Demodecosis of the skin

Human skin is his protection, an indicator of age and health. Therefore, it, like the whole body, requires constant care. And when a person observes a dermatological pathology, a specialist consultation is necessary. Sometimes, after conducting a microanalysis, the patient is diagnosed with demodicosis of the skin. In this article, we will try to clearly understand where this disease comes from, how to stop it, and better yet, how to avoid it altogether.

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Causes skin demodectosis

To prevent the onset and development of the disease, including the pathology under consideration, it is necessary to know and clearly understand the causes of demodicosis of the skin. Only in this case can there be confidence in the correct diagnosis and high-quality treatment results. And before proceeding to identify the primary source, it is necessary to analyze in as much detail as possible your life over the past couple of weeks, the way of life that the patient adhered to. Only in this way can you find a certain factor that became the impetus for the awakening of the demodicosis mite.

After all, this parasite lives asymptomatically in the body of most people. Such self-analysis will give the victim the opportunity, while simultaneously taking medical therapy, to eliminate the primary source of the pathology. Such a step will not only make the therapy more effective and productive, reducing the duration of the course, but will also protect against relapses in the future.

Risk factors

• A decline in the level of the body's defenses in the fight against disease.
• Advanced age of the victim.
• Diseases affecting the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Endocrine pathologies in the patient's history.
• Increased “love” for decorative cosmetics, especially if it is of low quality, has an expired shelf life, or contains certain active additives.
• Diseases of the nervous system.
• The development of demodicosis of the skin can be provoked by an incorrectly structured diet and regimen. Excessive passion for fast food, love for fatty and spicy food, canned food, and a poor diet in terms of vegetables and fruits will not lead to anything good.
• Biological and chemical imbalance in the composition and structure of sebum.
• It has a detrimental effect on the body if a person spends little time in the fresh air or does not regularly ventilate the room where he spends the vast majority of his time.
• Having bad habits.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Liver pathology.
• Long-term stress.
• Problematic malfunction of the sebaceous glands.
• Overheating of the body, for example, sunbathing, visiting solariums, baths or saunas, prolonged exposure to sunlight can provoke the awakening and development of the demodectic mite, because it is a "heat-loving microorganism". The mite recognizes this effect as a threat to its life, which triggers the mechanism of self-reproduction (reproduction).
• The environment, which is not particularly clean in our technological age, also plays a significant role in the activation of this disease. External influences have a detrimental effect on the body's immune forces, reducing their ability to protect the human body.
• Long-term use of antibiotics, use of hormonal drugs.
• If the primary source of the disease is not identified and only the symptoms are treated, the doctor will not be able to guarantee that the disease will not return. This disease mainly affects women between the ages of 30 and 50.

Based on the above, it is worth concluding that in order to start the recovery mechanism, it is necessary, first of all, to resolve the issue with nutrition, lifestyle and try to reduce the factor of environmental influence, only after that we can talk about effective treatment.

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Symptoms skin demodectosis

Demodex is a disease that accompanies many people, but in most cases it does not manifest itself in any way, proceeding almost asymptomatically. At this stage of the pathology, medical intervention is not required.

But there is a comparison of factors that serve as an impetus for the awakening and further reproduction of this subcutaneous mite. This subrogation of remission by a progressive chronic condition of the disease requires immediate medical intervention. But in order to sound the alarm and consult a doctor - a dermatologist in time, it is necessary to know the symptoms of demodicosis of the skin and at their first appearance to come to an appointment with a specialist.

• The appearance of acne.
• The skin becomes covered with hyperemic spots.
• Pimples begin to differentiate; in the case of a more advanced process, the formation of abscesses is initiated in their place, the size of which gradually increases.
• Skin pores become more visible.
• Sticking together and alopecia of eyelashes (or their loss).
• Swelling of the eyelids.
• The epidermis of the area affected by the mites becomes unnaturally oily and begins to shine.
• The nature of the skin's relief loses its uniformity and smoothness.
• In the area of the skin affected by demodicosis, a slight itch begins to appear, which gradually increases and becomes unbearable.
• The skin tone also changes. It becomes red-burgundy or, on the contrary, earthy.
• There may be slight swelling in the nose area, and the nose itself changes color to an unhealthy red-blue color.
• The edge of the eyelids becomes covered with a pathological coating.
• Eyes get very tired by the evening.

