Mask Seal & Beards

[Shutterbug57]

I have 4 masks:  ResMed F40, F30i, F20 and Dreamwear Full Face.  I also have a full beard. My best seal is with the Dreamwear Full, but I have to tighten it so much my nose is sore in the morning. The F30i is comfortable, but is a leaker. I have trimmed my beard from about 3” to 1”. That has only marginally helped. While I would prefer not to, I am about willing to shave to see if that makes CPAP life easier. 

If you have experience with both a beard and shaven face, please relay your results.

[Sleeprider]

Nice bouquet of full-face masks. The question is, have you ever tried nasal pillows? The beard is not a factor.

[Shutterbug57]

Yes I have. For some reason, I cannot get enough air through my nose only. Probably from breaking it a few times in sports.

[greatunclebill]

full face mask resmed quattro fx. i've been from full santa beard to bare face. bare face is by far the best. every day it gets more leaky as hair grows. along with shaving my beard every 1 to 2 days, i also shave my head and sleep with a skull cap which makes the headgear last longer. for people like me with a deviated septum, full face is not a choice, it's the only thing that works. you probably have a deviated septum.

[Shutterbug57]

full face mask resmed quattro fx. i've been from full santa beard to bare face. bare face is by far the best. every day it gets more leaky as hair grows. along with shaving my beard every 1 to 2 days, i also shave my head and sleep with a skull cap which makes the headgear last longer. for people like me with a deviated septum, full face is not a choice, it's the only thing that works. you probably have a deviated septum.

Is it easier to get a seal with less strap pressure when clean shaven?

[Shutterbug57]

Well, in frustration, I shaved off the beard & ‘stache. My face feels the wind and cold, but preliminary testing indicates that all my masks will seal well with less strap pressure. Time will tell with actual use, but I am optimistic.

I hope it works well because I hate the look.

[Sleeprider]

Losing your beard in Winter is the worst. It takes a few days to get used to the naked face, but surprisingly, most of my family barely takes note of whether I have a beard or not, although I never went full Santa mode.

[Shutterbug57]

I sent a pic to my daughter to show her daughter as I am picking her up from day care today. She is 4. She said “who’s that”?  Her brother who is 10 will see it first in person. It will be interesting to see his reaction.

[greatunclebill]

i need mine to be about as tight as i can get it beard or not. well meaning people say if it is tight and leaking to loosen it. that don't work for me. if it is any less than full tight it leaks. i've tried the newer masks with the snaps. nothing but leaks because i can't get them tight enough.

[Shutterbug57]

Well, I have had 2 nights to try masks since shaving. The first night, I used the F40 and got results that were not significantly different from the bearded results. For the second night, I used the F30i and got results that were significantly better than results from any of the masks in bearded mode. So, I have decided to have a 4 mask, 1 night each shootout. I realize that the one night limitation is not representative of the results that may be had over time. THBS, I will use this result to decide on what/which mask(s) to further test out.

FOR ME, the F40 has been disappointing. Given its popularity, I was hoping for a good result. So far, it has come in last. I doubt its status will change in the one night shootout. I will update further as I see results.