Here’s a bit of science information from the Beauty Brains that you might find interesting on a Saturday afternoon. There are tiny little animals called demodex mites that live on your face and eyelashes. These mites are
not pretty to look at but they do the excellent service of keeping the bits of dead skin cells off your lashes and face. People have thought that these creatures are responsible for causing acne but that’s a myth. Demodex mites do not cause acne or any other hair or skin conditions. If you get enough of them they can cause itching. However, this is a rare event indeed. So the next time you’re coating your lovely lashes, think about all the microscopic mites that help keep your body clean.
Mascara isnt the only thing on your lashes
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Okay, I am officially creeped out. Please tell me that not everyone has these disgusting little creatures lurking in their lashes… PLEASE!
How horrific! But at least they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. Mother Nature is mysterious (and sometimes, really ugly!)!
I am so grossed out right now. Thanks for the information but please don’t show us those nasty pictures again. I want to scrape my face and eyelashes off right now!
Yes we all have them and they’re beneficial so don’t scrape them off! These types of things make you rethink the whole “natural” idea eh?
im so disgusted…..i feel the same as every comment on here……….eww gross
Shouldn’t we all just learn to love our bodies and the little critters we play host to? Just a thought. Incidentally, before I was a cosmetic scientist, I was a biologist.
i actually think this quite interesting…so did you get grossed out when you learned something new while studying biology?
Oh…. I’m so grateful for those critters with cleaning my face and all .. really, I am .. But I am not officially grossed out.
Eew.. I need to go wash my face. Oh no, will it kill them? ;-; I hate killing anything.
*goes and Wiki’s said critter*
can they come off, or do we lose them?
They can come off and do when you wash your face or even lay your head down on a pillow. You don’t even want to think about the things living on your bed.
I have read about demodex mites and it is possible to get an over populaton on lashes and brows causing thickening of skin around hair follicles and destruction of the root. This can lead to hair loss and uncomfortable itching. Do you have any treatment suggestions?
Thank you.
As long as this critures are good for our bodies (of course in the right amount), this is good.
Like for example some of us like to eat yougurts, they also have living yeast bacteria that is in it, which also good for us in the right amount.
I’m cool with these creatures not harming us, but that’s a gross picture! Please, no more pictures like that, even if it’s from something helpful!!
I’m one of the unfortunate ones who’s terribly affected by these critters. It started a year ago when out of the blue I had the strangest, stinging itch on the right side of my head in the scalp. When I went to scratch it my finger lifted a very strange looking scab which in turn left a small hole, or depression, in my scalp. The area itched terribly in a pinhead fashion. I of course scratched as hard as my nail would permit without breaking my digit. When I pulled my hand away hair was twisted about my fingers. Shocked I stroked my hair where my hand had been entwined and large amounts of hair just came away with each stroke from that precise spot.
That was the beginning of what has become a year long nightmare with doctors, emergency room visits (my eyes were affected to the point of diminished vision due to constant attack scratching, at least that’s what I call it) and no answers. Once I saw the doctors were helpless to help or do anything more than prescribe medicines that only exacerbated the issue and I thought I’d loose my vision, I used my noggen. It certainly didn’t feel like I had the conjunctivitis they prescribed medicine for. I’ve researched and understand the mites are the cause. My eyballs felt like I had bugs (I know that sounds disgusting, but I guess that’s what the deal is) attacking them. My hair continues to fall. The problem is there’s not a lot of Western research available. What is available mostly comes from veterinarians (and human host research from Asia where they prescribe to have a demodex cure) because demodex also plagues dogs. It is called “mange” when it does. Currently science sees no connection between human and dog infestations. A lot of sites on the web give generic information, but often do so to sell their version of demodex relieving (notice the term ‘relieving’ and not ‘curing’) products. Do they work? Don’t know. This is serious and I’m not about to be some sites guinea pig or hard up bank account.
I am 43 and have had a thick, beautiful head full of hair all of my life. My eyes were my favorite physical attribute. I’ve always been told I look younger than my actual age, after these bugs attacked my eyes and the medical community I had access to showed no signs of caring, I didn’t know what to do. My eyes were bleeding (lids) and scabbed the entire way around the upper and lower lids. I was miserable. It affected my work, home life and personal outlook. I just knew these doctors felt I was overreacting (like I’d scratch up my eyes, scar my vision and create wrinkles, tears, blisters and scabs and let’s not forget open, raw wounds from scratching in my sleep, just to get attention! Sure I would!) and the dermatologist it took me two months to get an appointment with took a two second look at my eyes, declared eczema told me to put vaseline (did she PETROlium?) jelly and lotion on my eyes and it’d go away. I just pretended I knew what she was talking about and left.
