Demodex Mites, what to do?

 

 

Demodex folliculorum -vs- Demodex brevis and the nasty scabies mite

Demodex brevis Demodex Mites is a type of skin mite that lives in the oil glands of the human hair follicle. It is closely related to Demodex folliculorum,. D. brevis and D. folliculorumare  are referred to as Demodex.

These are microscopic mites that can only survive on the skin of humans. Most people have some of  the D. folliculorum mites on their skin, and usually, the mites do not cause any harm. However, when an immune problem is happening to a person, such as rosacea, there are obvious irritations and problems because of the over abundance of the mites.

In order to treat the skin, and erradicate these facial skin mites, you have to know and identify your enemy.  The differences between the two demodex mites Demodex brevis and Demodex folliculorum are as follows.

D. folliculorum lives in the follicles and feeds on skin cells. Unlike D. brevis, it is mostly found on the face and around the eyelids and eyelashes.  D. brevis feeds on oil that is called sebum down in the oil gland cells.

  

Blepharitis

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids that causes a  crusting or watering, and redness. Increased numbers of Demodex mites have been seen in people with blepharitis. Ocular Rosacea, recenty a study has found there is a link between ocular rosacea and bacteria associated with Demodex mites, microscopic inhabitants of normal skin that tend to occur in much greater numbers in those with rosacea.

The combination of mites and bacteria causes blepharitis, a condition suffered by more than 20 million Americans, where the eyes become red, irritated and painful, and crusty debris builds up on the eyes.

The Demodex brevis, will burrow into the meibomian gland to feed, often plugging up this crucial gland. The gland produces an oily substance that’s necessary to keep tears from evaporating. As a result, the D. brevis mites are associated with meibomian gland disease, also known as dry eye.

In the recently published study of 59 rosacea patients, Dr. Jianjing Li and colleagues at the Ocular Surface Center in Miami found a significant correlation between facial rosacea, infestation of the eyes with Demodex mites and reaction to certain mite-related organisms previously shown to stimulate an immune response in rosacea sufferers.¹

D. folliculorum is different from other types of mites because it causes an increase in the number of skin cells in a hair follicle, which can give peoples complexion the appearance and sandpaper feel of scaly skin.

The average D. folliculorum mite measures 0.3 to 0.4 millimeters  in length, while the D. brevisis is half that size, at 0.15 to 0.2 mm

Demodex is almost always found on the face and head, and they tend to prefer the forehead, nose, and cheeks, where there is more sebum production.

Demodex folliculorum. This is the most common type of demodex mite. They tend to stay in the facial area, including your nose, cheeks, chin, eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp. They might also be found on your neck and ears. They like to get inside the upper part of a hair follicle and survive on skin cells and oil.

Demodex brevis. While D. brevis isn’t as common asD. folliculorum, they affect a larger area of your body. They can affect your face and eyes but tend to migrate to your chest and neck area. They prefer to go deep into the oil glands there and feed on the cells.

Symptoms of mite over abundance-infestation:

• red skin
• a rough texture to the skin, like sandpaper
• a burning sensation in the skin
• color changes in the skin
• scaly skin
• red skin
• sensitive or irritated skin
• itching
• rash
• eye irritation
• thickening of the eyelid
• loss of eyelashes
• stye like bumps in eye lids
• swollen lash line - pus in lash line

Treating these demodex mites takes about 2-3 weeks (they live for 14 days) and as long as 2 months.  You have to make changes, and be very diligent in order to stop these little pests. The mite reproduces by mating at night, and lays eggs in the pores OR hair follicles. The new larvae hatches and does the same.  Gross Fact: They do not have an anus. Therefore, when they die, all the bacteria-poop is released at once, causing extreme redness and pimple like breakouts.  If you notice that every 10-14 days you get this redness, or burning, breakout, then you likely have an over growth of these nasties.

You will want to consider changing your habits, and personal hygiene products such as your shampoo, face wash, cosmetics skin care. Make a change and stick with it, for several months, because the goal is to kill them and discourage them from "liking" you as their host. Remember, it is normal to have "some" mites, they don't cause a problem.  When you have too many, it is because you are unintentionally making it easy for them to thrive and multiply.

