How to wear (put on) a medical mask (which side, expiration date): instructions

For a long time, medical masks have served as reliable protection against infections transmitted by airborne droplets, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. However, such a protective accessory has its own rules and subtleties in use. How to wear a medical mask correctly to protect yourself and the people around us from potential infection?

Relevance of respiratory protection

First of all, it is important to understand that wearing a medical mask does not guarantee 100% protection, and incorrect wearing does not give any guarantees at all.

In case of gross violations of the use of a protective agent, it can, on the contrary, cause infection.

Today, there is a lot of debate about the advisability of wearing medical masks during quarantine. A simple medical mask is not intended to protect against inhalation of viruses and bacteria, but serves as a barrier to prevent saliva and nasal mucus from getting infected to other people. For this reason, you can hear many comments that wearing masks by healthy people is useless.

However, various studies conducted in public places and medical facilities have shown that with early use a medical mask according to the instructions of a healthy person, the risk of airborne infections on the mucous membranes is significantly decreases.

Therefore, when contacting patients, visiting hospitals and during epidemics, wearing a protective device as a preventive measure is an appropriate method of protection. This is especially true during a developing epidemic, when it is not completely clear who is sick and who is healthy.

Rospotrebnadzor listed specific situations when you need to wear a medical mask:

1. If you experience symptoms of discomfort (runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever).
2. Contact with a sick person / family member.
3. While visiting hospitals and clinics.
4. If your health is in order, protective equipment should be worn in public places during epidemics of influenza, SARS, pneumonia, coronavirus disease, etc.

A medical mask is needed to provide a barrier that prevents the exchange of microbes between diseased and potentially healthy people.

The more people observe this precaution, the easier it will be to stop the spread of various infections. Remember that during outbreaks of an epidemic, not only your health depends on your actions, but also the health of the people around you. A large number of protective equipment options are presented in Moscow pharmacies and online stores. You can buy a protective product without leaving your home by choosing from a photo and product characteristics.

Varieties of medical masks

There are disposable and reusable products. Disposable ones are worn no more than once and then disposed of, while reusable ones are washed, ironed and worn again after one wear.

Disposable products are made from non-woven microfiber material. The shelf life of a disposable medical mask is 5 years if stored in a hermetically sealed package. You cannot use the same product several times.

They are divided into the following subspecies:

1. Procedural - have three protective layers (1 filter and 2 outer layers), due to which they provide a degree of protection of 95.7%. Three-layer products are classified as non-sterile types of protection, which allows them to be used in everyday life for the prevention of respiratory diseases.
2. Specialized - consist of 4 layers of protection (1 filter, waterproof and 2 outer layers). Provides 99.9% protection. Used in sterile operating rooms and laboratories to prevent the exchange of bacteria and contact with biological or chemical materials.
3. With charcoal filter - have an additional charcoal filter designed to protect against dust, aerosols and chemicals. May have a moisture barrier. Such means of protection are used in laboratories, cosmetology, in the production of household chemicals and at home.

Reusable masks can be made by yourself or you can purchase finished products made from the following materials:

• gauze;
• thick fabric;
• foamed polyurethane.

Such protective equipment may have 90 to 99% protection, but they are not medical devices. Products made of dense fabric and foamed polyurethane (pitta) are considered the most effective in preventive respiratory protection. They fit snugly to the face and can be reused after appropriate disinfection. How long can one reusable medical mask be worn? With the proper degree of disinfection - up to 2 months, in the absence of disinfection, the product cannot be considered suitable for reusable use.

Reusable disease barrier means include a respirator with a valve. These products provide a high level of personal protection by filtering the inhaled air and releasing the exhaled air through the valve. However, this type of mask has a one-sided protection side, since the valve freely releases particles that the person exhales. Therefore, this method of protecting against infections is optimal if you are completely healthy, and the people around you also have respiratory protection.

Information about how much one type of protective equipment is better than another is very relative. Each type of protective medical device has several disadvantages.

When using disposable products, a significant drawback is a short service life, with reusable - the need to regularly disinfect, and with respirators - the need to replace filters.

