A mask can help protect you from getting COVID-19.
How?
Not only is a mask blocking your droplets from going out, it’s blocking droplets from coming in.
This is big news—really big.
Until recently the COVID-19 jury was out as to whether the wearer of the mask was getting any airborne transmission protection, but now that’s changing.
This is an excerpt from a CNN report:
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at University of California, San Francisco, has been working with a team of researchers to understand how more people could go through their infections with minimal or no symptoms. About 40% of people infected with the virus don’t have symptoms, according to an estimate last month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Gandhi’s team found masks make a difference.
“What the mask does is really reduce the amount of virus that you get in, if you do get infected,” she said. “And by reducing that … you have a lower dose, you’re able to manage it, you’re able to have a calm response and you have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.”
How many masks can I strap around my ears before I can’t breathe, right?
Don’t laugh, I’ve tried. Three cotton layers and a face shield before I turn blue.
Massage Therapist Mask – The Best Ones
But I digress, this is exactly the news that can be a game-changer for us—in the massage room—regarding our safety and our sanity, knowing that if Dr. Ghandi is right, we can reduce potential viral load by wearing mask to the point that if we do get COVID-19 it will more than likely be a mild case.
Which is the best for preventing droplet transmission?
According to a Duke study, the N95.
The N95 is a “respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles.” (Source: FDA).
Also, effective for blocking droplet transmission are 3-ply surgical masks (“a loose-fitting, disposable device that creates a physical barrier between the mouth and nose of the wearer and potential contaminants in the immediate environment”, Source: FDA) and cotton masks.
Not effective and possibly worse than wearing no mask were thin, polyester neck gaiters. You can read more about that here.
Here are some suggestions to test see if your current mask is up to snuff: If you hold the mask up to the light and can see through it, get another mask. Or if you can easily blow threw it, turn the mask into a finger puppet.
My N95 Mask Procedure To Avoid COVID
Personally, in the massage room, I wear a N95 with a disposable medical mask on the outside of the N95. After each massage I change out the disposable medical mask, but keep the same N95 on through the course of the day.
And I don’t throw out the N95 after one use. Instead, I reuse it by rotating it back into my PPE gear after a three day air-out period.
So, that means I have three to four N95s I rotate out throughout the week, depending on how many days I’m working.
I air-out each N95 that I’m going to reuse in a paper bag instead of a plastic bag to cut down on moisture which could be a breeding ground for bacteria.
The N95 is going to be less effective keeping potential COVID out if you don’t have a good seal around your face. So, let’s get that seal right.
I asked one of my clients, Charley Herbick, trained in N95 fitting, to show us how to get a good seal with the N95.
You can see how he does it in the video below (and if you want to see new videos, please subscribe to the Make the Most of Massage YouTube channel):
Where to Find Massage Therapist Masks
N95
So, where can you get N95s?
My advice is do NOT buy them off Amazon.
Why?
Because there are counterfeits circulating on the Amazon website–and, personally, I don’t want to risk having a N95 that is faulty.
So, to find a N95 that is National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified as a N95 respirator (filters at least 95% of airborne particles) and/or is FDA cleared as surgical mask (liquid resistant) takes a little research.
Start your research here: NIOSH – Approved N95 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators.
In this list you’ll find approved manufacturers and their products.
After you choose a manufacturer/product, you’ll contact them to get in touch with one of their official distributors.
My N95 Search
My research turned up the FDA-approved Makrite 9500-N95 Pre-Formed Cone Particulate Cone Particulate Respirator Mask. It’s both NIOSH certified and FDA cleared as surgical mask (the surgical mask liquid-resistant-clearance is less important for us because we usually don’t slip in a little open heart surgery during our relaxation massage).
Once I found the approved manufacturer I wanted to go with, I googled them and then contacted them through their contact form.
From there, they put me in touch with an official distributor of their products.
Yes, this is more complicated than simply clicking on an Amazon link, but, again, that easy click yields a world of unnecessary risk in my book–and I don’t want that extra worry that comes with that risk with the 2nd wave coming.
By the way, the price I paid for N95s through an official distributor of an FDA-approved manufacturer was within the price range of the unofficial distributors on Amazon, which was about $4/mask. (Remember, that a box of 20 for $80-ish will last you a two to three months if you reuse them on a rotating basis.)
I’m going to tell you the N95 manufacturer I went with, but before I do that I want to let you know that I am NOT an affiliate marketer of their products and or receive any compenstation from them.
So, after searching for a NIOSH certified and FDA-approved N95 mask, I went with the 9500-N95 made by Makerite. The manufacturing company, Makerite, was very responsive.
They put me in touch with this distributor: SPH Medical Supplies.
Tony from SPH got back to me and was very informative and helpful. Ultimately, I purchased the Makerite 9500 N95 and the Sekura N95 also made by Makerite.
The 9500 N95 is both a surgical mask (resistant to fluids) and a respirator.
The Sekura N95 is not a surgical mask, but is a respirator. Again, respirator meets our working requirements–surgical mask is above and beyond.
I ordered the Sekura N95 because it’s supposed to be more comfortable than the 9500 N95.
I’ll let you know what I think about the two when I have a chance to use them.
One more thing to say about getting your N95s: If you hate dealing with the research and have a client or know someone in the medical field, contact that person. She/he may let you order PPE through her/his organization.
Onto surgical masks.
* Below are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
3 Layer Surgical and Cloth Masks
If you don’t have the budget for N95s, you still have options. Three-ply surgical masks and certain cloth masks did well in the Duke Study.
3-Layer Surgical Face Masks
Cloth Masks
Here are plain, old standard 2-ply cotton masks:
This is the top 6 on the Duke Study list if you wanted to do a search for each type:
1. Fitted N95, no valve
2. 3-layer surgical mask
3. Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask
4. 2-layer polypropylene apron mask
5. 2-layer cotton, pleated style mask
6. 2-layer cotton, pleated style mask
Lastly, I can’t talk about masks and not talk about my favorite TV doctor, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
All through this pandemic he has said to stop the spread of the virus, act as if you have the virus and don’t want to transmit it.
I have something to add to that: With this new information about masks protecting the wearer, we (massage therapists) should also act as if our clients have the virus and we don’t want to get it.
We have an important tool to help protect us from a client who is unknowingly COVID-19 positive.
It’s a mask.
Wear it during the massage.
Wear it when you’re disinfecting the room after the massage.
And take it off like a surgeon so that you don’t contaminate yourself with any potential virus on the mask by using the straps to remove the mask without touching the mask itself. By the way, wearing a disposable mask over the N95 should protect the N95 from getting contaminated with the virus.
Now that you’re masked up, it’s time to talk about face shields: Wear a Face Shield.
If you want to continue to stay safe as possible while making money doing massage, sign up below and I’ll let you know when my next post is out.
