It looks like it might be a solution to many issues, the mask still will sit on the bridge of your nose and under your chin. I think it is worth a try.

[eadu4]

Full disclosure, I don't run any bio molecular lab at Duke or any other University. However I can do a little back of the napkin math. While watching the news I decided to do a little research on cloth, and I found that tightly woven cloth with small thread has a pore space ranging between 50-80 microns. Corona virus molecules average around .127 microns. So if we divide 80 microns by 127 that means nearly 630 Corona virus molecules could theoretically hold hands and fit through each pore. So if you square 630 that's nearly 400,000 Corona virus that can fit through each pore of a cloth mask.   And the homemade, ill-fitted, porous, repeatedly worn and randomly discarded cloth and paper masks are just as bad.   

Bottom line the issue is fit and proper care.  The best fitting masks only make it  50-70% safer.  I basically wear a mask to keep from getting into confrontations at stores and keep those that are frightened feel better and certain stores require them.   Mask effectiveness studies published in medical journals state, in some cases wearing a mask concentrates the viral load thereby making it more likely to catch the virus and spread it.   So is this little device more likely to contribute to getting the virus?  Who knows?   However if it makes it just a little easier for someone to wear a mask, then that's a good thing.  Because just wearing a mask is no guarantee.  Everything is simply a "precaution".  So at this stage, do what makes you comfortable, and feel safe.  In a few months in some of the colder states that mask might become frozen to your face and this little device might help keep it from freezing on your face.