This is how demodicosis of the skin manifests itself, and if even some of these symptoms appear, it is worthwhile, without delay, to make an appointment with a dermatologist and undergo the necessary examination, and then complete treatment.

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Demodecosis of the facial skin

This microscopic parasite lives in the epithelial layers of the skin of almost every person. Its preferred location is the proximity to hair follicles or sebaceous glands, which are especially abundant on the skin of the face. The demodectic mite can remain in suspended animation all its life and a person may not even suspect its presence in his body. However, a certain combination of factors occurs that “awakens” the microorganism. It activates its vital activity, penetrating into the skin, where it provokes the occurrence of an inflammatory process.

It is the inflammation, with all its symptoms, that is diagnosed as demodicosis of the facial skin. This disease is unpleasant not only because of the physical discomfort caused by this mite to the person in whose skin it lives, but also has an aesthetic, and against this background, psychological discomfort. Therefore, it can be said that demodicosis of the facial skin is a problem of not only a medical, but also a cosmetological nature.

This disease is caused by a tick, which has the scientific name demodex brevis, hence the name of the disease. On the face, this parasite "likes" to manifest itself more in the area of the chin and forehead, less often on the nose. If the tick shows activation of its life cycles in the area of the nose or eyes, this may already indicate the neglect of the disease and a wide area of damage.

The risk category for demodicosis of the skin of the face includes mainly women with a light skin tone. White skin is more sensitive to various pathologies and negative factors than dark skin. So how dangerous is it to be near a sick person and is this disease transmitted? Health workers state that the percentage of contact infections is insignificant. It is possible to get this parasite only through close contact with a sick person, and then only if the organism that is exposed to infection has low immune protection. In other cases, a person should not worry, but preventive measures, if there is a sick person in the family, will not hurt. Healthy family members should take preventive showers, using anti-demodicosis drugs.

Demodicosis of the scalp

This disease, caused by mites of the genus Demodex, mainly affects the skin of the face, but there are often cases when demodicosis of the scalp is diagnosed. This localization of the pathology may be associated with a woman's excessive passion for hair dyeing. Hair dye is a combination of chemical compounds that negatively affect the scalp of a woman (or man), especially if this dye is of low quality, which leads to a decrease in immunity and provokes the mites to wake up. Although the cause of the pathology in question may also be one of the sources listed above.

With demodicosis of the scalp, additional symptoms may appear in the form of dandruff, hyperemia of the skin near the hair follicles, as well as minor swelling in the area of the sebaceous glands. The parasite is mainly activated at night, which brings some discomfort during sleep and interferes with rest.

If similar symptoms are observed, do not self-diagnose or self-medicate. Such a step will allow the pathology to progress further, capturing more and more area and worsening the symptoms. By contacting a specialist, you will receive qualified assistance, which will allow you, if you follow all the doctor's recommendations, to get rid of the annoying problem in a short time.

Doctors have noticed that the greatest number of cases of the disease occur during the spring-summer period, when the human body is tired after a long winter, and its defenses are weakened.

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Diagnostics skin demodectosis

First, the dermatologist is interested in the patient's complaints and conducts a visual examination of the patient. Already at this stage of diagnosis, a qualified doctor is able to state the disease, but still, to be sure of the correctness of his decision, he conducts further diagnostics of demodicosis of the skin.

• The doctor is interested in the patient’s medical history (presence of diseases of the digestive system, stressful situations, presence of occupational diseases).
• A scraping is taken from the patient's epidermis area affected by the disease. The studies conducted allow us to identify the pathogen - the demodectic mite. No additional tests are required, since a laboratory study of the scraping gives a 100% reliable result.

This examination is not painful. It will not take much time, but it will not allow the doctor to make a mistake in diagnosis and, accordingly, in treatment.

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Treatment skin demodectosis

Primary therapy is designed to remove uncomfortable symptoms - this will take a little time. But if the patient wants to protect himself from relapses of this disease, then the therapy will be more effective, affecting the primary source with its action. Such therapeutic therapy is carried out for a long time. But this approach gives more guarantees for the patient's future.

Treatment of demodicosis of the skin is a four-month "Antiparasitic therapy". This program involves the impact on the entire body of the patient, not giving the parasite a single chance to revive. The advantage of this method is that many concomitant diseases are treated in parallel.

