I've been told I am infested with mites, what do I do now?

[elf_107]

Hello all!

Two very respectable derms in my city have agreed that I have an unusually high # of Demodex mites. They did not perform a biopsy, but with their loupe and highly trained eye they agree that there are the characteristics signs - many many blocked follibles, cylindrical flakes, etc. While cautioning me that Demodexes are not proven to cause Rosacea, they suggested my skin could improve if I could reduce the infestation. I mainly suffer from permanent redness, burning, flushing, visible blood vessels, sun sensitivity with some scaling and SD thrown in for the mix!

Since this is a relatively new area of research, I am looking for some personal accounts, suggestions, articles which I may have missed. I am aware that there are a few compounds which will reduce them: Ivermectin, Permethrin, Sulfur and Tea Tree. I have not yet tried a course of Tea Tree, but it is looking like my best option, and historically I've tolerated it very well.

I've been declinded Ivermectin, I've been told my hypersensitive skin won't tolerate Sulfur without adding corticosteroids, and I've experimented with Permethrin. I found the Permethin cream was difficult to use, as I could only tolerate the most minute amount, and I found it very drying. I was surprised that I tolerated it as well as I did however, it almost seemed to make my skin slightly worse, then slightly better. I am not sure that I can use an amount that will effectively kill the mites however, and in order to minimize irritation I had to apply it over my regular skin cream.

One more oddity of my skin, is that about 5-6 years ago I experience a remission of my rosacea that coincided with switching to a 'natural' skin care cream that contained Rose Geranium, Ylang Ylang and Lavender (back when I could still tolerate such things.) I know that Rose Geranium and other essential oils have some insecticidal properties, does anyone know if it has an effect on Demodex?

Naturally I eventually developed contact dermatitis and had to stop the cream. But for a blissful 3 months all traces of redness had disappeared! I often find myself wondering if I had stumbled upon something that killed the mites.

I look forward to your thoughts!

Elfy.

[fanny]

Hi
I am hoping one of our other members has had experience with mites. I know that many people really like tea tree oil, but try a patch test first.
Best wishes
fanny

[elf_107]

Thanks Fanny... I look forward to hearing from any members with insight.

I agree that people should be careful with tea tree, as people often neglect to dilute it for their face (yikes!) Fortunately I have a long safe use history, in fact I even used a smear of it last night to no ill effects! Phew.

Elfy.

[fanny]

I'm glad it works for you, for some reason it never has for me, but such is the nature of this disease. It is very hard to get a handle on largely because what works for one does not necessarily work for another!
All the best
fanny

[elf_107]

You are so right about that -- what seems to work for one seldom works for another with Rosacea! Especially when it comes to skincare. Really, what can flare up one's face is... anything!

Elfy.

[davem81]

Hello all!

One more oddity of my skin, is that about 5-6 years ago I experience a remission of my rosacea that coincided with switching to a 'natural' skin care cream that contained Rose Geranium, Ylang Ylang and Lavender (back when I could still tolerate such things.) I know that Rose Geranium and other essential oils have some insecticidal properties, does anyone know if it has an effect on Demodex?
Naturally I eventually developed contact dermatitis and had to stop the cream. But for a blissful 3 months all traces of redness had disappeared! I often find myself wondering if I had stumbled upon something that killed the mites.

I look forward to your thoughts!

Elfy.

I'm intrigued by this Elfy, could you possibly elaborate about 'contact dermatitis'? Otherwise, this sounds promising!

My own experience seems to have been quite similar to your's - I identified the same treatments to investigate. In my case, my derm also refused me ivermectin upon my request, and also frightened me off it at the same time (he hinted about a pattern of some unexplained deaths in a care home where ivermectin had been prescribed). Permethrin is a similar thing, I came close to using this but didn't after reading some horror stories about reactions/people scarring themselves.

I tried a tea-tree regime for several months which gave me definite, but limited, success. However, the ointment I was using was only 20-25% TTO, so I'm guessing this lack of strength caused the eventual diminishment of success from this treatment. Again, however, it was a safety issue - I was uncomfortable using stronger stuff on my face for fear of doing permenent damage.

I'm currently trying various sulfur preparations, which again have shown definite results but not, as yet, of the kind of level I long to find!

[Peacock]

elf_107,

At some point, it might be worth it to visit an Allergist (if you haven't already done so). In addition to a general exam and perhaps some testing,
he most likely will investigate the possibility of Cimicidae (microscopic bed bugs/parasites).

I mention it based on experience, I had a friend who suffered from scalp 'scabbing' and facial irritation ---sure enough it was due to Cimicidae.
Key warning signs are bed pillows older than 2 years, uncovered mattress older than 2 years and anybody that has a dog or cat that spends time
outdoors. My friend bought a mattress cover, new pillows w/covers ...and unfortunately had to give his dog away. Within 2 weeks his face and
scalp were 100% healed. (he still visits the dog periodically).

Just a thought (no need for panic) for you as you begin your treatment journey.

Good luck.

[amethystice215]

From what I understand face mites are quite hard to eradicate. It can take months and sometimes even over a year to completley get rid of them and you have to be very very very consistant. I have tried everything from Tea tree oil to ivermectin and hp/borax. (I did NOT use anything for about 4 days so that put me back as square one after about 3 weeks of mite killing) I have only been trying to kill the mites for a couple of months now and have seen some definate improvement where there was no improvement from anything else. I spent about 2 full days reading the forums on the demodexsolutions website and I decided to buy the zz cream. I have been using it for just a little over a week now but I really like it so far. I know it will be a long journey but if it works and I keep seeing improvement I will continue on as long as it takes!

[davem81]

From what I understand face mites are quite hard to eradicate. It can take months and sometimes even over a year to completley get rid of them and you have to be very very very consistant. I have tried everything from Tea tree oil to ivermectin and hp/borax. (I did NOT use anything for about 4 days so that put me back as square one after about 3 weeks of mite killing) I have only been trying to kill the mites for a couple of months now and have seen some definate improvement where there was no improvement from anything else. I spent about 2 full days reading the forums on the demodexsolutions website and I decided to buy the zz cream. I have been using it for just a little over a week now but I really like it so far. I know it will be a long journey but if it works and I keep seeing improvement I will continue on as long as it takes!

I actually find this reassuring in a funny way.

I've been targetting the mites for over a year now, using various regimes. Firstly I tried teatree, then ZZ cream, and I'm currently using a different kind of sulphur cream. All have followed similar patterns, showing a great improvement over the first couple of months, but then seeming to lose effectiveness - this has seemed inexplicable to me, and I must hold my hand up and say that I haven't been especially consistent - I've tended to switch to a different regime when it has seemed like the previous one was failing.

To give the most recent example, I've been using sulphur cream since the beginning of June. Between 1st June and approximately mid september, I had only two mild outbreaks on my nose - bliss by my standards!! Then, without any change in the regime, I started breaking out regularly again in mid september, and the period from then to now has been miserable with constant problems. This time, though, I'm persisting with the same treatment, so we'll see.......