Mask hurts my upper lip

[bfwolf1]

I have a Mares One Vision mask. It's OK. I had some issues with it leaking for a while but I've now dialed the tightness in to avoid that. But what I dislike most is that the skirt on the bottom of the mask digs into the area between my nose and upper lip. I don't really feel it during the dive, but when I take my mask off upon surfacing, that's when I feel the pain in that spot for a couple of minutes.

Is there something I can do to stop this from happening? Or is there another mask I can buy that's designed to prevent this from happening?

 

[VikingDives]

I'm guessing you mean you've tightened the mask straps to prevent leaking.

Do you end up with marks on your face from the mask at the end of the dive? IF so, the mask is too tight. The mask should only be tight enough to seal at the surface. If you have to pull the straps tighter to seal it, it's because the mask isn't fitting you correctly.

The only way to know what's going to work for you is to try some masks on...

 

[Jake 10]

start by losing up the mask strap a little (very little), or try other masks at the store before you buy to compare.

 

[Kimela]

Need a little more info. Do you have facial hair that is contributing to mask leak? Do you end up with mask squeeze (swollen around eyes or little red dots around your eyes)? How well does your mouthpiece fit? Do you have a large face or a small one? I'm a petite woman with a small face. I switched to a smaller mouthpiece on my regulator so the skirt of my mask doesn't dig into the space between the bottom of my nose and the top of my lip.

It's a bit of a balancing act - a few moving parts. But it sounds like your mask is too tight. Technically, you should be able to hold your mask on without a strap just by inhaling through your nose, creating a nice vacuum - the strap is to keep it in place. But you may need a different mask - lots to choose from.

 

[CT-Rich]

The purpose of the mask strap is not to keep it tight on your face. You just want it so it stays on your face. if you can hold it on your face with a gentle inhale (with no leakage). Try doing it with you regulator in your mouth. You might no have the right mask for your face shape.

 

[Jake 10]

Need a little more info. Do you have facial hair that is contributing to mask leak? Do you end up with mask squeeze (swollen around eyes or little red dots around your eyes)? How well does your mouthpiece fit? Do you have a large face or a small one? I'm a petite woman with a small face. I switched to a smaller mouthpiece on my regulator so the skirt of my mask doesn't dig into the space between the bottom of my nose and the top of my lip.

It's a bit of a balancing act - a few moving parts. But it sounds like your mask is too tight. Technically, you should be able to hold your mask on without a strap just by inhaling through your nose, creating a nice vacuum - the strap is to keep it in place. But you may need a different mask - lots to choose from.

good points, and a large mouthpiece may contribute to the pressure on the upper lip

 

[FreqFlier]

The purpose of the mask strap is not to keep it tight on your face. You just want it so it stays on your face. if you can hold it on your face with a gentle inhale (with no leakage). Try doing it with you regulator in your mouth. You might no have the right mask for your face shape.

What he said ^^^

Two reasons mask leaks - facial hair or improper fit.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Is it pressing just on the lip or your septum. I dove a Venom mask a couple of times and it put pressure against my septum the whole time. By the end of the day it felt like I had plucked a million nose hairs. it was so painful.

From personal experience, you'll have a drawer full of masks by the time you find the perfect one. And when you do, buy two extra.

 

[bfwolf1]

I did end up tightening the mask a bit to address the leaking. I think what was going on was the mask strap was working its way up the back of my head during the dive which was making the mask even looser and then I'd get leaking. A little bit tighter and that problem has mostly been averted. I don't think my mask is particularly tight, but maybe I do need to loosen it a little. When I bought the mask, I did the thing where I put it against my face and inhaled and the mask stuck to my face...

I feel like I didn't have this pain problem with rental masks back in the day though, so I do think it might have something to do with my mask. It's been so long that I rented masks though that I'm not really sure if my memory is right lol.

I rent gear when I dive so I don't have my own mouthpiece and use whatever the dive operator provides. I just travel with my mask, light, and computer which don't take up much space.

I am clean shaven but often have a couple of days of stubble, especially on vacation.

It's not pressing on my septum or any part of my nose. It's the area between my nose and my lip.

I'd be perfectly happy to go buy a new mask that doesn't create this problem, but I didn't know THIS mask would create this problem when I bought it. It's only after a dive that I feel it, not when I put it on.

 

[Kimela]

I rent gear when I dive so I don't have my own mouthpiece and use whatever the dive operator provides. I just travel with my mask, light, and computer which don't take up much space.

If you determine that a different mouthpiece would be more comfortable you can bring one with you. All you need is a zip-tie, mouthpiece and a way to remove the mouthpiece that's already on the regulator you'll be using. It can make the difference between comfort and agony - it was a game changer for me. Keep it in mind just in case.

For reference, here's a pic of what I use. It's significantly smaller than a regular mouthpiece.