A CPAP mask system including a cushion adapted to seal with a face of a patient is disclosed.The mask system provides respiratory therapy to the airways of a patient. The mask system includes: a frame, wherein the frame has a main body and a forehead support extending from a top end of the main body, the forehead support including at least one upper headgear connector, and wherein the main body includes a lower headgear connector. The mask also includes a cushion configured to interface with the frame, wherein the cushion includes a non face-contacting side and a face-contacting side having a membrane. The face-contacting side has a nasal bridge region configured to form a seal with a nasal bridge region of the patient’s face. The face-contacting side has a lip region and the cushion has a side-of-nose region configured to form a seal with a side-of-nose region of the patient’s face. The cushion includes a thin section in the nasal bridge region between the face-contacting side and non-face contacting side, and a flexible backup band positioned to provide support to the face contacting side at the nasal bridge region of the cushion and configured to extend down from the nasal-bridge-region to at least a portion of the side-of-nose region of the cushion. The cushion is substantially unsupported in the lip region.
