[Panther34543]

> Meanwhile, the effects of perpetual masking are obvious- harmful to deaf people, harmful to the development of speech and socialization in children, asthmatics and more.

There's a ton more. I now have tons of facial scars due to continuous breakouts over the past two years due to masks (and, yes, I've spent about $2k trying all sorts of silk and other supposedly "comfortable" masks).

Another thing that hasn't been talked about is cartilage deformities in young children due to the pressure of masks on developing features. My sister is a plastic surgeon and she has talked about this quite a bit, but it hasn't gotten much media attention. The pressure caused by elastic loops around the ear is quite harmful to the correct development of the ear by permanently modifying the cartilage of the concha in growing children[0].

She also mentioned that there may be affects on the shape of the nose if a mask is worn tight enough. A "celestial" nose is a nose shape with an upturned tip, stereotypically considered a sign of attractiveness in many cultures and a common feature of celebrities. It's the most requested shape for those interested in rhinoplasties.

Forcing young children to wear tight masks is quite literally deforming them.

[0]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7302120

[flycaliguy]

My son wears a mask to kindergarten and I’ve been impressed by just how much it doesn’t seem to bother him or really matter at all. That link about deforming ears is interesting! It’s funny actually, my family tends to have stuck out “Obama ears” as well call them. Maybe this will create more “ear peers” with the potential to actually increase their hearing capabilities?