Skin MitesWhen you hear that someone has "mites", you probably think dust mites around the house. Did you know that there are skin mites? And you probably have some of them. Disgusting, you say, well there are irritating skin mites and infectious skin mite so it's important to know the difference. Skin mites are also know as demodex mites, too tiny to see as they crawl around beneath the surface of your skin. Before you say that skin mites are only on people with poor hygiene, researchers suggest that 95-98% of people have skin mites. Fortunately these skin mites share well with as many as 25 mites living on one hair follicle.
Some research suggests that demodex or skin mites are the cause of premature hair loss in both men and women. These skin mites also cause skin problems and feast on the same dead skin cells that clog pores resulting in acne. These skin mites are small but busy, active more at night as you sleep. Skin mites are notable problem with acne rosacea. Simply washing the face or hair is not enough to shake off those stubborn skin mites. Special shampoos and antibiotics are often needed to make a difference. Dermatologists also prescribe metronidazole cream as a common treatment for demodex mites that occur with acne rosacea. An infectious version of skin mites are those parasitic mites responsible for scabies. This parasitic skin mite hops from host to host, easily transmitted by touching an infected person. Children sharing toys with an infected child are at risk for contracting scabies. Scabies is known to run like wildfire in schools, daycares and nursing homes where people are in close contact over continuous periods of time. Once a child or adult is diagnosed with scabies, everything they touch or use must be sterilized in a prescribed manner. Scabies skin mites can live up to one week apart from a human host. That means towels, toys, hair brushes, glasses even computer keyboards and remote controls need to be sterilized. Some things that cannot be adequately cleaned, like stuffed toys, need to be discarded. A skin inflammation, itching or redness is the first sign of parasitic skin mites. Once these skin mites camp out on your body, the female burrows into the skin to lay eggs that are toxic to the human body. Scabies skin mites like to hide in the armpits, buttocks, scalp or under the nails. That toxicity results in inflammation that shows up as blisters and nodules. Left untreated, scabies skin mites can become impetigo or other serious bacterial infections. At the first sign of scabies, get to a doctor for treatment. Follow the treatment and use all the medications or ointments. It's a major mistake to stop using the medication too early. This just gives the skin mites an invitation to move back in and start laying more eggs on your skin. Complete the cleanup procedure and take precautions against infecting others in the family or organization. |