Corona Daily 183: Are Your Ears Hurting?

Joe Biden has requested Americans to wear masks for the first one hundred days of his presidency. CDC has this month asked people to wear two masks, one over the other, for additional protection. (Joe Biden does). Many European countries have introduced strict regulations about masks in public places. Most masks have tautly stretched ear loops, causing ears to become sore and start hurting. Taut elastic ear loops can damage the backs of our ears. Nurses and other health workers are particularly vulnerable.

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Mask efficacy is studied nearly as enthusiastically as vaccine efficacy. There are fears vaccines may not be effective against certain variants. Not the case with masks. Masks protect you from viruses equally, no matter which variant.

CDC conducted experiments in January to test effectiveness of different mask combos. The experiments included dummy heads and simulated coughs. A three-ply surgical mask blocked 42% of particles from a simulated cough, and a three-ply cloth mask blocked 44%. But a cloth mask over a medical mask blocked 92% of particles.

Double masking can put an even greater pressure on the ears.

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Creating products connected with masks is a whole new industry.

Anti-fog spray for glasses saves bespectacled people from touching their glasses all the time. When they take a deep breath under their mask, the glasses get fogged up. This spray and the portable dry wipes solve that problem.

Transparent masks help the deaf or partly deaf people and patients lip-read. Beaded mask chains allow you to put on and take off masks without putting them aside. Matt non-smearing lipstick is available for women. Wireless headphones are sold to keep the masks intact. Face mask holders are little colorful purses to keep the masks clean. Mask refreshing sprays and moisture absorbent masks make sure the mask remains fresh in sweaty conditions. You also can buy a mask-hanger that hangs the mask and your keys or jewelry together so you don’t forget the mask when leaving the house.

The maximum innovations, however, have tried to keep our ears safe.

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 The key element in all novel products is to find a substitute for ears to loop the mask around.

Headbands with buttons on both sides are one option. The buttons are placed behind the ears. (Or you can sew them on). Rather than looping the mask around the ears, it is looped around the buttons. This takes the pressure off the skin and increases comfort.

Paper clips or strap clips are used in another variation. If you don’t mind wearing a headgear, baseball caps or hats with buttons on sides are available.

Face mask extenders connect the ear straps and extend them to wrap around the back of your head.

Women or (men with long hair) have more natural options. You can tie your hair long enough to make a ponytail or bun. The mask straps are then hooked to the bun instead of the ears. Women can have two pigtails on the sides, like in the 1950s films.

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Moisture and friction can cause irritation, prolonged mask use can irritate sensitive skin. Mask straps rubbing against the ears create friction that can result in inflammation and blistering. This may cause open wounds or skin scabbing, increasing the risk of an ear infection. Using silicon-foam dressing (like on a wound) before wearing a mask is one suggestion. In hot or humid weather, cotton mask and cotton ear ties are better. People wearing masks for long durations are advised to include ears in their skin care routine. They may want to apply Vaseline petroleum jelly or honey on sore ears.

Unless your uniform forbids it, you may consider neck gaiters or simple handkerchiefs to cover your face. You may look like a bank robber, but your ears will not hurt.

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We must make sure that in order to avoid the coronavirus, we don’t end up getting an ear infection.

Ravi