Do masks wear out? How can you tell?

[spacewrench]

Do you wash your mask?  I wonder - based on you saying your breathing feels clogged - if the vents may be getting some build-up that needs to be cleaned out.

Yes, I wash daily (I don't like skin oil on the silicone -- it creeps me out!). The Dreamwear mask has very few intricate features...there's a small vent slot in front of the nosepiece, and some vents in the elbow at the top of the head. None of that is clogged, but I guess the frequent washing could have changed the profile of the slot in the nosepiece, or made the ends seal less securely to the ends of the frame that come down alongside your cheeks.

Possibly more likely, the washing has changed the surface tack of the nose piece. There's a thin, slightly sticky membrane that sticks around/under your nose, and I kind of wonder if that's not sticking to my skin as much as it did when it was new.

As far as when to change them... I find I can usually get 4 weeks out of a mask before it starts hissing, leaking, or not staying sealed. I take that as my cue to replace it.

Yikes, that's hardly any time at all! But a good data point: we have people whose masks last forever, while you're swapping out after a month. So it's not impossible that my current problem is "mask worn out." More investigation needed.

[AshSF]

I replace my p10 pillows every 6 months.
Headgear every year
Mask body: 3 years.

Resmed Europe Or Asia doesn’t recommend the same schedule of replacement as Resmed US does.