But first, the patient needs to adjust his lifestyle.

• The patient needs to drink a lot of water. The amount of liquid taken during the day is calculated based on the equality of 30 ml per kilogram of the patient's weight.
• The patient should give up bad habits (alcoholic drinks, nicotine).
• Minimize exposure of the skin to direct sunlight.
• During treatment, you must stop using cosmetics.
• Adjust your diet based on the recommendations of a nutritionist or dermatologist.
• You should only use disposable towels and napkins.
• Do not neglect the rules of personal hygiene. This approach will help avoid repeated self-infection with ticks.
• The condition of the bed linen and bedding of the bed on which the patient sleeps also plays an important role in the treatment of the disease. It is better to replace the feather in the pillow with a synthetic filler. Such a pillow will be easier to sterilize. It is recommended to change the pillowcase every day, washing it. After drying, it must be ironed on both sides.

Against the background of such physiological and regimen measures, the patient also undergoes drug treatment.

The doctor may prescribe the herbal preparation chitosan. This aminosaccharide, which is produced on the basis of crustacean shells, acts on the patient's skin as a strong detoxifier, which also has hypocholesterolemic properties.

In tablet form, the medicinal product chitosan is prescribed to adult patients and adolescents who have already reached the age of 12 in a dosage of three to four tablets twice a day. As a rule, the duration of the treatment course is a month. If necessary, it can be repeated after a short break.

In capsules, this drug is prescribed for internal use, but from the contents of the capsule, you can prepare an effective ointment that is applied to the affected area at night, in the morning its remains are washed off with warm water. To obtain a scrub, the contents of the capsule are diluted with a small amount of warm water until the consistency of thick sour cream is obtained (the medicine should not be liquid, otherwise it will spread). On top, in order not to smear or stain the pillowcase, it is better to fix it with a gauze swab and adhesive tape.

This medicine is contraindicated for use in case of pregnancy of the patient, the time when a young mother is breastfeeding her baby, as well as in case of individual intolerance to the components of the medicine by the patient's body.

It is advisable to apply this medicine to clean skin, previously treated with a decoction of chamomile, calendula or celandine. It is also recommended to remove the remains of the "lotion" with this solution.

These measures are carried out until the pathological symptoms disappear. The duration of therapy largely depends on the degree of damage to the epidermis by the disease and the general condition of the patient's body.

It is very important to prevent a severe degree of pathology when the bumpy skin relief is clearly visible. In such a situation, it will be quite difficult to bring the skin to its original state, and this defect may remain for the rest of your life, or you will have to use very expensive therapy.

In parallel with this, the patient needs to treat the underlying disease that led to a decrease in the immune system.

Timely seeking help from a specialist will allow you to catch the disease at an early stage of the pathology. Effective treatment will not only stop the spread of the parasite, but will also spend less time fighting it, while maintaining a healthy skin appearance.

Treatment of demodicosis of facial skin

If a person is diagnosed with skin dermatosis, then he has a legitimate question: how to solve this problem faster? It is worth noting that treatment should be prescribed only by a dermatologist! Otherwise, the patient can cause himself even more harm and more serious complications, which will be difficult to regress even for a qualified doctor.

Treatment of demodicosis of the facial skin includes a range of different medications.

• Antiparasitic drugs are prescribed. This may be tinidazole, metronidazole or trichopolum.

The antiprotozoal, antibacterial drug metronidazole in tablets is prescribed by a dermatologist parenterally during or immediately after meals. Adult patients and adolescents who have reached the age of 13 are administered a dose of 0.25 g, which corresponds to one tablet, which is used three times a day for eight to ten days. For children from two to 12 years old, the dosage is calculated by taking 35-50 mg per kilogram of body weight of the small patient, divided into three doses. The duration of the treatment course is from eight to ten days.

In particularly severe cases, intravenous administration of a 0.5 g metronidazole solution is possible. The rate of administration is slow – approximately 5 ml per minute.

The drug is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to the drug, if the patient's medical history includes leukopenia, liver dysfunction, a tendency to epileptic seizures, damage to the central nervous system of organic genesis, and also if the woman is in the first trimester of pregnancy or lactation.

