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Some masks are used for medical purposes:

• Oxygen mask, a piece of medical equipment that assists breathing.
• Anesthetic mask.
• Burn mask, a piece of medical equipment that protects the burn tissue from contact with other surfaces, and minimises the risk of infection.
• Surgical mask, a piece of medical equipment that helps to protect both the surgeon and patient from acquiring infection from each other.
• Face shield, to protect a medical professional from bodily fluids.
• Pocket mask or CPR mask, used to safely deliver rescue breaths during a cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest.

Protective

Protective reusable filter mask worn by NYPD officer

Protective masks are pieces of kit or equipment worn on the head and face to afford protection to the wearer, and today usually have these functions:

• Providing a supply of air or filtering the outside air (respirators and dust masks).
• Protecting the face against flying objects or dangerous environments, while allowing vision.

In Roman gladiatorial tournaments masks were sometimes used. From archaeological evidence it is clear that these were not only protective but also helped make the wearer appear more intimidating. In medieval Europe and in Japan soldiers and samurai wore similarly ferocious-looking protective armour, extending to face-masks. In the 16th century, the Visard was worn by women to protect from sunburn. Today this function is attributed to thin balaclavas.

In sport the protective mask will often have a secondary function to make the wearer appear more impressive as a competitor.

Before strong transparent materials such as polycarbonate were invented, visors to protect the face had to be opaque with small eyeslits, and were a sort of mask, as often in mediaeval suits of armour, and (for example) Old Norse grímr meant "mask or visor".