Anyone else dealing with Demodex Mites? What helps?

We are both free from that same infestation of Demodex. Used coconut oil with oregano oil.
Be careful as the oregano oil can burn yr skin. The coconut oil is the carrier & dilutes the oregano oil. We were desperate & resolved. Start with 1 or two drops of oregano oil to the C/oil.
Builds up to a heat. I did this before bed & lay down. I could feel the burning but hung in there as want them dead & gone. If it builds too hot then wipe off with tissue and put on coconut oil. Test & build up to burn them out. The ONLY thing that worked.

Ungex works well but is expensive. Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo has helped tremendously. Wash lashes and lids 3 times daily

Yes

I have immunodeficiency from post septic shock that was nearly fatal. They advised that only about 6-7% of patients even survive sepsis of that severity and 40-50% of those who survive die within 2-3 years from treatment related complications. So while you are coming to terms with how short 2-3 years is, no one mentioned that because of my compromised immune system it's common to experience demodex mite overgrowth similar to the plague of locusts mentioned in the Bible. That would have been a handy bit of information to have. I was overwhelmed with them in my hair, face and eyes and nasal passages. They are not microscopic. I blew my nose and out came something you similarly see when you have a sinus infection only it was traveling on the tissue. I have used tea tree oil diluted with antibiotic ointment and they come to the surface as white/pale yellow and worm like as they die. From the scalp they retreat and die down and attach to the skin (ears, neck and clothing) as small dense white balls. The tea tree oil was effective but not enough for the vast amount. I remembered that I had a mild Retinol serum and Googled that for safety purposes and applied it but didn't get any miraculous results so I applied it again and this time I used saline solution as it's another one of their kryptonites and dabbed it repeatedly over the dried Retinol serum and they did their dance of death to the surface in masses. By changing their preferred host environment with the Retinol along with the kryptonite hydration application, I watched as they erupted from everywhere. But there are still some that just aren't dying. Will prescriptions for Ivermectin and Doxycycline to fight from the inside as well be suggested? I am not financially set to make a doctor's office visit but I may be able to do a Teledoc appointment. Please share your thoughts and ideas.

Aloha. I have been dealing with a Demodex Infestation for about 3 and a half years now. I believe it became an Infestation after I had the Shingles on my forehead and scalp. My Shingles pain wasn't pain....I know, it sounds nuts but I had none of the excruciating pain that's associated with it, what I did have was a Maniacal Intense Itch! If I didn't see it with my own eyes fall out of my hair and onto my sheet, I wouldn't have believed it. Two fell out, I caught one and the other got away. How, I was freaking out and making my boyfriend run around getting my phone and a container, better light. I Google Lens it. Called my Doctor and told him what I had and that started the Ivermectin Pills with Steroid Topical Lotion. I, also tried everything I think...never had a skin graph, or eye swab from my Doctor, my Optometrist or the leading Dermatologist/Plastic Surgeon. Everytime I feel like I'm getting a hold on it....I'm not! Maybe cause my Shingles was on my head, I immediately thought holy shit this is the culprit for Rosaceae, and probably all of our "hereditary skin diseases" , not to mention Ocular diseases as well as failed Plastic Surgery Procedures. Big Dollar Industry these little bitches and no one is saying much about it besides us. Wear gloves, try not to scratch, been bald or practically bald for 2 years and I try my best not to use makeup! I miss my hair and yet I want to laser remove every hair from my body! Some days I don't think I can handle it....I want to literally dig them out that's how bad the itch is! Hundreds of them coming out from inside your skin at the same time...it's indescribable. Everyday is a battle. It takes up a lot of my time and it's not considered a disability. Well that's because they want you to believe that it's all in your mind!!

I have suffered with acne and rosacea since I was 12, I am in my early 50’s..still under the care of dermatologists…oral antibiotics variety of prescription creams and lotions faithfully applied twice a day..with minimum improvement.
At each dermatologist visit, she asks me if I was satisfied?
I said every day red marks and pimples appear, it’s somewhat contained but never is my face ever clear.
I was told I had sebaceous hyperplasia, nodular acne, and rosacea.. doctors eventried hormonal treatments and that did not work, and honestly this is a genetic issue..and best I can hope for is to keep it at bay…medical advice from my doctor
I left and bought good makeup, I can camouflage it, but still determined to figure it out.
Enlightenment Chapter
A Tik Tok dermatologist talking about Demodex mite’s infestation chronically misdiagnosed as acne.
My dermatologist unimpressed, shrugged her shoulders and prescribed me a sulphur wash to use.
I did one better bought 10%sulphur mite cream…and I coated my face multiple times a day, my face is dramatically clearing.
My doctors unimpressed. I am a nurse I do not get this reaction, except pharmaceutical companies must have ruined medical care…if they can’t make money they really don’t care.
But my face clearing with the sulphur cream, thank you for ur post I felt the same way!

