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Human demodex

Can a person have human demodex without experiencing acne, rosecea, or breakouts?

Both my husband and I experience crawly mites on our face and hair - mostly at night. We have no acne, but both our torsos erupted in itchy dermatitis, which looked like bites, but weren't. I can feel them moving on my eyelashes and eyebrows. We can't find a dermatologist who knows much about human demodex, and the one we are seeing didn't know how to test for them. Given our symptoms he thought we might have them and gave us antibiotics and cortisone injections and put us on Metrogel for our faces and scalps.  It costs $167 a tube!! and lasts a week.The torso rash went away, itching is mostly gone. We use Metrogel on our faces twice a day, and  virgin coconut oil on our bodies and scalps at night, as it's cheaper.  After 8 weeks of treatment, I can still feel the mites on my face and eyelashes at night, tho diminished. My hubby doesn't feel them much anymore.  Can you recommend a derm in San Diego who knows how to test for and treat these mites - and are there alternative treatments we haven't heard about yet? We are both in our early 60s, otherwise healthy and fit. This is perplexing!
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Avatar universal
So I put the TTO in some Kukui nut oil, then rubbed it into my arms and waited maybe 3 minstrel then took a tissue and rubbed it down my arms. ..WOW,
So many little mites were on the tissue. ..For the first time in so long, I feel like I'm in control again.  These mites had taken over my life, and I couldn't get anyone to believe me.
I had started looking into bird mites, which is still a possibility, but whatever mite it is, it doesn't like TTO.
I'very put just a little in some eyeshadow, and am watching a few different things come crawling out....little tiny opaque mites, some black dots and lines, and finally little whitish  blobs.
I am so relieved, you just can't imagine how horrible and stressful it can be, unless you've been there.
Thank you so much,  you've given me my life back, and I will be forever grateful. Sincerely, Ella
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Avatar universal
Thank heavens... my bf thinks I'm nuts, the doc can't find anything.
Your story sounds exactly like mine,ie,doc took one look and said "heat rash ". Now 2yrs later,with it spread to most of the hairs on my body, and all my make up, which I've trashed costing me hundreds of dollars.
I'm relieved to find another that has similar experiences , and some solutions. Thank you so much for posting this. Especially with so many saying that it's all in your head.... I really hate that.
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Avatar universal
I mentioned an itchy rash under breasts and the minor fold in skin on my mum-tum when at clinic for regular check-up.  The doc glanced at it, called it a heat rash and gave me some ointment.  It helped the symptoms for about 24 hours.  Afterward, the itching was almost unbearable and spreading.  5 different doctors later and almost 3 months later, I was convinced I had scabies but scrapes and punch biopsies said that wasn't the case.  Depression and severe anxiety were beginning to take hold and I was so miserable with the inability to sleep, the constant intense itching and my skin was being shredded.  After insisting on a prescription for Promethrin, the symptoms immediately calmed down.  The problem was no matter how much I used, I still had itchies and misery although less of it.  Finally, I read online that demodex can imitate scabies and the symptoms were exactly what I was experiencing.  The treatment was cheap and easy and best of all, effective.  I added pharmaseutical grade Tea Tree oil to all my lotions, shampoo, conditioner and any make-up to begin with.  I mixed up a solution of 1 part TTO to 1 part sweet almond oil (macadamia is recommended but more expensive) and smeared it everywhere, heat to toe, paying extra close attention to my face, eyelashes and brows and sat in an empty tub for 15 minutes.  I felt 100% better.  I repeated every day for 15 days straight as well as getting up in the middle of the night when they are active to do it every 3 or 4 nights or so, whenever I felt the crawlies.  Since then, I've been doing this every 3 or 4 days and feel normal again minus a bit of paranoia.  
I also mixed up Dandruff shampoo (Head & Shoulders)with some TTO and Dawn dish soap.  That is my new shampoo.  Obviously I'm prone to these stupid mites becoming a problem and doctors either see them as normal and incapable of being a problem or they are clueless about them in first place.  Another forum said, "relax and go to the beach."  The sand & salty water act as a natural exfoliant and remove them from the surface of the skin.  If you're there long enough and in the water daily, the idea is that once on the surface, the sand & salt will remove the little buggers and you won't be reinfected.  I was at the beach a week following my first few TTO treatments and I must say, it was wonderful.  I didn't feel the crawlies and since returning home, haven't had nearly the same level of paranoia at every little twinge.  I'm sleeping well, my skin has healed minus some scarring.  I still keep TTO in my lotions and potions and I still use my special shampoo and TTO conditioner but overall, I've stopped worrying about it.   OH, and Balmex baby diaper rash cream will kill them too.  I mixed it with Nivea Lotion and added a TTO.  If you dislike the strong scent of TTO, add Lemon, orange, lime or Peppermint oil for a better scent.  The mites dislike those scents, btw, especially Orange and Peppermint.  Best of luck to you and I hope the itchies go away soon.  
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Avatar universal
I found my first helpful information here: http://www.delusionalinsects.com/index.html
David was the first person I was able to communicate with in near-real-time who knew anything about Demodex, and for that I will always be in debt to him.
Of course it shouldn't be like that. Doctors should wake up and think outside the textbooks -- and pay attention to research that wasn't done in the U.S. or  western Europe.
The initial question here was whether Demodex always produces acne or rosacea. They didn't for me, not until I forced them off my forehead (by applying medication only there) and they went into a check and I got rosacea there, but it looks only mild. My immune system just doesn't try to fight them.
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12331961 tn?1424711881
Its expensive , but it works .  Try the website : Demodex Solutions,  very educational and I use one face cream and buy as many eyelash ointments as I can afford, then use them all over where mites are, it costs less and lasts longer, still effective.

Hope it helps
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Avatar universal
VICKS VAPOR RUB killed the demodex mites on my back.  My spouse rubbed the Vicks on my back, at night, every other night for three nights.  I wore loose fitting pajamas.  The demodex died and I have no more little, itchy blisters on my back.  The mites are just returning now after about two months.  I will use the Vicks tonight.

I have them in my scalp.  They respond to no treatment.  I would like to try the Vicks on my scalp, but I am afraid of it getting in my eyes.  You know how Vicks "oozes".

Hoping you found answers.  I just saw your post.  Best of luck.  A sales person at our vitamin store, has her degree in Natural Medicine.  She says Biotin (5mg daily) will re-grow hair.  Worth a try!
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Avatar universal
I am at my end trying to find a doctor who knows or understands demodex folliculitis.  No help at all.  Hair on fron has gotten bald.  Not thin....bald.  I have mites around my eyes not just lashes.  My skin as well but my hejad.....they are rapidly moving past the front/top and are going to hair in bac.
I need someone PLEASE to direct me to someone where I may go.  I am quite desperate and getting sick and fighting depression.
Help me someone please.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Hypochlorous Acid  or HOCL is a very mild water-like liquid.  Take a small cup of it and mix with 20 drops of tea tree oil. I put it in a spray bottle to spray all over my body and scalp.  I buy 5 lires and store in a dark place.  I then rub  and lather Tetmosol soap over the HOCL to dry on my skin.   I use Vicks Vaporub for raised areas. It seems to be working well. I am very light skinned and 70 yrs old.  I repeat this 3 times a day.
563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like human demodex only. They are present in elderly individuals and are primarily found in the face, near the nose, the eyelashes and eyebrows, but also occur elsewhere on the body. For human demodex, cleanse the face twice daily with a non-soap cleanser, avoid oil-based cleansers and greasy makeup and exfoliate periodically to remove dead skin cells. If the symptoms are severe then topical permethrin can be prescribed.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.


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