Look at these porous souls.
Dr. Scott Walter – a board-certified dermatologist in the Denver area – raising awareness demodexA type of tiny eight-legged mite that lives in the hair follicles and oil glands on our face, chest and neck.
“If you’re unfamiliar, Demodex are tiny, tiny particles that live inside our hair follicles and oil glands – and get this, they come out at night to eat our dead skin cells and mate, ” Walter said on TikTok on Thursday“And even in the wild, they can sense light with their primitive eyes, which lets them know the coast is clear to come out and play.”
Almost all adults are these shameless hooligans, Research has found.
They are more prevalent in older people and less common in children under 5 years of age, although the particles can be spread by contact with hair and eyebrows and by sharing personal hygiene products such as. makeup brushTweezers, eyeliner and mascara.
Two species affect humans – Demodex folliculorum, which is about a third of a millimeter long and lives mostly in facial hair follicles, especially around the eyelashes and eyebrows, and Demodex brevis, which is about a quarter of a millimeter. Spreads less than and remains in oil. Glands.
To demonstrate the prevalence of these strange pests, Walter placed pieces of clear packing tape on his forehead and cheeks and examined the remains under a microscope.
He saw a powerful mite with a “full stomach.”
“Fun fact – Demodex mites don’t poop because they don’t have another end, so they just eat and eat and eat,” explained Walter.
Demodex lives for about two weeks. One study reported Mites lay their eggs inside hair follicles or oil glands. They hatch after three or four days and become adults in about a week. When the mites die, their bodies decompose inside the follicle or gland.
Most people do not experience Demodex symptoms and are not even aware of these nausea-causing irritants.
However, they have been linked to skin conditions like rosacea, acne, and dermatitis, and they can worsen vision problems and damage eyelashes and eyelids.
mark sandmanHonorary Professor at Federation University Australia, advises to see a doctor If you experience swelling of the eyelids.
Sandmann wrote on The Conversation site in 2022, “Controlling such reactions may be as simple as limiting the number of mites with a wash or treatment prescribed by a medical professional — just know that our mite friends. It is probably impossible to get rid of it completely.”