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

You have expressed so well exactly how I feel ! I totally agree with you about the ignorance of doctors. Or they don't want to deal with this problem and hope you just go away.
I wish I could do something about my stress . If stress and excess cortisol contribute to overgrowth then I am certainly recreating the problem daily, minute by minute. I don't get adequate sleep which isn't good I know. For months I wake up in the a.m. at 3:00, 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. and never get back to sleep. I am constantly tired and losing weight, that can't be helping this either. I spend hours every week doing extra laundry and cleaning . I wish I could see some end to all this. But so far, I just don't.

I 100% feel you. It’s so f*d actually. And a constant and isolating effort. I struggle heaps with insomnia, since I was a kid actually, so I understand what you mean. It’s frustrating and I feel like by now I’ve binge watched just about everything and anything trying to turn my brain off from it all. I’m neurodivergent so my insomnia has been almost inescapable unless I use medication, which is helpful but comes with its own side effects, especially if used habitually. I tried melatonin and found it didn’t really help. Some things that are maybe weird but hey desperation is real over here, I use tape on my skin occasionally and I also go through lint rollers quick bc I use em on my pillowcases and sheets on days that I don’t wash just in case any of those little jerks are there. I totally miss the days of using a towel more than one time or not feeling like I need to change my sheets every other day (I finally got myself to not do it daily by trying to calm my nerves about it all). It really takes over your days. Especially when you already have a phobia of bugs! Ha. It’s actually not funny. I’m neurodivergent and it’s easy for me to get hyper fixated on things hence this is such a tenfold struggle. The inside of my hands are affected and it makes me feel afraid to pat my dog who is literally my whole life. She is 10 now and tho they can’t live out their lifecycle on a dog, they can still get on them and irritate their skin which has happened to her and so I feel so guilty for it and also for not patting her as much as I used to. Especially because she is a very cuddly baby. We have been to the vet and she takes her monthly meds for parasites etc and I have to bathe her weekly with anti parasite shampoo, plus I have her on heaps of immunity supplements etc (as am I actually) but even still, she’s gotten a skin spot about every 6 months or so. I have this spray for the spots and they don’t seem to really bother her but it’s a slippery slope to infection and the like… all in all, despite all the vets and all the doctors, there’s just nothing more I can do about all this. It swallows your life and then your just like constantly fighting to get out of its very costly (in more ways than one) clenches. Day in and day out.

(I should probably mention tho that my doggo is pink skinned with short white hair so she’s got extra sensitive skin, and her vet gives me the instructions of what to do bc she is who confirmed that what I thought was happening was actually what was happening… I don’t imagine most dogs have the same susceptibility, she just has some stuff that unfortunately makes her more susceptible). And, something I do suggest also is having your bloods done and checking for any vitamin deficiency and taking supplements. Shampoo and body soaps with sulfur/selenium sulfide/tea tree. Body lotion with salicylic acid/urea. Exfoliation and non greasy lotions so that way you’re ridding yourself of dead skin as best as possible. And, though it may seem weird, a strip of tape does help. And, the lint rollers help ease my mind so maybe they can offer the same assistance to others. My hands clear up pretty fast with daily application of lotion that I drop a couple drops of 100% tea tree oil over the blob of lotion and mix it together over my hands as I rub it in… they cause me eczema like spots that aren’t so itchy, but can be a bit irritated at times, mostly they’re just unsightly and affect my self confidence, as does the whole demodex issue, in general. I know that some people are sensitive to TTO if it’s not better diluted but if that’s not you then I do recommend it. For me, the places that are most bothersome (bc of the demodex) are those that I can feel the issue which is like places from the chin/neck up, the inside of my hands and the soles of my feet. And, I do feel like the higher my anxiety, the more aware of the sensation I am… that’s not to say anxiety/stress is the cause of it, but it definitely does make it worse. And, I also have noticed this because when I’ve taken anti-anxiety meds to help me sleep and/or calm, the sensation is significantly less.