• The treatment of facial demodicosis necessarily includes drugs that increase the patient's immune status. These can be such drugs as echinacea tincture, apilak, kagocel, imudon, prodigiosan, glutoxim, myelopid, timogen, isoprinosine, recormon, groprinosin, imunorix, thymalin and many others.

The drug isoprinosine is recommended to be administered to the body after meals with a small amount of liquid.

The daily dose of the drug is calculated as 50 mg per kilogram of weight for an adult patient or children over two years old, diluted into three to four doses. On average, this is six to eight tablets per day for adults and half a tablet per 5 kg of weight for children. In case of severe disease, the dosage of the drug can be doubled to 100 mg per kilogram of the patient's body weight per day.

The duration of the treatment course is from five days to two weeks.

This medicine is contraindicated in patients with urolithiasis, chronic renal dysfunction, gout, heart rhythm disturbances, as well as in children under three years of age whose body weight has not reached 15-20 kg.

• Medicines are also prescribed to normalize the digestive system. These include drugs that normalize intestinal peristalsis: super colon cleanse, enteroleptin, calcium alginate, fucoxan and many other drugs.

Nutricon can be taken 40-60 g per day, divided into three doses. This corresponds to one to two teaspoons of the drug. To achieve maximum effectiveness, probiotics are added, for example, pentibion, taken by the patient one capsule in the morning and evening together with food.

A contraindication to the use of the last two drugs is individual intolerance to the components of the drug.

• Yellow mercury ointment, ichthyol or sulfur ointment are often used as a local antiseptic.

Apply a thin layer of ichthyol ointment to the affected area without rubbing. Put a gauze pad on top and secure it with adhesive tape. Do this procedure two to three times a day. The duration of therapy is determined by the attending physician strictly individually, depending on the patient's condition and the severity of the pathology.

• If demodicosis of the skin has entered a chronic stage and is characterized by its neglect, the doctor may prescribe electrophoresis to the patient. This procedure effectively reduces the activity of parasites.
• In parallel with the main treatment, after consulting with your doctor, you can also introduce traditional medicine recipes into your therapy.
  • Practice washing, using tar soap to cleanse the epidermis, which has excellent antimicrobial, antiseptic and antifungal properties.
  • For washing, a decoction of herbs such as calendula, chamomile, and oak bark is suitable.
  • A good antiseptic is tea tree essential oil, which is used to wipe the skin.
  • If the lesion has affected the eyelids, you can prepare the following composition: mix the contents of two Trichopol capsules with a small amount of Vaseline. Apply this mixture as a mask before going to bed and leave it overnight. In the morning, wash off the remains with warm water or chamomile decoction.
  • Instead of antiseptic decoctions, you can wipe your face with alcohol tinctures: calendula, eucalyptus, wormwood. Dimexide, diluted one to five with water, will also do.
  • Blackcurrant lotions have also proven themselves to be excellent: four tablespoons of the product are poured into half a liter of just boiled water and kept on low heat for about ten minutes. You should wait until the liquid cools down, and, having soaked gauze in the decoction, apply it to the affected area twice a day, holding for up to 20 minutes.

If you follow all the recommendations that the doctor prescribed in the treatment protocol, you will be able to get rid of demodicosis of the skin quite quickly. And by treating the underlying disease or eliminating another cause that provoked the development of the pathology, you can protect your body in the future from repeated manifestations of this disease.

How to moisturize skin with demodicosis?

But in addition to treatment, it is necessary not to forget about the water balance of the skin. It is worth considering the question of how to moisturize the skin with demodicosis? To minimize the effect of demodicosis mites on the epidermis, it is necessary to use special moisturizing creams for the skin, as well as products with sun protection properties.

Such products will not only soothe skin irritated by the disease, relieve unpleasant itching, but also moisturize the skin, protecting it from drying out, contamination and peeling. This is especially important for sensitive skin.

The modern pharmacological market also offers more specialized moisturizing creams, used specifically in the case of diagnosis of demodicosis of the skin. For example, you can use a cream such as Demodex Complex Kang. This drug was developed specifically, taking into account all the subtleties of the disease.

Means of protection from harsh sun rays occupy not the last place in medical and preventive therapy. This should be the norm for people with healthy skin, and for patients with demodicosis of the skin - this is a "vital necessity". The conducted studies have shown that sun rays occupy the first place in terms of the degree of impact on the human body, the consequence of which is a push, which became the trigger for awakening from anabiosis of this parasite.

