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Peter R Worsley,George Prudden,George Gower,Dan L Bader Southampton General Hospital, Clinical Academic Facility, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Abstract: Non-invasive ventilation is commonly used for respiratory support. However, in some cases, mask application can cause pressure ulcers to specific features of the face, resulting in pain and reduced quality of life for the individual. This study investigated the effects of mask strap tension on the biomechanical and biomarker responses at the skin interface. Healthy participants (n=13) were recruited and assigned two different masks in a random order, which were fitted with three strap conditions representing increments of 5mm to increase tension. Masks were worn for 10minutes at each tension followed by a 10-minute refractory period. Assessment at the device–skin interface included measurements of pressures at the nose and cheeks, temperature and humidity, a selection of inflammatory cytokine concentrations collected from sebum and scores of comfort. The results indicated significantly higher interface pressures at the bridge of the nose compared to the cheeks for both masks (p