If the treatment of a disease such as demodex or demodecosis is not started in time, then this will be fraught with consequences. If the eyelids are affected, then conjunctivitis may begin, eyelashes will fall out, pain in the eyes will appear. If the scalp is affected, then in advanced cases, inflammation, dandruff and alopecia (hair loss) appear. All these circumstances should encourage a person to take an analysis in the form of scraping for demodex.
Symptoms of the disease
Demodecosis manifests itself depending on the location of the scabies mite.
Symptoms characteristic of the eyes:
- Eye fatigue.
- Angioedema, it is manifested by swelling around the eyes, similar to an allergic reaction.
- Hyperemia of the skin in the region of the edge of the eyelids.
- Strong peeling of the skin around the eyes, especially in the area of eyelash growth.
- Strong loss of eyelashes, which mainly fall without a root. If the eyelashes fall along with the roots, this may indicate focal or telogen alopecia.
Manifestations of skin demodicosis:
- Red spots, mainly in the face.
- Increased secretion of sebaceous fat.
- The presence of follicles and acne on the skin.
- Pallor of the skin.
- The appearance of areas of peeling on the face.
- Itchy skin.
- If demodicosis is delayed, and no treatment measures have been taken, then hair loss on the head begins.
How to take an analysis for demodicosis
This disease is caused by subcutaneous ticks that live in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. They can be in the human body for a long time without manifesting themselves. But if the work of the sebaceous glands is activated and against the background of a decrease in the immune system, demodex symptoms occur, which are characterized by increased scabies in the head, face and rashes.
To make sure that it is a tick from the genus Demodex that caused the disease, it is necessary to pass an analysis. This is human biological material that is tested in laboratory conditions. But the study should only be done when there are symptoms of demodicosis.
It is known that with this pathology, the internal organs are not affected, the tick attacks only the upper layers of the epidermis, so scraping is performed on demodex from the affected areas of the body.
An adult tick of an oblong shape, you can see it only under a microscope.
In a small amount, these microorganisms are safe. Moreover, they regulate the acid-base and hormonal balance of epidermal cells. But if, for some reason, ticks grow, they begin to multiply in the subcutaneous layer, causing the symptoms of demodicosis.
What is it and why is it needed?
Demodex scraping is a procedure for selecting biological material in order to study its microflora. When a tick multiplies in the subcutaneous layers, it leads to scabies of the skin.
Analysis is necessary in order to distinguish demodicosis among other similar pathologies.
When the result of skin scraping for demodex is ready, the doctor will be able to confirm or deny the presence of the disease, after which a treatment will be prescribed that involves the use of drugs that affect the nervous system of the scabies mite and prevent its further division.
How is the subcutaneous tick test done?
Demodecosis has different localization:
- The subcutaneous epithelial layer of the body, head and face.
- Tissues and eyelid circles.
Therefore, the procedure for scraping the biological fragment will also depend on which segment of the skin material is susceptible to infection.
If there is a suspicion of demodicosis of the epithelial tissues of the eyelids, then the dermatologist takes an eyelash from the eyelid for analysis, which with this disease is easily separated from it. Then the eyelash is placed in a special solution, which serves as a kind of conservative. If demodex is present in the tissues of the eyelids, then parasites and their eggs will be found on the eyelash follicle.
Scraping from the face to demodex or from other skin surfaces of the body is taken as a smear. With the help of a cotton swab, a laboratory technician removes biological material from the surface most susceptible to disease. Then this cotton swab is placed in a sterile plastic packaging, which also indicates the data on the patient who was examined.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, it means that a family of Demodex ticks and their eggs were found in the smear.
Laboratory scraping
Where scraping for demodex will be the most informative - in the laboratory or in other medical institutions?
The most informative analysis will be scraping in the laboratory. In this case, it will be possible to identify the type of tick that attacked the skin and select the necessary treatment.
Depending on its type, the place of its distribution will be determined:
Demodex brevis - this type of scabies mite lives in the sebaceous glands, so scraping is taken from the affected surface.
Demodex folliculorum - distributed in hair follicles, so for analysis it will be enough to take 2-3 eyelashes.
If you are interested in where to take scraping for demodex, it is better to ask your doctor about this. He can refer the patient to a laboratory at a public health clinic or to private medical centers. For example, in Moscow you can contact ON CLINIC, Elegia, and MedicCity.
Demodex Eyelashes
If it is shown to take eyelashes for analysis, then you should not be afraid of pain, the procedure for stretching them is absolutely painless. Moreover, the study will need only 2-3 cilia. If demodicosis is present, then the affected eyelash bulbs are quickly separated from the skin.
In order for the analysis to give a reliable result, it is necessary to observe some rules:
- Do not wet your eyelashes a day before the test.
- Do not use makeup or medicine in the eye area.
- When washing your hair, do not allow shampoo to get into your eyes two days before going to the laboratory.
- Cancel the day before taking the analysis, taking eye drops. Exceptions are those cases when the withdrawal of the drug can cause negative consequences.
If the symptoms of the disease are pronounced, but demodex was not detected in the analyzes, then it is worth considering that the patient has signs of seborrhea.
Self analysis
It so happens that an analysis of demodicosis in the laboratory is not possible. You can make it at home. To do this, you need to collect several eyelashes during the day, and if scabies has developed on the skin, then an adhesive tape is glued to the rashes, preferably all night. The next morning it is clamped between two glasses.
After that, any member of the family can go to the laboratory with the submitted biological material. After which a microscopic examination is carried out.
Despite these actions, a similar method for detecting a disease is not so informative. And sometimes the analysis is done repeatedly in the laboratory.
Demodex scraping rules
As it was found out, scraping on a demodex tick itself does not bring a person any inconvenience, pain or discomfort. But for his data to be the most informative, you should adhere to such rules:
- 1-2 days before going to the test, you do not need to apply decorative, therapeutic or other skin care cosmetics to the skin.
- The day before the delivery of scraping is not allowed to wash.
- It is advisable to take the scraping after 6 o’clock in the evening, since in the daytime when exposed to sunlight, the tick may hide and the analysis data will be incorrect.
- Material is taken from the affected areas, if the disease has not yet manifested itself, then from several arbitrary areas of the skin, where microorganisms can presumably inhabit. Most often these are the following places: the scalp, face, eyelids, auricles, femur, back, chest.
If the mite larvae and the scabies species itself were not identified in the analysis, this means that the disease is absent. If demodex is found in the scraping, a second examination will be required.
The patient learns about this on the third day after a laboratory study of biological material.
Timely diagnosis of the disease allows you to identify the disease in the early stages and easily cope with it. Demodecosis is not difficult to identify, it is enough to pass a scraping on demodex and wait for the result, and the dermatologist will select the therapy.