 Let's go over what they DO like:

Sebum-oil in your skin, Lashes and brows

Dead Skin Cells

Darkness - they mate at night

What they DON'T like:

Bright Sun light, or light

Extreme Cold (icing your skin for a minute can help)

Acidic Skin (lower pH of 4 or so)

Acidic products - apple cider vinegar, lemon etc

What kills them fast?  Essential oils of Tea Tree, Clove, Lemongrass - these oils have been found to kill them in 30 minutes of contact with.

 

TREATMENT PLAN FOR DEMODEX FACE HEAD MITES 

Day 1 - Day 7   Shower with  Sulfur Bar Soap . Wet skin, lather soap up and apply to face, neck, head, behind ears, chest.  Leave it on for 3-5 minutes (Shut shower off and stand naked in shower)   Rinse well.  Next use the Tea Tree Shampoo and Body Wash (1 product). Leave the Tea Tree Wash on head, ears, and face, neck and chest for several minutes. Rinse well

When you get out of shower, pat dry, and apply Sulfur Lotion on face, neck, chest, ears, behind ears. AVOID EYES, do not ingest. IF your skin gets too dry after a few days, then change from the Sulfur Cream to the Relief Cream for a day. Be sure to go back to the Sulfur Cream the next day

The best case scenario will be using both creams at different time of day.  Use the Sulfur Cream in morning after shower, and use the relief cream at night after shower.

Day 8, these mites should be dead, very dead. However, they had eggs that now may hatch, and they need to be killed as well.  The Demodex Mite Life cycle is 14 days. Egg, Larvae, youth, adult mating + laying eggs, die.

Every day, Change sheets on bed, pillowcase etc. Place sheets and pillow case in wash machine, wash on hot with detergent. Place in dryer and dry on high heat until completely dry. Leave, let stay in dryer overnight.  

While the sheets bedding are drying, vacuum your bedroom, Everywhere.  Vacuum your mattress, and your pillow.  Put clean sheets on bed and pillow case. Then vacuum any chairs, couches, seats, carpet that you use or are in contact with.

Cell Phone - Use rubbing alcohol to clean your Cell Phone, your computer, keyboards, and even the channel changer.

Your Car - Vacuum car seats , head rest, arm rest. Wipe steering wheel, etc down with rubbing alcohol or corox wipes (avoid inhaling it or getting it in eyes)  Do this 1X a week for a month

Look out for:

Your skin may get very red and breakout because you are literally slaying these mites, and making life on your face and head very undesirable for them. It is NORMAL to have this breakout high irritation. The mites do not have an anus, so when they are killed off, they explode and all the bacteria in their 14 day old bodies is all over your skin and in your pores or your hair follicles. This "poop" causes infection and flare ups. 

If your ears itch then swab a little of the tea tree toner in the ear area daily.

Day 8 to day 14

Continue the 2X a day showering and shampooing. Limit the Sulfur Soap to every other day. The Tea Tree Shampoo Wash use it every time. Follow each shower with either the Sulfur Cream or the Relief Cream. Whenever you wash your face, use the Tea Tree Toner (ear area, behind ears and scalp area too)

Continue changing sheets and pillow case daily.

Vacuum every place you sit or sleep.

Wipe off your cell phone and computer key board with rubbing alcohol daily

For those people who have gone through this and have done it diligently, success is theirs!  Stay Strong, fight like a warrior.  Please don't give up hope, this can be changed and fixed and you can be free from the intense redness and breakouts that these mites cause. Most people continue using the products a few times a week for life, to ensure that they don't have a relapse.

You have to make your skin and head a bad choice for them, and        uninhabitable or undesirable. If they can't mate, then they can't reproduce.

 

 

NEXT, let's go over the scabies mite, shall we?

 

 The human ITCH mite, called Scabies, on the other hand is rarely found on the face and almost always  in between fingers, knuckles , elbows, wrists, penis, breasts and back of knees etc.

