Nasal pillow nose sores and lanolin

[radarrab]

I've sometimes used a little petroleum jelly (only because the person who gives me allergy injections said a doc suggested that to her for a shared issue), sometimes OTC cortisone cream, and AYR nasal saline gel, when I was trying to figure out why I was getting crusty (skin) on the inside. Now I think it's the nasal spray I sometimes have to use, or the combination of that and the air, since it's not like that when I don't need the spray. 
I've had times where the mask really made the inside lower part of my nose itch, to the point where I kind of scratched it a little raw while awake enough to do that. I wonder if lanolin would help with that.

[FLcracker]

Just conferred with my 'patient' about this, and she said she just uses a little 'chap-stick', applied first to a finger, then transferred to any sore area of the nostrils.  She says she seldom has to do it, but now and then when a little sore area starts to form, she hits it with the chap stick material, and the soreness goes right away.  She's 10 years+ into Cpap using pillows and 100% compliant, so I offer this as a possible alternative. 
FLc

[Sleepster]

I wonder if lanolin would help with that.

Probably. Definitely worth a try. When I was using nasal pillows I loved the stuff.

[super7pilot]

Helped me and also made the nasal cradle and pillows seal better.

However, i did buy (amazon) a generic jar of the stuff. While it’s pure. It has a decidedly industrial smell to it. Not so much that i wouldn’t use it. But one might defer to something for nursing moms.

[Deborah K.]

Get the Lanisoh Nipple Cream. It's in the baby dept. at loads of stores including Walmart, Target, and Amazon, probably grocery stores too.

[ejbpesca]

I'm confused.  I use a hybrid (nasal/mouth) mask.  I make an effort to get all oil off it and y'all are saying that lanolin will cause a nasal mask to seal better?  Lanolin is a greasy waxy substance produced by sheep.  I have read many times that to get the silicone to seal to the skin both have to be free of oil.  Why am I concerned about thin light oil produced by human skin if something as oily as lanolin will make a mask seal better?

[Deborah K.]

It's used to prevent soreness some people get from nasal pillows masks, not to help a full face mask adhere to the skin.

[Sleepster]

I'm confused.  I use a hybrid (nasal/mouth) mask.  I make an effort to get all oil off it and y'all are saying that lanolin will cause a nasal mask to seal better?

A nasal pillows mask, yes. But the purpose is not to seal, it's to relieve soreness.

Lanolin is a greasy waxy substance produced by sheep.  I have read many times that to get the silicone to seal to the skin both have to be free of oil.

Yes, to get a good seal against the skin, that's very true. But here we're talking about a seal against the tissue inside the nose. I'm not a biologist, but I don't think the tissue that lines the inside of your nose is skin. Anyway, it doesn't matter if it is, because that tissue is already lubricated by natural secretions.

Why am I concerned about thin light oil produced by human skin if something as oily as lanolin will make a mask seal better?

I now use a full face mask and I have to wash the face oils off it every morning so I can get a good seal. Otherwise I get noisy leaks that generate complaints from my partner. When I was a newbie I would sometimes have to use a wipe to clean it in the middle of the night. I think the excess oil production was caused by anxiety.

But when I wore a nasal pillows mask I found it to be more comfortable with lanolin, and it seemed to me I was getting a better seal. It certainly never had noisy leaks with or without the lanolin.

[super7pilot]

I'm confused.  I use a hybrid (nasal/mouth) mask.  I make an effort to get all oil off it and y'all are saying that lanolin will cause a nasal mask to seal better?  Lanolin is a greasy waxy substance produced by sheep.  I have read many times that to get the silicone to seal to the skin both have to be free of oil.  Why am I concerned about thin light oil produced by human skin if something as oily as lanolin will make a mask seal better?

What I found was that when I applied lanolin to my nasal cradle and nasal pillows. The next morning it was quite sticky. thus keeping those two holes centered on my nostrils and also providing a barrier to wind erosion/dryness on my nose.

[Schnoozer]

My ENT gave me a tip to deal with those sores. It is:

1) Buy a little tiny tube of neosporin or similar antibacterial ointment. Each morning, put a little bit on the sore and in the nostril in that area. My sores were just inside the nostril, so i'd just take a little bit of it and put it in my nose with my pinky, and forget about it.

2) In the evening, put a thin film of lanolin around the edges of the nostril, but don't worry about getting it inside too much.

The ointment heals the sore quickly, and the lanolin prevents new ones from happening. for me, it works like magic. A couple of times I've felt a little sore forming, and with this technique it's gone in 48 hours.