What I really did was hit the internet. Stayed up many times til sunrise and kept digging (no pun intended) one small clue at a time for months. Finally about 20 setbacks later (I’d feel better for a minute long week and then…) I discovered demodex and it just hit like a hammer and nail. Piece by piece I fit the puzzle together: Demodex do live on you. Vets think they pass from Mother to pup during the nursing stage of being close to mom and that’s why their mostly on the face and are often called ‘face mites’ for that reason. Pretty similar passing for humans too, but we have beds, linens and pillows to thank in addition. Now these mites can be seen by scraping an area where they would normally be, placing a bit of clear oil on a slide and viewing by microscope. They are related to the arachnid genus same as spiders and scorpions. Two types can live on us as human hosts, one type in the follicle root itself and the other in the sebaceous gland that intersects the follicle and feeds the hair. What gives them room to multiply and overpopulate? Their natural setting, a weakend immune system, no T-Cell resistance, overpopulation of yeast and I’m sure a few more things depending on the person. If a person has Aids or is elderly or autoimmune…you get the picture. Me, I’ve several scenarios that make sense to them attacking me at this point in my life. I had extensive skin conditions growing up, a compromised immune system, sickle cell trait (though it’s not the disease, you don’t get a 100% full proof health) etc. At a latent age I produced my third and last child, 2o years after my first was born. I nursed for two years which takes a lot from the mother nutritionally. Eventhough I still ate for two during that two year stage, I idiotically, did not maintain my very necessary vitamin intake of prenatal vitamins every lactating and nursing mother should be taking. Other factors apply as well such as stress which can suppress immune system response.
After I weened my little one I hit some pretty stressful times. My child was sick with asthma with several hospitalizations, bad economy, so much happened. Then…boom, this situation hit one day. It’s made me stronger more resilient. I refuse to let it beat me. Doctor’s may not care, science may be unproven, but it is real. So, what works, we all want to know. I’m not done researching because the final is rather you live your life freely and not diseased (maybe some would not call it that but I do as it feels like a disease and fits the true definition for a disease). I’ve had set backs and must work from different angles, such as repairing my once 20/20 vision. So here’s the breakdown: My eyes – Stop scratching! To do so I started applying homemade saltwater solution to what turned out to be blepharitis misdiagnosed as conjunctivitis (even the emergency room said so but as a follow up to what my family doctor had prediagnosed it as). Do some research on blepharitis in conjunction with demodex and you will see they are linked. To repair the very delicate skin tissue around the eyes I used grapeseed extract (worked wonders) as well as natural green grapes themselves. Cucumber helped the heat and pain I was feeling.
I did lots of reading on falling hair and demodex. Apparently the demodex create a cycle of eating the hair’s nutrients due to overpopulation in the follicles and sebaceous gland whose position between the root and the opening of the follicular shaft feeds and bathes the hair. Studies have shown that close to 88% of adults having falling hair have demodex in excess of the ‘normal’ range. This may be due to the hair itself being robbed of its nutrient rich feedings so it just slides from the shaft. An overpopulation causes damage to the follicle itself and may destroy the house that hair lives in due to the debris and carcass pollution the overpopulation causes. If this does not occur, the retarded hair can grow back. What to do? I’m placing my money on tea tree oil. I’ve used it in the past with good results. Since I’ve tried other things (such as salt, ok yes I was desperate. Since it had worked on my eyes…ok, ok, I was my own guinea pig) that didn’t work. I had some Vics Mentholatum Vapor Rub, it has Mellaluca, a close sibling of tea tree. My hair had a pretty bad attack and I used this and it subsided greatly enough to where I could wash and style it without combing out 300 to 400 strands from one area at a time. Now tea tree is very powerful, can be allergic and may or may not be your ‘cure’. As well there were some studies that showed tea tree not administered in a strong enough solution can allow the demodex to ’smart up’ and create resistance. I’ve gone back to basics: reshaping my diet to cut back the thing demodex also thrive off of which is yeast. Still more research to do within research to recalibrate my system so far I’m about 60% improved. Once I get on a consistent regimen things will get better. Please research the tea tree recipe for getting rid of demodex if you have time. How I got rid of my eczema that affected me daily for nearly 20 years (some say eczema and rosascea are an outward display of demodex overgrowth) was with Ultra Violet light therapy that was administered nearly 25 years ago by a licensed dermatologist (A fully board licensed and certified doctor, not like what I later found to be a “Physician’s Assistant” and not a full fledged dermatologist when this situation was in need of practical diagnosis). Haven’t seen a trace since. I did read that similar light therapy is available for demodex infestation as they hate sunlight and that’s why I was so aggrivated at night. Like many night critters they make their way out of the follicle and sebaceous gland to mate at the top of the hair shaft. It’s just a logic oriented guess to think that is why I know the treatments would work. Mostly I say it because it worked for me before and I had eczema head to toe! I know this is a lot to digest and is truly gross sounding, but if it just helps one other person to not have to suffer as long as I have then I’m happy. Take good care, we owe that to ourselves even when it is not fashionable to do so.
~ Nicole