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Anyone else dealing with Demodex Mites? What helps?
Four years ago, with no history of any skin issues, I developed overnight red, pustules and papules on my eyebrows. Over the four years, I’ve gone to three dermatology groups known to be selected by other healthcare professionals, and have seen a total of seven practitioners. They have said it’s rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, or actinic keratosis. I’ve been prescribed expensive new topicals, two different antibiotic courses, etc. Each visit I hear, “Well, you can try this.”
I’m an RN, and I know my body. I keep telling each dermatologist that I believe it could be an infestation or overpopulation of demodex; demodex reproduce at night on your skin (they live in hair follicles) and most evenings my eyebrows begin to itch about the time it’s getting dark. With needle-tipped tweezers, I can pull white cyndrically-shaped mucous-type material attached to a hair follicle. None of the practitioners have followed guidance from an article on the NIH website for ensuring there is a skin scraping or other method to obtain a demodex count. None has acknowledged the damaging effects on self image that abound in the literature for rosacea, with which demodex is associated. This post is in no way to disparage dermatologists in general, but I clearly don’t fit the mold of the repetitive frequently seen five minute visits to which they may be accustomed. Has anyone experienced an overpopulation of demodex? How was it diagnosed and treated? Thank you.
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I've seen the Avenova products but there are a few; which one do you use for eye lids. I didn't see a brush for eye lashes. Would like to get that as well. Is this on Amazon? I'm hoping when the mites are under control I can reduce all the washing of sheets and pillow cases . It's time consuming for sure.
I was wrong! the brush isn't from Avenova but from We Love Eyes. I got it on Amazon for $24, plus I use their eyelid foaming cleanser and their eye makeup remover. But I'm really just using their foaming cleanser and the brush.
The Avenova products are the face and eyelid/lasher cleanser and their shampoo and conditioner. Sorry!!! I'll see if I can change it. Thank you for writing!!
I can't correct the comment, but the brush is from We Love Eyes (not Avenova), as is the foam cleanser.
Great, I found the We Love Eyes brush. Will get that.
Is the Aveno eyelid /lash cleanser the one with pure hypochlorous acid spray in a brown bottle? That's all I find for that brand. Not tea tree oil?
I purchased some from Amazon and others directly from We Love Eyes. I probably have too many, but I alternate what I'm using.
I've attached a photo of my arsenal and crossed off the one brush that I'm not using. Not quite sure what it does and it doesn't feel good. the bug brush I've only used once for removing eye makeup because I've stopped wearing any for a while. I realized that I never opened the brown bottle and will do that today and use it. I bought 24 of the pink face cloths from Amazon and am very conscious of how I use them. I don't want one to pick up a Demodex and place it on the other side of my face, so I use several cloths with each washing. The little round cotton pads behind the bottles are what I use to dry my eyes but never use the same pad on both eyes. I buy them by the 100's from Amazon and don't even use the back because it may transfer onto my fingers. I probably go through 30+ in a day (morning and night).
Unfortunately all of that is what we have to do to get rid of these things - at least for now. I'm hoping there will be major advancements through AI. My dermatologist is conflicted about the DX. We saw him last week for my husband and I asked him about DX and he said he's studied them, they're part of the human biome, are a natural part of us and we need them, but they also harm us when out of control. Uggh! But at least he's fully aware of them and surprised us by sitting down and taking time to talk about them for a while, even though I wasn't his patient that day.
I found the attached in a study about the survival rates of Demodex Folliculorum, and 100% TTO killed them in 3.7 minutes; 100% alcohol in 3.9 minutes; 100% caraway oil (CWO) in 4.4.
I use the alcohol on my makeup brushes, and used to spray my powders but stopped when I learned they die quickly because it dries them out.
My face and neck are quite dry now, and I'm not sure how to handle it since the new moisturizers I bought don't have oil in them and aren't as effective as my old ones with oil. I'm using serums (CeraVe Vitamin C with hyaluronic acid; and Filorga Hydra-Hyaal Intensive Hydrating and Plumping Face Serum (pricey) (all Amazon). One thing that really, really dried my face out was the Ovante demodex mask. I used it once last week and my neck hasn't recovered yet. I'm 74 and would only use it again if I were years younger or if nothing I'm doing now won't control the DX
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Thank you so much for all the info. Amazingly thorough. I assume you are retired now; what kind of work did you do ? I read yesterday, just from google search, not an "informed" site from university medical or NIH, that 100% alcohol is too strong to put on skin that 70% was best too use.
Re your doctor's position, the Demodex eat dead skin cells which is a benefit, still it's gross to think about. My impression is that we can't eliminate all of them; I hate to think for the rest of my life I have to be doing all this cleansing and inspecting, etc. to keep them under control. Also read - somewhere all the way , I think the NIH site- age , dna, blood sugar levels are some factors contributing to overgrowth conditions, that overgrowth does not occur with everyone. I've been troubled with blepharitis for years but all these skin problems began only the past year or so .
Hi, 70% alcohol won't kill them, just 100%, which I can't find - just 99%. I don't put the 99% alcohol on my skin, or at least not for long. I mostly spray it intensely on my combs, brushes and makeup if I don't have time to soak them. I had blepharitis and then had breast cancer in 2021, which lowered my immune system. I had switched ophthalmologic practices and the new one didn't mention the blepharitis so I was mistakenly thrilled that the chemo had killed them. But when I went back to my dry-eye specialist she said that the chemo is probably what caused them to go into overdrive. Needless to say, I'll go to both practices!
I'm keenly aware of how difficult it is to kill them after spending months getting rid of mealy bugs in our atrium. People use neem oil, but it's the alcohol that kills them. They are tiny, but unlike Demodex they're not microscopic and you can actually see the tiny white bugs... and watch as they die in the alcohol (it's instantaneous). After a lot of research I realized that they had made their way into the house via me or my husband! If you just brush up against a leaf that has them, they can stay on your clothes and travel with you, get onto a chair and live for a week or so until someone sits there and then brushes up against another plant where they can live happily. They can live for 2 weeks without any nourishment, unlike the Demodex, which can only live 2-3 days without food. So after going on several killing sprees, they are finally gone and now I've got Demodex to contend with. So that's why I'm aware of transferring them from my face to a towel or cotton pad and keep changing everything and washing my hands - especially before putting on clean pillow cases!
I'm retired from a non profit I headed for 26 years that's part of a 'citizen diplomacy' network across the U.S. that works with the U.S. Department of State. Our role is to make friends around the world and by having rising leaders from around the world visit our communities as guests of State to see what the real U.S. is like and form their own opinions. We arranged counterpart meetings and dinners in homes of Americans. (Our guests were members of parliament, presidential advisors, attorneys general, etc.) I also ran Philadelphia's Sister Cities Program. I miss it but retired in 2016 because I was losing my hearing and couldn't hear in meetings. I had already lost it in one ear in 1974. But all this doesn't belong in the Demodex discussion group! Sorry!!
You had a fascinating career and I can see why you miss it. I retired in 2008, am 10 years older than you. I was happy at first, but now , especially after Covid and being in isolation phase for so long, getting older every day.... not so much. Health issues keep popping up and now with this darn mite problem , I spend most of my time making one doctor appointment after another or checking drug side effects on rx.list. org . I hesitated using the metronidazole but I think you used it successfully. One dermatologist said it had to be used twice a day and would take 8 to 10 weeks to kill them .
Hi, I've never used metronidazole. Do you have dry-eye? Where is your demodex problem?