What Is The Difference Between CPAP Nasal Mask, Nasal Pillow Masks, Full Face CPAP Mask?

CPAP Nasal Masks, Nasal Pillow Masks, Full Face CPAP Masks are generally produced by Liquid Silicone Injection Mold with FDA Medical Grade LSR material.

While in the market, there are still some suppliers produce compression molded silicone mask, this type of masks are not so high quality compare to LSR Face Mask.

When it comes to sleep apnea, CPAP is the most commonly prescribed and effective treatment option. However, CPAP treatment only works when people wear their mask every night. With this in mind, finding the most comfortable and easy to use CPAP mask for you and how you sleep is essential to get the most from your CPAP treatments.

CPAP masks come in three main varieties. Nasal masks offer both the cradle and pillow designs, while full face masks are the third option. Each variety has pros and cons and it is really just a matter of personal preference.

What is a Nasal CPAP Mask?

Nasal CPAP Masks are worn only over our nose. It has a rounded, triangular-shaped dome and is meant to fit the contours of our face comfortably. Nasal masks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which makes them a good choice since there’s a mask that can fit just about any face. It covers your patient's nose from the bridge to their upper lip area. CPAP nasal mask delivers pressurized air through a tube into the space of the mask. You’re supposed to inhale the air only through your nose, making it a good mask for people who naturally breathe through their nose and require a higher pressure setting.

Pros of Nasal CPAP Masks

• Comfortable delivery of pressure due to its less direct nature.

• Work better than nasal pillows for higher pressure settings.

• More choices for shapes that can fit your specific facial profile.

• Secure “seating” on the face, meaning it remains sealed even if you are an active sleeper.

Cons of Nasal CPAP Masks

• Not a great choice for patients who are mouth breathers

• Users may feel some irritation from mask pressure on their forehead or the bridge of their nose.

• Blockage of sinuses can be a problem in the delivery of the pressure when users have a cold or a history of allergies.

What is a Nasal Pillow Mask?

Nasal pillows are a type of CPAP mask consisting of plastic inserts that look like headphone earbuds that slip directly into the nostrils. The prescribed pressure used to keep the airway open is delivered through this mask. These small cushions rest at the end of the nose and may help to relieve problems such as air leak and claustrophobia.

Pros of Nasal Pillows

• Nasal Pillows provide more open vision than full face masks or traditional Nasal CPAP Nasks. Some patients like to watch television or read before they go to sleep, and regular CPAP masks could make it harder to do this.

• Patients may wear their glasses when wearing nasal pillow masks since there's no coverage over the bridge of their nose.

• Nasal pillows provide minimal facial coverage and are lightweight which is why many patients with claustrophobia prefer them. Patients also like the fact these masks don't have a lot of material touching their faces.

• Nasal pillows reduce air leakage since they direct air into the patient's nasal passages.

Cons of Nasal Pillows

• Nasal pillows are not ideal for patients who require higher pressure since they direct airflow into their nasal passages and this could be uncomfortable.

• Some patients may experience higher incidences of nosebleeds or nasal dryness due to the direct air pressure.

• For patients who isn’t used to breathing out of their nose, nasal pillows are not ideal for them.

What is a Full Face CPAP Mask?

The full-face CPAP mask fits a larger space, from near the top of the bridge of the nose to underneath the lower lip, creating a seal over both the nose and the mouth.

It usually includes supportive pieces that fit to the forehead and the cheeks to ensure a good seal. Unlike nasal masks and nasal pillows that seal on the nose exclusively, the full face mask covers the patient’s mouth and nose. They cover a larger area of your patient's face to create a CPAP seal over both airways. Although some patients may find the bulky size of these masks a bit uncomfortable, they're the perfect solution for those patients that require higher pressures or if they breathe through their mouth.

Pros of Full Face CPAP Mask

• Effective Treatment for Mouth Breathers. If you breathe through your mouth, a full face mask is the only option that will deliver pressurized air through the mouth. This also works well for people that experience regular nasal congestion, such as allergies or colds. 

• Ideal for High-Pressure CPAP Settings. For sleep apnea patients needing higher pressure, this type of CPAP mask is the ideal option as both the nose and mouth are receiving pressurized air.

Cons of Full Face CPAP Mask

• Best Suited for Back Sleepers. The bulky design of a full face mask makes it difficult for people that move around in their sleep or sleep on their side or stomach. Movement can easily move the mask and provide for air leaking. For this reason, it is best suited for back sleepers.

• Air Leaking is Common, because of the larger size, air leaking is common, often into the area around the eyes. This can lead to eye irritation and dryness, as well as a reduction in the air pressure you receive.

FACE MASKS: WHY LSR IS THE BEST CHOICE?

• Properties of Liquid Silicone Material is better than solid silicone: the material is more pure, so elongation rate & tear strength is good.

• Liquid Silicone Material for Injection Molding is safer than solid silicone for compression molding: LSR is resistant to bacteria growth and won’t stain or corrode other materials. (during production process, solid silicone for compression molding needs to put on the mold manually, and sometimes in order to make the part eject from the mold easier, production people will spray mold release on the mold, while if produced by injection molding, there won’t be this kinds of concerns, because the whole process is completed by machine. )

• The material is a true all-rounder, excelling due to its biocompatibility, allergy friendliness, neutral odor and taste, and heat resistance (-40°C to +230°C), as well as allowing for a high degree of design flexibility and making complex geometries and material combinations feasible.

• Liquid Silicone Material can be fully cured, so it is more safe, bio-compatibility is good. The material can be sterilized via a variety of methods, including steam autoclaving, ethylene oxide (ETO), gamma, e-beam and numerous other techniques, meeting all required approvals such as BfR XV, FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, etc.

• The Liquid Silicone for injection molding possesses a natural transparency and is ideal for direct and indirect food contact because of their inorganic nature. They are heat resistant, easy to clean and satisfy all current food legislation.

• Emergency services, hospitals and research institutes began using protective masks a long time ago. They are also increasingly being used at home for the treatment of conditions such as sleep apnea. Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is often the material of choice as it ensures a very comfortable fit.

• LSR is also frequently combined with other materials in mask design. For instance, the housing might be made from thermoplastic and the mouth and nose area from silicone, and the mask could feature a replaceable or insertable filter system. Masks have many different applications and can be produced in lots of different ways.

The Xiamen Better Silicone Rubber Co,.Ltd has been manufacturing injection molds and silicone masks for its customers for a long time. It uses both one-component and multi-component injection molding technology in its production operations. LSR combines outstanding material properties and reliability in the production process. 

As an OEM manufacturer of silicone medical accessories, our liquid silicone injection molding medical accessories include:

• LSR Face Mask

• Medical Silicone Masks

• Silicone Breathing Masks

• Silicone Oxygen Masks

• Breathing Mask Pads

• Silicone Laryngeal Masks

• Silicone Umbrella Valves for Manual Resuscitator

• Duckbill Valves for Manual Respirator

• Silicone Medical Valves

• Silicone Medical O ring & Gaskets

• Silicone Medical Negative Pressure Drainage Balls

• Silicone Medical Plugs

• Silicone Medical Gaskets

• Silicone Medical Bellows