South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific published findings from a recent study on Wednesday showing that mask wearing can cause dry skin and redness.

The researchers discovered that wearing a mask for between one and six hours can also bring significant change to skin temperature and sebum after conducting an experiment with 21 men and women.

The perioral area – the area surrounding the mouth including both lips and the upper lip area under the nose – could be most affected after wearing a mask, the study warned.

“Wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential, but at the same time preparing for expected skin changes is also important for skin health.

“In this respect, our findings suggest the skin covered with the face mask needs to be treated extra carefully due to certain changes of skin characteristics,” the study said.

Though there have been similar studies on medical workers who wear masks for a long period of time, this is the first study to be conducted among ordinary mask wearers, Amorepacific said.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)