SAN DIEGO — We've been wearing masks, or facial coverings, for months to slow the spread of COVID-19 and for some, that's been easier than for others. At first, a number of people were reporting an increase in acne. Now the problem is a jump in sore throats.
Dr. Jyotu Sandhu with Sharp Rees-Stealy said sore throats are pretty common.
“A sore throat is a symptom - the endpoint for something,” he said, adding that it’s important to note that it's not your mask that can make you sick.
“If you're not sick, then you're not going to give yourself something," said Sandhu.
Sandhu said the problem is the way we handle our masks by touching the inside with our dirty hands, introducing bacteria that's now trapped. It’s an easy way to get yourself sick.
“If you're out and about and you're touching your mask a lot, that's a problem," said Sandhu. "If you're putting your mask down on surfaces, that's a problem.”
Doctors said something as simple as the way you put your mask on and take it off can make all the difference with keeping your healthy. Try to only touch the straps around your ears when putting it on and taking it off and make sure you wash your hands if you touch the outside of your mask.
The CDC recommends washing your cloth masks with detergent on a regular basis and drying them with the highest heat setting possible.
If you do that and you still notice you're having more sore throats these days, there could be a completely different mask-related issue at play here.
“I can attest to having to speak louder with my patients when I'm doing telemedicine visits just because we all have masks on, so that can in and of itself cause a little irritation of the throat,” Sandhu said.
That said, Sandhu does recommend wearing masks regularly to decrease COVID-19 transmission. He also believes it will cut down on the number of flu cases as well.
