It honestly shocks me how little so many medical professionals know about demodex mites and the horror they cause to people who deal with them multiplying past the point their immune system can manage. I feel like it says online in all these places that it’s rare to have such overgrowth and this sort of activity only affects immunocompromised individuals, but then I read all these threads of comments from those of us that are or have dealt with the issue and so many aren’t immunocompromised (not saying there’s not a connection btwn the immune system and demodex overgrowth or anything just saying I don’t believe it’s as rare as so many articles I’ve read would have me believe). I think the reality of dealing with demodex overgrowth is so isolating and such a strain on a person’s mental health, quality of life and social health, which is made worse by the many medical professionals that are ignorant to the issue and/or dismissive to the validity of our situations, chalking it up to formication caused by anxiety and/or stress with a side of seborrheic dermatitis. I think the reality is that more people probably deal with this than is talked about in any type of public way for obvious and understandable, albeit super sh*tty, reasons like shame, embarrassment and fear of not being heard as valid…. Sorry, I just feel like that rant has been pent up in me alongside the overwhelming feeling of being totally over dealing with demodex overgrowth. It’s like, overnight almost, you wake up one day and are dealing with the nightmare of a demodex population grown out of control. I mean, if most all people have them, in general, how can the inability for a person to manage their population from becoming problematic be so rare? Which leads me to the frustrating feelings around the question… why are there not more accessible (as in, inexpensive + OTC) and more widely known, effective and long term treatment options available?… Ok. I’m done. Sorry, again. But, I imagine if I can vent that anywhere, it’s gotta be here right? I hope so. The struggle is real. I use the suggested skin products and the TTO and oral ivermectin and I try to work on the stress/anxiety factor of it all with acceptance of the issue as a whole (instead of hyper fixating on the many individual symptoms of dealing with the issue) and on my sleep and my diet… and after all that I’m left exhausted and bummed and feeling like anything BUT a social outing or interacting with my community+friends. I keep at it tho ofc and have appreciated all the comments and info here by all of y’all very much and will report back if and when I find a long term solution that works for me that is different from what has been previously listed here. Sending love and support to all of y’all and sending a reminder to y’all as y’all have done for me that we are not alone in this, despite how lonely it can be and feel. < /3