However, despite all the inconveniences, this is one of the few ways to reliably protect yourself and others from dangerous infections.

Remember that the effectiveness of any protective product depends on the correct adherence to the recommendations for its use. Also, respiratory protection should be combined with disinfection of hands, skin, clothing and surfaces.

How to properly wear a medical mask

Before putting on a medical protective device, you need to take care of disinfecting your hands. At home, they can be washed with ordinary soap and water, but if this is not possible, you can use an alcohol-containing antiseptic. To effectively remove bacteria and viruses from the surface of the hands, they should be treated with soap for at least 30 seconds, with an antiseptic for 1 minute.

Next, follow these simple guidelines:

1. Which side to wear a medical mask is not a matter of principle today. Ideally, a lighter (white) layer is worn to the face so as not to become infected yourself, and a blue or blue layer so as not to infect others. However, many varieties of these medical products do not have a clear color distinction; they can be worn in or out by either side.
2. The medical device should be put on with clean hands, holding the ear loops.
3. Behind-the-ear loops or bandages should be fixed (visual aids can be found in photos and videos on the Internet.
4. Straighten the pleats so the fabric covers the tip of the nose, the rock, and the chin, but not the lips.
5. Reshape by securing the top wire clip around the nose.

How to properly wear a medical mask for a child? First, make sure that the size of the product fits the baby's face.

If the product is loose or creates large gaps, it may be considered ineffective.

The sizes of three-layer everyday masks vary according to age:

• from birth to 5 years - 12 * 7 cm;
• from 5 to 15 years old - 14 * 8 cm;
• for adults - 17 * 9.5 cm.

After choosing the correct size and disinfecting your own hands, help your child put on and fix the mask.

Make sure that your child does not touch the inside and outside of the product with his hands. If possible, explain to your child how to use the product correctly and why.

How and how much you can wear a medical mask

How to wear a disposable medical mask correctly:

1. The fabric should tightly cover the nose, mouth and chin and leave no gaps.
2. Do not adjust the product with dirty hands.
3. You can not wear the mask lowered on the chin - there is a risk of infection on its inner layer when fully donned.
4. Only put on and remove the product with clean hands.
5. Protective equipment may not be worn if there are no other people nearby. However, remember that if you have to wear it outdoors, you must first disinfect your hands.

How long can you wear filter medical treatment masks if you need constant respiratory protection?

1. The product should be used once within 2–6 hours.
2. In case of infectious diseases and in epidemic conditions, the protective agent must be changed every 2-3 hours.
3. If the protective agent is used when working in a dusty room or with household chemicals, it can be changed no more than 4–6 hours, depending on the degree of environmental pollution.

If you wear the same protective product for too long, it not only loses its protective capabilities, but also risks becoming a source of infections and bacteria.

It is especially necessary to change the medical mask for colds and other respiratory diseases. It is recommended to do this every 2 hours, and if the fabric is moistened by sneezing or coughing, replace it with a clean one immediately. The same rule applies to medical staff and loved ones of a person who is sick if they have direct contact with him.

How long can you wear a cloth, polyurethane and gauze mask? Reusability does not mean continuity. The protective agent should be changed 3-4 hours after wearing.

Then it is soaked in soap or other antibacterial solution, boiled, and ironed after drying. Without following the precautions described, a fabric or gauze product cannot be considered reusable.

How to remove protective equipment correctly

After use, the product should be removed from the face by holding the earloops. This should be done with clean hands. Never touch the fabric of the inner or outer layer.

What to do with used medical masks? Reusable ones need to be disinfected (soaked in an antibacterial solution and boiled), then wait until they dry completely and pat. After carrying out these manipulations, the product can be reused.

Disposable items must be thrown into a closed bin, pre-packed in a bag. Then you need to thoroughly wash or disinfect the skin of your hands with an antiseptic.

Do not neglect the protection of your own health and your loved ones. There is a wide variety of masks and everyone is able to choose what they like. When choosing a protective product, make sure of its effectiveness, as well as familiarize yourself with the rules for its use. 90% of success in combating the spread of dangerous infections depends on this.