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Most people were introduced to the idea of wearing face masks when the pandemic started, but doctors and medical professionals have been doing this throughout their professional lives. And although you probably know much about masks at this point, it is understandable to be curious about which facial coverings doctors use outside the service.
After all, medical professionals need protection in the supermarket and also when performing tasks. And given that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently launched new guidelines on masks, most people are thinking about masks these days.
At work, 13 medical professionals from various fields told Yahoo Life that they wear an N95 or surgical mask. Outside of work, some say they will continue to wear N95 masks. But, since the CDC still recommends that they be reserved for healthcare professionals, we focus only on the disposable and cloth options they seek. Here’s what doctors use for the masks when they’re not treating patients.
Most medical professionals say they like to wear a surgical mask outside of work. “I just wear a normal disposable surgical mask,” infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety, told Yahoo Life. Dr. Timothy Murphy, senior associate dean of clinical research and translational from the University of Buffalo, told Yahoo Life that he duplicates himself in surgical masks. “When I left, I started wearing two surgical masks – one with knots for a comfortable fit, to take advantage of the extra layers and the comfortable fit to maximize protection for me and others,” he says. And Dr. Gloria A Bachmann, medical director of the PROUD Gender Center of New Jersey at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, told Yahoo Life that she opted for a “standard disposable mask” without “distinctive features or messages” for a reason. “I want to send the universal message that we are all in this together – that wearing a mask when working, shopping, walking in my neighborhood, etc., is the only thing we can all do as a team,” she says.
Buy: WXD Earloop disposable face mask, $ 10 (cost $ 25), staples.com
For daily use outside the clinic and hospital, Dr. Angela Caswell-Monack, an obstetrician / gynecologist at the Women’s Wellness of Southern Delaware, seeks these popular Old Navy facial masks. A major advantage of these masks, she tells Yahoo Life, is the adjustable earmuffs. “I can pull the lower handle harder and it fits closer to my cheeks,” she says.
Buy: variety of 5 packs of triple layer pleated fabric face masks for adults, $ 12.50, oldnavy.com
Several doctors say they have followed the CDC’s new recommendations for double masking. Dr. Richard Watkins, an infectious doctor and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, told Yahoo Life that he will put a layer of surgical mask or cloth over a medical procedure mask for extra protection. “I don’t want to take any risks,” he says. Women’s health specialist Dr. Jennifer Wider told Yahoo Life that she also loves double masks, especially in the market: “Surgical mask underneath and cloth on top”. Wider says Umma’s cloth facial masks are his favorites – they have multiple layers and a “comfortable” nasal thread.
Buy: Umma Adventure Is Out There Mask, $ 10, etsy.com
Dr. Jessica Shepherd, an obstetrician / gynecologist from Texas, is a huge fan of these masks. “It has a soft fabric that is treated with Silvadur antimicrobial condom technology,” he tells Yahoo Life. This technology helps prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew that can cause your mask to smell or discolor over time. “They are washable and reusable and reinforced with mesh lining,” she says. “But I love that it comes with a bag to keep too.”
Buy: Jaanuu reusable antimicrobial face mask (pack of 5), $ 39, revolve.com
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Yahoo Life that he alternates between wearing a surgical mask and a black, multilayered mask when walking. This Uniqlo mask pack has three layers: the company’s patented AIRism fabric to wick away moisture, a washable built-in filter and AIRism mesh to block UV rays.
Buy: Uniqlo Airism face mask (3 units), $ 39, uniqlo.com
Many doctors use PM 2.5 filters to help make their tissue masks even better. “If I’m not wearing the surgical mask I wore all day, I usually wear one of my cloth masks,” Dr. Sophia Tolliver, a family medicine doctor at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, told Yahoo Life. “It has a triple layer with an insert of PM 2.5 particulate material to give additional protection.” Dr. David Cennimo, assistant professor of infectious diseases in pediatrics and medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Yahoo Life that he usually wears the same procedure mask that he wears all day at work. “It seems less wasteful,” he says. But he has fabric masks that he wears too. “They are all three-layer materials with a filter insert,” he says.
Buy: Cherislpy PM2.5 activated carbon filter (pack of 10), $ 5, amazon.com
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