A mite of the genus Demodex, according to various sources, lives on the skin from 50 to 100% of people and causes a disease called demodecosis. However, the signs of this dermatosis appear only in 2-5% of those infected and are expressed in redness of the skin of the face and the appearance of a rash resembling acne. If measures are not taken in time, the complication of the disease can lead to disfigurement of the skin of a person's face.
In addition to humans, skin mites can parasitize animals, including domestic ones. However, despite their diversity and specificity, animal ticks do not take root in humans, and they should not be feared.
As a rule, only 2 types of harmful ticks live on the human body. The first species - D. Follicullorum - has chosen for its life follicles of hair on the face and chest. The second species - D. Brevis - lives in the sebaceous glands of the skin of the face, as well as on the neck, chest and back. Ticks feed on the contents of hair follicle and sebaceous gland cells, respectively. The complete life cycle, from egg deposition to the death of an adult, is about two weeks.
Demodecosis usually occurs with close contact of an infected person with a healthy person or through the use of common things that come in contact with the skin, such as bedding or towels. Potentially dangerous public places for infection are hairdressing salons, massage rooms, where skin mites can wait on poorly crafted instruments.
Symptoms of mite damage are expressed by the appearance of acne, redness of the skin, a feeling of tightness, itching. Especially bright signs can appear in spring or autumn, when the climate changes, when washing with too cold or hot water, when using new cosmetics. That is, due to the negative reaction of the tick to external stimuli.
By itself, a skin tick can easily dwell on the human body without causing much harm. However, with weakened immunity, metabolic imbalance in the body, hormonal imbalance, the active activity of the parasite can cause physical and mental trauma to a person. On the one hand, this is the discomfort associated with the destruction of the walls of the follicles and sebaceous glands at the cellular level, accompanied by inflammatory processes. On the other hand, problems with the skin of the face most often lead to a change in its pigmentation and disfigurement, which for many is a severe moral and psychological blow.
It is very difficult to diagnose the activity of a parasite tick due to its small size and a large number of other reasons for the manifestation of the main symptoms of infection, for example, allergies or hormonal failure of the body. Therefore, if there are signs of mite damage, you should contact a dermatologist who will do a scraping and within 10 minutes determine the presence or absence of this parasite.
The skin mite most of its time does not manifest itself, and its activity becomes noticeable only against the background of other diseases, accompanied by a weakening of the immune system, metabolic disorders of the body. Most often this happens due to malnutrition and diseases of the internal organs: stomach, liver, intestines. The fact is that against the background of these diseases, human skin integuments are actively developing, including acne and rosacea, with which demodicosis is most often combined. Therefore, in the first place, you should pay attention to the diet and make it as easy as possible by adding a large amount of raw vegetables and fruits.
Treatment of the skin mite itself occurs with the appointment of antibiotics in combination with external therapy, using local acaricidal drugs based on benzyl benzoate and pyrethroids. In the treatment of folk remedies, medicinal prescriptions often use birch tar, tincture of calendula, sulfur or garlic in combination with various ointments based on petroleum products and nourishing masks.
After treatment, do not forget about sanitary and hygienic measures associated with limiting the likelihood of re-infection: wash your hands more often, individually use personal hygiene items, and so on. It is important to remember that the skin tick can at any time appear on objects and things that you and your friends use in everyday life.