Most people get scabies from direct, skin-to-skin contact. Less often, people pick up mites from infested items such as bedding, clothes, and furniture. The mite can survive for about 3 to 4 days without being on a human. Worldwide, there are millions of cases of scabies each year.

Usually, Scabies mites begin to itch several weeks and up to a month after you have been infested. Contrary to some stories out there, scabies mites do not produce a biting or crawling sensation usually. The mental thoughts can cause skin crawling sensations though.

Non toxic + Safe ways to annihilate these little creeps?  Have babies or toddlers and are concerned about those toxic chemicals like pyrethrin ? 

Tea Tree oil and Clove oil have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, and then there is a  bonus of analgesic qualities. Clove Oil is effective to dry the scabies rash and blisters. Read A study published in Archives of Dermatology

A study in 2010, tested the ability of clove oil to treat scabies mites that the scientists harvested from rabbits and pigs.  Results of bioassays showed that clove oil was highly toxic against scabies mites and had killed mites in an hour of contact. Clove has a  major component known as eugenol, and this has demonstrated levels of toxicity comparable to benzyl benzoate, but it is SAFE for you.

Change sheets and pillow case daily

Put pillow in dryer daily to allow heat to kill any mites. Consider buying a new pillow for everyone in the house. But, still put in dryer daily. (15 minutes)

Wash bath towels or hand towels daily

Clean your cell phone daily

Vacuum everything,  and Clean mattresses or furniture, chairs, couches, and then, treat ALL furniture, seats, chairs, comforters, with a handheld steam cleaner to kill the scabies mites.

You will love this steam cleaner because all it takes is water to effectively and naturally kill the scabies mite!  It works because the heat kills adult mites and the eggs on contact. Think about carpet, upholstery, mattresses, shoes, and even your car seats.

For hard surfaces, treat with a spray on Tea Tree mixture.  You can buy mine, or make your own.  You will need Polysorbate 20, tea tree essential oil, clove essential oil,vodka or rubbing alcohol, water.  In s sprayer bottle, Mix 1 TBSP of Polysorbate 20 with 20 drops each Tea Tree and of Clove. Add in 2 TBSP of Vodka or Rubbing Alcohol.  SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE. Fill bottle with 6 oz water, and water. Shake again. 

DO NOT SPRAY ON HUMANS OR PETS.  Spray it all over furniture (spot test first), carpets, plastic, counters, seats, car steering wheel, car seats, for your cell phone (carefully, avoid the speaker and camera, wipe the Tea Tree Spray on with a cloth, then wipe off front and back of phone).

The mite dies in about 4 days (some females as long as 7 days) with no human host, so keep that in mind.  If you absolutely cannot wash certain things like a leather coat or a huge comforter, then place in large garbage bags, seal completely shut and leave them for 7 days.

Personal Care Needed to fight the mite: 

Shower 2 X daily with sulfur soap or tea tree wash (pay attention arm pits, groin, pubic hair, butt crack, between toes + between fingers)

Wash hair 2 x daily with a tea tree shampoo

Clean all brushes combs and makeup tools daily

Contact Wearers. Throw out your case and use a new one. Replace it often.

Glasses? Clean them 2 X daily with warm soapy water or alcohol

Night: Wear sulfur cream to bed 3 nights in a row. Cover every where, from chin down to heels of feet. Be sure to get it in between toes + fingers, butt crack, and for ladies avoid the actual vagina-vulva, but get close to it. My sulfur cream does not stink, and it is light, fluffy, non greasy.

Day - after showering,  apply tea tree oil blend all over OR my tea tree cream.

ITCHING - you have to try NOT to!.  Tap the itchies, pat them, use ice cubes, or jewelweed balm, but do't scratch them open.  This causes infection and scarring later on.

Bathing -  you can bathe in very warm water with 2 cups of vinegar in it.  Some people pour a few tablespoons of turmeric in the bath as well.  The scabies cannot tolerate vinegar and it destroys the pH they like (high alkaline)  Your skin will be more of an acidic pH after a vinegar bath, and the mites don't thrive well in this environment.  The products below are all the ones I mentioned thus far.