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Anyone else dealing with Demodex Mites? What helps?
Skin Health | Last Active: Sep 17 9:54pm | Replies (181)Comment receiving replies
We have been dealing with an overgrowth of Demodex mites for over a year and a half now. It is not me that is plaqued with it, but a family member, mid 30's, picked it up while travelling in the southern states. I have been doing the research because it is a Full Time Job for him to keep these mites from getting worse. He is off work now because it is all consuming. He has these mites on his head--this was the first place they showed up and they have now moved to his face. His head is a little better so they moved to the face. It is pretty bad. He has sores and wounds on his scalp. But the work he is doing is making it a little better. But we have noticed that approximately every three weeks he gets a new wave of mites that support the existing ones. He has seen three dermatologists and they all say that there is no such thing as an overgrowth of demodex. It is demoralizing. He is not making this up. He has the classic cylindrical dandruff on his scalp, which is clear evidence demodex is causing this issue. The doctors have not even looked at his scalp with a dermascope. The mites are too small to see but the evidence is clear. They did prescribe Ivermection both oral and cream last fall but it barely worked. He has been keeping it under control with several different treatments including:
Tea Tree Oil mixed with Macadamia Nut Oil
Far Infrared Sauna, two 25-minutes sessions per day,
Red Light Therapy (full bed) 20 minutes per day.
Diatomaceous Earth mixed with Tea Tree Oil on his head and wrapped overnight.
HydraFacials with Salicylic Acid, once per week
Salicylic Acid and Sulphur soap wash.
Bentonite clay mask mixed with Essential Oils.
Salt Bath soaks.
ACV (50/50) with water spray
Is there something that he is missing? These things are relentless and indestructible.
I look forward to reading more about this and, since I'm not a chemist, hopefully someone can tell me what the best ratio is of essential oils, such as tea tree, to a carrier oil.
Thanks folks.
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Sherillyn, @lynnecutler & @cmcg This is a very frustrating condition as all of you well know. The medical literature does not recommend a single treatment as there are a variety of mites, and as they colonize they often create secondary infections. Here is a comprehensive article that deals with the variety of conditions. Perhaps most valuable are the discussion of the treatments (including essential oils) and the links back to specific studies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9961532/
@sherillyn I would like to say that there is such a thing as overtreatment, and this might be such a case. Many of the treatments he is using are alone very harsh, and combining them may leave his skin so fragile as to be a host for further invasion and secondary conditions -
for example the nightly tea tree oil + bentonite are VERY drying, add that to washing with Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Soap and infrared treatment seems a recipe for disaster..
We do not prescribe on Mayo Connect, so I will not give you "recipes" or ratios for essential oils, but I can tell you I rely on a couple of books when trying to figure out a natural remedy, then I test and adjust.
Many good shops/distributors carry guides and books, and you can find them on-line
Two of my favorites are: Essential Oils Pocket Reference (8th Ed) by Life Science and The Healing Power of Essential Oils by Eric Zielinski
One note - If you decide to purchase essential oils, pay attention to both potency and freshness. It is best to buy them from a company that manufactures and stands behind them, and from a source where they sell quickly. Then store in a cool, dark place to preserve potency and always dilute before using.
Be sure to test each (diluted) single oil or combination on a sensitive patch of unaffected skin for at least 24 hours before applying. Two good places to try are on the inner forearm and the back of the knee. This would apply to ANY home remedy you use - you don't want sensitivity or allergy to the treatment to make thing worse!
Have you considered finding a functional medicine doctor or wholistic practitioner near you who can help?