The main impact on the human body is through ultraviolet and infrared rays, but not all sunscreens show comprehensive protection from both of them. In order for the purchased cream to be beneficial, when choosing it, you should focus your attention on some parameters:

• The SPF indicator should be at least 15 (in hot summer weather it is better to choose an indicator of 35 or even 40).
• The cream should contain zinc or titanium dioxide.
• It is advisable to take a cream designed for sensitive skin.
• This preparation is applied daily, especially in summer, to exposed areas of the skin, half an hour before going out under the scorching rays. During this time, it will have time to be absorbed and "turn on" the barrier protection.
• It is advisable to renew the cream layer every two hours. Especially if the person sweats a lot or has been swimming.
• In this case, creams with the UVA/UVB designation are good. This means that this cosmetic product protects against both types of solar spectrum rays (infrared and ultraviolet).
• In particularly hot weather, you should limit your exposure to the sun from 10 am to 4 pm.

How to restore skin after demodicosis?

The course of treatment has been completed, the parasite is gone, but how to restore the skin after demodicosis? So that the skin regains its healthy appearance, freshness and youth? In this situation, the doctor-cosmetologist suggests using burdock oil. This gift of nature not only activates metabolic processes in the skin layers, restores its elasticity, but also allows it to return to its previous healthy shade.

It is worth warning that during the recovery period, all physical procedures should be treated with special caution. Women should review their cosmetics, getting rid of low-quality and expired ones.

Treatment should not be stopped immediately after the discomfort symptoms have disappeared. In such a situation, there is a very high risk that the disease will return quite quickly.

Prevention

It is much easier to prevent any disease than to fight its consequences. The disease discussed in this article is no exception. Prevention of demodicosis of the skin includes several points, the implementation of which will not cause a person much discomfort, but will save from many medical troubles.

• Don't forget about the rules of personal hygiene and follow them daily.
• Frequent change of underwear and change of bed linen, which after washing on both sides should be ironed with a hot iron.
• You should not use other people's things, especially if they are cosmetics, clothing or personal hygiene items.
• Adjust your diet. The diet should be rich in minerals and vitamins, but you should remove "harmful products" from it.
• Moderate loads should be alternated with effective rest.
• It is necessary to harden your body.
• Eliminate bad habits.
• Monitor your immunity.
• Maintain an active lifestyle. If a person has a sedentary job, he should refuse to use transport and walk to work.
• Avoid using oil-based creams.
• At the first signs of the disease, be sure to seek help from a specialist, undergo the necessary examination and a full course of treatment.
• You can periodically carry out a preventive course of washing with herbal decoctions (sage, calendula, yarrow, chamomile) or tar soap.
• You should limit your time spent in the scorching rays of the sun, as well as in the bathhouse and solarium.
• If demodicosis of the skin is diagnosed, you should refrain from all cosmetic procedures.

Forecast

If a person has good health and a strong immune system, then he should not worry too much about the likelihood of the disease. But if it so happened that due to the circumstances the body has weakened, and the mechanism of awakening and reproduction of demodectic mites has started, then do not despair - timely examination and treatment under the supervision of a doctor - a dermatologist and the prognosis of demodicosis of the skin can be called favorable. Three months and the former patient will forget about the parasite that bothered him.

If the body is somewhat weakened and the patient is diagnosed with a whole "bouquet of diseases", there is no need to despair. The remission process will take longer, but if the patient follows all the recommendations of the attending physician, he will ultimately be able to completely overcome the disease.

The period of time after which one can speak of a favorable prognosis for demodicosis of the skin largely depends on the timely appeal to a specialist, the patient's health condition at the time of appeal for examination and the thoroughness of the recommendations of the attending physician.

Demodicosis of the skin is not a life sentence. A quick visit to a dermatologist at the first signs of pathology, who will diagnose and prescribe adequate treatment, and in a little while the disease will recede, and the person will regain his former face: clean, with healthy and beautiful skin. It is only worth warning against self-diagnosis and self-treatment. Such experiments with your own appearance can lead to a disastrous result, which even a highly qualified professional is not always able to correct. Be more attentive to your body and a person with healthy, young and elastic skin will always look at you from the mirror!