I felt that I would get used to the feeling of having this device on my face all night and not have to shave off my beard of thirty-three years! All I had to do is put up with the discomfort of wearing this device too tight at night. I didn’t like the fact that I would wake up with a reddened face with the outline of a mask on my nose and cheeks every morning, which would take a couple of hours to go away. I had to wear the mask so tight that it started leaving sores on my nose and face. I also was developing neck pain at the base of my head from the tight adjustment of the mask.
I asked the medical assistant about using Vaseline on my beard to seal it like I had done with my diving mask. I was told that it was not a good idea because petroleum products can destroy the latex mask in a short period of time and that I would be purchasing new masks quite often. Read about lipoid pneumonia. This was a relief in a way because I cannot tolerate greasy Vaseline or oily substances on my face. Not to mention it getting all over the pillow and bedsheets.
The medical assistant suggested shaving my beard! She told me that’s what most men have to do, and asked me what was more important, my health or my beard. I didn’t want to reveal my aging face and the scar on my jaw, not to mention changing my identity to everyone I knew.