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Whats really bugging you?
While researching possible causes and treatments for rosacea and similar skin disorders we encountered an interesting fact and thought it was worth sharing with our readers. I am sure some of you are familiar with Demodex so this information is for those readers who are not aware of this close companion.
A number of people, most adults, are host to ectoparasites, mites called Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis; although we could find no definitive answer they are thought to have a role in the pathogenesis of dermatologic diseases by some researchers. Interestingly they are almost never found on children. Some say it's because young children have not started producing sebum which is food for the Demodex.
There are thousands and on some people millions of these little organisms hanging out on faces, in hair follicles and sebaceous glands eating dead skin and oily secretions. One researcher wrote that women seem to have more of these little visitors than men. I find that fascinating since men have more facial hair. Well after reading this my head immediately starting itching, my skin began to crawl; I started scratching and have been bugged out" about this for the past few months. I understand there is some psychosomatic illness that usually affects women regarding bugs; well I don't have it, I just don't like bugs. I must tell you the Demodex are not alone, one researcher wrote that we have many microorganisms living in and on our skin. I have read quite a bit about these little mites and saw a few pictures
wow is it ugly, it makes me wonder what our other little visitors look like.
The Demodex is nocturnal so when the lights go out they come out to play and eat. During the day they are buried beneath the surface of the skin or turned upside down in a hair follicle. They like to share so there is usually several to a follicle. The bad part; you cant see them without a microscope and most disturbing of all you can not wash them off.
The Demodex has a two week or more life cycle where they are born, grow-up, breed, and die in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands of our faces all without us knowing anything about it unless something happens to cause a disturbance in the skins balance. This could result in a Demodex population explosion or worse, possible infections, swelling of eye lashes, existing inflammatory skin conditions could become severe and new ones appear.
Researchers are not sure if the Demodex cause skin disorders to flare out of control or if the skin condition causes the Demodex to over populate which increases inflammation and other severe symptoms. One researcher found Demodex on some patient's were infected with bacteria and the patients skin conditions did not respond to topical treatment. However they were uncertain how the Demodex became infected.
Demodex like hair follicles, sebaceous glands and ducts and hang out in certain places on our face; the nose, nasolabial folds (the deep fold that runs from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth), periorbital areas (skin around the eyes including the eye lashes), temporal regions and to a lesser degree on the upper and medial region of the chest and back. We read they are transferred from host to host by contact.
Large populations of Demodex on their human host are thought to be linked to many inflammatory skin conditions including acne and rosacea and there is also a theory that they may cause hair loss in some individuals; are your eye lashes falling out? Under normal conditions they are not a problem and produce an antigen that the body then produces antibodies against which keep them in check and act as an immuno stimulant for the body. Perhaps this is why some individuals with compromised immune systems have problems with Demodex and may develop a skin condition that looks like acne rosacea called demodicidosis.
While demodicidosis looks similar to acne rosacea there are distinguishing differences. Doctors say in demodicidosis the eyelids are usually involved and it appears suddenly, progresses rapidly and the lesions are asymmetric. Also there is usually no history of flushing, persistent erythema or photosensitivity.
If you have persistent acne or rosacea and it is not responding to treatment have your dermatologist check for the presence of demodex. We read that a lot of physicians forget to check for their presence which is important and often overlooked.
I hope at the very least this information motivates those that would leave makeup on all night, keep greasy hair in their face all day and then not clean their skin before bed to clean-up their act. I am sure the Demodex have a wild party on those nights. If you use a cream type or oil based facial cleanser you should switch often and use a gel type cleanser to ensure you are cleansing well because after all Demodex like oils. Since they also feed on dead skin cells this is another reason to use an exfoliant periodically. Its my own opinion you should also change your sheets and pillow cases on a regular basis, I understand there are millions of dust mites in our homes that like to munch on us too.
So remember the next time you feel that something is crawling on your skin
it probably is.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. |
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