N95 masks are expensive and require fitting and instruction in appropriate use as well as a fit test. Men with facial hair cannot use the N 95 they will not get an appropriate seal. Save your money unless you know how to use them and have been appropriately fitted
True that !
It sucks to be them (!), ..and not be close shaven.
Well, any protection beats having no protection.
In Medieval times, they wore masks of rags soaked in Vinegar to ward off the Black Plague.
You do what you can; but, bottom line, you are quite right about a tight facial fit.
My daughter just returned to Australia where she is a school teacher,
She brought with her 15 N-95 masks because they are in such short supply there
due to smoke and the burning fires in close proximity to metropolitan areas.
My youngest son is a fireman, and he shaves his face daily, and his haircut is a "0",
since he needs the full facial fit on his respirator.
So yeah, a tight fit for an N-95 face mask is necessary.
Since the N-95 found in hardware stores is made of fiber,
it can be soaked in water to adjust the fit.
I don't think it's professionally responsible to say that. Don't discourage people from procuring them. Any old N95 mask, thrown on in a hurry, is approximately ∞ better than no mask, unless in an absolutely saturated viral environment (unlikely).
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