I've learned that if I leave this site to research something I lose everything I've just written.
: > (

CMCG, You are inspiring and hopefully I'll be in better shape soon and won't have to do two XDEMVY. So expensive! But I hear they're trying to get it to $100 in 2025 (I paid $997!) and they may have it covered by Medicare (I'm 74).

The 2% salicylic acid is an exfoliator that you leave on overnight that removes the sebum 'stuff' on your skin that the DX thrive on. It's really amazing and I just learned about it last week. If you don't exfoliate, go easy in the beginning. I've used an exfoliator for years but not one that got rid of sebum. After researching it I bought it from Sephora, which carries Paula's Choice products (something else new I've learned about in the past two weeks).

For alcohol killing the DX, I read in an NIH report: "In vitro killing effect...
We first surveyed the effect of a number of agents listed in table 1 1 on D folliculorum, and noted that 50% baby shampoo, 100% mineral oil, 75% alcohol, 10% povidone-iodine, or 4% pilocarpine could not kill Demodex in 150 minutes. In contrast, 100% alcohol killed them in 3.9 (SD 1.2) minutes." (I had noted this and another study earlier today but it was lost and fortunately this was still on my clipboard. I'd give you the URL but I fear I'll lose everything I've written again.)

Despite what I pasted in above, the tea tree oil (TTO) seems to be the best and killed the DX at just 3.7 minutes and it's more tolerable than 100% alcohol (which I can't find - just 99%). Two days ago I put 100% TTO throughout my scalp and neck and waited ten minutes before washing my hair. I don't know if it did any good, but I feel that anything I do is better than nothing, especially after getting lots of facial creams that only made the problem worse. I've been using AI to find out which products have oils or shea butter in them so I can avoid them or throw them out. It saves a lot of time! I name multiple products specifically, saying I have a Dermodex problem, and it gives me the ingredients and warns me off the ones with oil.

I wash my sheets every 5 days but change the pillow cases every morning and wash them in hot water with a 'sanitary' dry. It's time consuming but worth it.

I bought my 100% tea tree oil on Amazon and it's important for alju to read the reviews. To avoid irrelevant ones I click on the number of reviews on the product page and then scroll up to where there's a box to fill in what I'm searching for. If you put in 'Demodex' it'll take you to the people who mentioned it in their review. Hundreds!! Or use other key words since there are too many people who don't know about DX but have dry eye, mites, rosacea, etc.

I'm stunned by the YouTube videos that have dermatologists touting cures for rosacea that don't even mention DX, but am happy I found doctors who really do discuss it.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm like the others who have been dismissed by doctors who aren't properly educated (one thought I was crazy), and am eager to share what I've learned.

I'm in Philadelphia and fortunately one of the country's leading doctors on dry eye is here - Dr. Massaro. She's great and is part of Scheie Eye Institute which is part of HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania). She's the first one who told me about those damned mites! I think others know but don't want to alarm their patients. That's not good.

I'm happy to have found this support group. Good luck with your progress!