Surgical face masks seem to be one of the best ways to stop the spread of respiratory drops. They can also be problematic when it comes to a fit fit, with wearers often marking holes on the side of their faces.
Enter a simple hack to improve the fit.
Two viral videos of two dentists demonstrating the same technique during the coronavirus pandemic have garnered millions of views online.
Dr. Olivia Cui, a dentist in suburban Calgary, Alberta, posted her tutorial on TikTok:
Dr Rabeeh Bahrampourian, a dentist in New South Wales, Australia, posted the hack on YouTube:
Here’s what you need to do:
- Start with clean hands – always wash them before applying a new mask (and after using a used one).
- Fold the mask in half, lengthwise so that the bottom and top strip are edge-to-edge.
- Take one ear loop and make a knot as close as possible to the corners of the mask; repeat on the other side.
- Develop the mask and apply the flexible nose bridge to your nose. You will see that the mask unpacks more than before.
- Fold in the corners and apply your better fitting mask. Adjust as needed.
A recent Duke University study measuring the effectiveness of 14 types of masks and face masks found disposable surgical masks worked well to emit respiratory particles that are delayed when people talk.
Expert advice:
Dr Lou Ann Bruno-Murtha, division chairman of Infectious Diseases at Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a fan of the fit-custom hack.
‘It’s an inch. I will share it with my staff, ”she said TODAY. “People will love this technique because it definitely closes the holes … (and) everything that closes the hole will get better.”
This is because producing respiratory drops when someone coughs or sneezes when he has a looser fit mask could escape through those openings and pose a risk to someone who was very close, Bruno-Murtha noted.
She pointed out that although many people call this type of face covering a surgical mask, the correct terminology for it is a procedure mask. There are subtle differences between the two.
The hack to improve the fit can be especially useful for people with smaller faces, including children.
It will still not provide as much protection as an N95 respirator, which is not needed outside health care facilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bruno-Murtha only advised to use the technique on a clean mask, as a wearer can become infected with droplets, which can then contaminate your hands if you tie or otherwise treat the loops.
“Having this technique will be great,” she said. “I think the wearer feels safer and also has it close to her face.”
