Which are the different types of facemasks and what are the differences? Alongside so-called surgical masks, there are also FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3 masks, with and without valves. What are the differences between these three types of protective facemasks? Surgical masks are medical devices that are used to protect ourselves and others. In fact, they block the propagation of droplets emitted orally when coughing and sneezing, or simply speaking. Nevertheless, they do not guarantee the blocking of the virus dispersed in aerosols as they are not leak-proof on the user’s face and do not have a filtering function during inhalation.
