Full face mask with a beard

[Brandymb]

Hi all,
I have a mustache and beard. Up to this point, I have been trying to use a nasal pillow mask and a chin strap as I am a mouth breather. Luck has not been on my side to this point. Last night, however, I had a titration study and they put a full face mask on me which leaked pretty heavily cuz of the facial hair (my beard is only 1/8 inch). She then put the goo they stick the electrodes on you with on my beard and sealed the mask with it. This killed the leaks! I got 4 good hours of sleep and woke up feeling like a human. The good however was a pain to get out of my beard. What my question is, does anyone use a sealer like this example and if so, what? I want to get something that will coat the edge of the mask, she said petroleum jelly would destroy the mask eventually.
Thanks..
Mark

[James @ Intus]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forums, thanks for registering.

Have a look here for a less gooey solution:

http://www.remzzzs.com/pages/faqs

Will RemZzzs™ still work if I have facial hair?
Yes, absolutely! In our studies, beards or mustaches do not seem to interfere with the effectiveness of RemZzzs™.

That could work. We will have them in a few days.

Other than that, it's hard to say what's out there that works. The nasal pillow types tend to be the best solution but if it didn't help you out, it's hard indeed. You can also check out the Fisher & Paykel Oracle mask as it's like scuba dive gear, the mask sits inside your mouth.

If you find a solution, please do let the others here know.

[Brandymb]

Got 'em

I have some Remzzz's for my F&K full face mask. I will be trying one out tonight. I also trimmed down the diameter of my beard so it prtty well fits inside the mask. The tech last night had me on a Quattro and I really liked it. Them 4 hours of deep sleep was heaven for me. Prob is that I wont be in to see my dr for a couple weeks and the tech wouldnt tell me what pressure I was on. So I'm still up in the air...

Im a hoping.

Mark

[Simes2112]

I've got a beard as well and have been using CPAP for just over a month. I have had some issues with leakage partly due to my beard which I have mainly been dealing with by over-tightening the mask. This is OK, I don't find it too uncomfortable to be honest - but I do look a bit odd every day until about lunchtime walking around with a hefty mask imprint on my face :-)

So I ordered some RemZzzs from the states. I used one for the first time yesterday and I have to say I am delighted!! It make the mask feel much more comfortable, the fabric is soft and warmer than the mask seal. It was a bit itchy at first - but I think I'll be able to address that by trimming my beard a bit shorter (it is 3/8 inch at the moment).

I slept from 11:30pm until just after 8:00am without waking up.

Best regards,

Simon

[Brandymb]

Tried it last nite

Hi Simon:

I tried a Remzzz last night for the first time. I had difficulty with it at first and couldnt stop all the leaking. At about 130AM I got up, took off the mask, straightened out the cloth, put a little skin lotion around my nose area, upped my pressure a bit, and went to sleep and slept for 4 hours which to me is a total miracle as I never sleep for more than two hours at a stretch. Again, this is with my old mask (F&K 431 full face) and it will be another week or two till I can get a new mask.

Maybe I have something here. I'll try again tonight...

Mark

[dravidio]

I have facial hair - which I tend to keep pretty short - but use a Joyce full face gel mask and have no problems with leaks - though I keep it pretty tight...

[dravidio]

The Remzzz site only mentions silicone masks - not gel masks - do they help with gel masks too?

[James @ Intus]

Yes, they have some for the Respironics ComfortGel. They don't have any for the Joyce but chances are, one of the others will fit. I'll have a look when we have the first batch of stock in. They'll be on our site later today BTW.

[Simes2112]

I got two boxes - one for the Resmed Mirage Quattro FF mask and one for the Resmed Ultra Mirage FF mask - they look to be more or less the same size.

Used them for 3 nights now and I remain very pleased with them.

[Brandymb]

I used one again last night. It appears to make the mask to skin contact feel better but does not control my leaking I believe. I messed with it and couldnt stop the leaking until I tightened my mask so much it hurt the top of my nose. I finall said heck with it, took the whole thing off and tolled over on my side and actually slept 4 hours and woke up feeling good! What the heck? I'll try again tonight with a different mask I have. I used a Quattro in my last study and it worked very well. So maybe I continue to mess/suffer till I get to see the dr which may be yet a bit..
Mark

[James @ Intus]

Which machine do you have and at what pressure?

[Metal Dad]

Mirage Quattro - Beardie

Hi,

I use a Mirage Quattro FF mask and have a full beard and mousetache. I trim them in the mask area on 3 on my beard trimmer, whereas the rest of the beard I trim on 4. I use no sealant and no trouble at all with leaks as a result of the facial hair. I think this is because the mask has an excellent double skin where it touches the face and froms it's own seal.

Hope this helps,

Mike

[Tigers Fan]

Joining the discussion earlier than I had thought to

My FF Quattro RemZzzs have just arrived - thanks James for them and the freebie samples. (They are my four favourites!)

I'm perplexed! The 'Note' in Instruction for Use 2. says, "For nasal masks, only nosse will fit into hole."

A silly part of me says that the hole in the RemZzzs is only big enough for my nose, never mind what type of mask I'm using!

The perplexed part of me wonders if I'm supposed to use the RemZzzs as they arrived or am I supposed to cut a larger hole so I can mouth breathe without interference?

Or - despite the stick-on label stating Quattro Full, do I infact have Quattro Nasal RemZzzs?

James - is the hole in a Quattro Full RemZzzs only nosed sized (albeit a large nose like wot I have) or is it big enough to expose mouth as well as nose? In full sized blokes, I'm talking.

TF

[Brandymb]

The Quattro

I received my Quattro the other day. I tried it and woke up after 2 hours with my old favorite leaks. I have now also trimmed my beard to a 1/8 inch small diameter goatee. I miss my old biker's beard, but its worth it if I'll ever find the point where I can sleep. I went over to my DME yesterday and had the resp tech work with me on getting the best possible adjustment she could come up with. She says I have the correct mask for my face size and features. Well, last night after all that, I tried the mask and got 2 hours and woke up fron feeling leaks. I played with it and finally took it off and got 4 hrs sleep on my side. I don't feel rested this morning. My machine prescribed pressure is 10 but I upped it to 11 to see if I can get any benefit allowing for the leaks.

Im almost at my wits end. I know what worked at the sleep lab but damned if I can dupe it at home. Any other suggestions are appreciated...