Impact of prolonged wearing of face masks - medical and forensic implications

Since December 2019, the global outbreak of coronavirus disease had a significant impact on humanity. Because of the large number of casualties worldwide, the WHO (World Health Organization) declared the coronavirus disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, facial masks have become essential as well as mandatory to protect ourselves from COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, healthcare professionals (HCPs) have been required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for extended periods. Wearing face masks for an extended period has been shown to have several negative effects on HCPs. Additionally, face masks have hampered the use of digital techniques for facial identification. This paper examines the effects of wearing face masks for an extended period, as well as the effect of wearing face masks on facial identification technology. The Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched and screened for relevant studies. According to the current review, prolonged use of masks was found to be associated with adverse effects on the face and skin, including acne, redness, rashes, and itching. The use of masks also resulted in headaches, hypoxic conditions, and changes in voice and speech parameters. This communication in no way intends to advocate the discontinuation of wearing masks, on the contrary, the primary goal of this article is to spread awareness about the adverse effects associated with prolonged use of facial masks (N95, KF94, or surgical). This will help in increasing compliance with mask mandates by helping to develop preventive solutions to the problems that tend to deter the general public. This also demonstrates how the use of masks has become a challenge for facial recognition technologies.