mask hurting my ears

August 24, 2023 9:21 PM

I'm having to wear a mask a lot this week and next and the tops of my ears are starting to hurt very badly. Suggestions for how to alleviate?

I have been in classes/living in a dorm all week and will continue this until next Friday. I'm wearing N95 masks cranked down as tight against my face as I can get them (I am the only person out of several hundred people here masking). I'm alternating between one with over-the-ear adjustable loops from wellbefore and a 3M Aura respirator-style with the two rubber band-like head straps. I also wear glasses.

The tops of my ears where the ear meets my head and the loops/straps press down are very sore and red. They start to feel better pretty soon after I take the mask off back in my dorm room/outside, but they're still sore to the touch, almost like they're bruised, and my glasses sit on the sore area. The only long period of relief I get from them is in the evenings/at night and it's not long enough to fully recover so my ears start to hurt earlier and earlier every day now.

Any suggestions for how to alleviate this a little? Please assume I am not willing to give up masking. Thanks!

posted by skycrashesdown to Health & Fitness (15 answers total)

Yes!
I used a mask strap; you can diy with some rubber bands/ hair ties or even some paper clips looped together.
posted by queseyo at 9:28 PM on August 24, 2023 [4 favorites]

Try searching for a "mask ear saver", or "mask extender". Etsy has a bunch. The ones I used were a strip of cloth, crochet, about 5" long, with a button on each end. It goes behind your head, the mask ear loops hook onto the buttons and take much of the pressure off your ears.
posted by hovey at 9:32 PM on August 24, 2023 [2 favorites]

I like the above ideas! If that fails, would moleskin (sticky backed felt) or a gel blister pad help? Both are meant to be applied to skin to prevent blisters. Any pharmacy should have these items.
posted by ticketmaster10 at 9:56 PM on August 24, 2023 [3 favorites]

Can you try to find some masks that fit differently/better? I've been in the "N95 all day everyday" camp while working in an office for the last year and a half, and I find 3M N9502+ are much more comfortable/better-sealing on my face than Aura. I'm a guy with a big head, so what works for me might not work for you, but "try on some different styles of mask" seem reasonable. You can also try adjusting the top strap up a little -- Mine tend to end up above my ears, but again, that's mask+head fit dependent.
posted by Alterscape at 10:06 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]

When I have to wear a lot of PPE that starts hurting my ears, I've started wearing something underneath, e.g. a baseball cap backwards, so the tips of my ears go under the cap, covered and safe, then the mask's head-strap goes around the cap instead of directly onto skin, then the glasses go on top of that and are held in place by the strap; either by sitting on cap/strap instead of sitting on ears, or the strap actually strapping them to the cap (depending on glasses frame design).

The cap takes all the rubbing and pressure instead of the head and ears. I use a baseball cap because I have some lying around, but any head scarf or wrap or other covering should work too. I also find the elastic strap stays in place against the cotton cloth of the cap whereas it would slide over my head until it puts pressure on ears.
posted by Cusp at 11:33 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]

The tops of my ears get sore from glasses or masks, too. Here's how I've dealt with it with masks when I've needed to wear them for extended periods:

-As mentioned above, use a mask extender if you can round one up. The idea is to get the strap off your ears a bit. I have also put my hair in a ponytail and then had the strap go over the pony tail. Experiment with whatever you have - string, hairband, whatever.

-Get to the store and get some moleskin or a blister cover, as folks have suggested. Blister covers are often clear. But moleskin is probably the best thing as long as the skin isn't broken. And then just leave it on til it falls off (in the shower in a few days?) and then replace it. It's thick enough that I bet it will help.

-If you can't do that, and the skin is only irritated and not broken, maybe try some deodorant up there? Weird, I know, but it can help with chafing.

-Honestly, if I were that desperate, I might also try a bandaid and also just some cloth wrapped around the ear strap.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:25 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

a 3M Aura respirator-style with the two rubber band-like head straps. I also wear glasses.

Are you having this problem with these too? With the head strap ones I have I can position the top one a little higher on the back of my head so that it doesn't touch my ear. Does that not work for you, or create a worse seal?

(If you have long enough hair, a ponytail can create a bump that the top strap has to ride above so that it can't slip down)
posted by trig at 1:00 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Seconding the gel blister pad suggestion. I use Compeed blister cushions to stop my glasses from hurting my ears in much the same spot, and they work really well. Guessing from "N95" that you're in the US, it looks as if you won't be able to get a pack of just the little ones, but there's a mixed pack that contains easily enough of them to see you through. You don't need to change them every day, just leave them on till they're ready to fall off.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:50 AM on August 25, 2023

I have used the above-linked Velcro brand straps for exactly this problem on numerous occasions. They are ideal: soft material, adjustable fit, strong & durable, pretty cheap.
posted by guessthis at 3:17 AM on August 25, 2023

Based on a rec here, I ordered a ReadiMask for an upcoming MRI. It uses adhesive instead of straps. I can't yet report on it, but it looks good. I do sympathize with the ear pain.
posted by Dashy at 4:21 AM on August 25, 2023

I'd try a different N95 mask, they all fit different. I find the aura mask strap attachment point is pretty far back and that lead to ear chaffing and other issues. I switched to Medsup N95 (available here at Costco) and they don't have that problem for me. Their design also supports easy strap tension adjustment. Also much cheaper.
posted by Mitheral at 6:02 AM on August 25, 2023

Have you experimented with how you loop the strap under/over/around your glasses? I find that for me, putting my glasses on first, then putting the mask on -- and the straps over my glasses arms -- helps a lot. I think the glasses distribute the pressure from the strap over a winder area. I do this for long haul flights.
posted by OrangeDisk at 6:07 AM on August 25, 2023

This worked for me.
posted by yqxnflld at 8:58 AM on August 25, 2023

Seconding the Readimask N95 which adheres to the face instead of using straps. I've used these while sleeping and they worked well. The adhesive does wear off with repeated doffing and donning, so one uses up a Readimask faster than a strappy N95 if one is removing and replacing the mask multiple times per day (e.g. to eat/drink).

Depending on your head/face size, check whether you're wearing a small or a medium/large size of the masks you are wearing, and try switching to the other size.

Consider switching to a reusable elastomeric respirator, which can give you a better fit than a disposable N95 and which likely straps to the head differently (around the neck plus over the top of the head) instead of scraping against your ears. For example, big box hardware stores like Home Depot carry P100 respirators; the 3M half-mask one costs about $40, including the pack of 2 filters.
posted by brainwane at 11:06 AM on August 25, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you for everyone’s answers and help! I have tried many masks over the last three years and feel like I get the best fit from the two I posted about. However, this question has been resolved in the dumbest possible way because some of the comments made me realize that I am not wearing the straps on my Aura mask correctly. I have been wearing the top strap too low on my head, so it creeps downwards and presses against the tops of my ears. By pulling it up higher than it seems like it should be, it actually stays there, I still feel like I have a good seal for the mask, and my ears are no longer irritated! Marking this one as resolved, since there is no option for “I’m a big dork“.
posted by skycrashesdown at 12:43 PM on August 27, 2023 [2 favorites]