How to get rid of subcutaneous mites at home

Mite

The subcutaneous mite causes skin lesions in humans and animals - demodicosis. The mite settles in the hair follicles of the head, eyelashes and eyebrows, in the ducts and secretions of the sebaceous glands of the facial skin. A subcutaneous mite is a normal phenomenon, and for the time being it does not pose a danger, since it feeds on waste cells. But if the body’s defenses weaken, the mite begins to actively multiply, penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin and causes inflammation. According to the observations of researchers, women are more often affected by this disease.

FACT:

It is believed that more than 20% of people are carriers of demodicosis, but no clinical signs are detected.

What is demodicosis?

This is the name of the subcutaneous mite that lives on the human face. This organism is so microscopic that it is impossible to notice it without special magnifying devices.

It is worth noting that every person has this parasite. Move-in 1 sq. see the skin of five individuals - considered the norm. When the body works normally, the tick does not manifest itself in any way and does not bother a person. The parasite lives in the hair roots, and its main food is subcutaneous fat. This is why oily skin is the best habitat for mites. In such situations, the concentration of the parasite increases significantly. People with dry skin are practically unaware of this disease. The main places where the subcutaneous mite often shows its activity:

chin;
forehead;
brows;
space around the lips;
eyelashes;
nose.

If favorable conditions are created for the parasite, it begins to actively develop. In such situations, itchy red spots, pink pimples, and acne with ulcers appear on the face.

The reason for this may be excessive production of subcutaneous fat by the body, weakened immunity, and hormonal changes.

During puberty in adolescents, the sebaceous glands begin to work actively. This category of people is also susceptible to demodicosis.

As a rule, this parasite exists quietly on humans, without causing any discomfort to its carrier until a certain time. As soon as some changes begin in the body, an atmosphere favorable for active reproduction is created. This process is called demodicosis.

( Video : “Demodicosis treatment. How to properly treat demodicosis on the face.”)

Signs of illness

In its manifestations, damage to the subcutaneous mite is very similar to rosacea or acne. Peeling of the skin and its redness are noted, itching may occur, constant or worsening after using tonics or washing with cold water. Sometimes there is a combination of demodicosis caused by subcutaneous mites and the above-mentioned skin diseases. And this is not surprising, because the occurrence of demodicosis is influenced by negative changes in the skin. Thus, both acne vulgaris and rosacea weaken the skin’s natural defenses. When affected by skin mites, the following parts of the face are most often affected: eyelids, forehead, chin, nasolabial folds and brow ridges. Exacerbations of demodicosis occur in autumn and spring.

Causes and routes of infection

It has already been said that demodex is present in one amount or another in all people, performing its function in normalizing the skin.

In small quantities it does not cause harm and is not a pathology, but for a sharp jump in its population (where the clinical picture comes from) there are the following reasons:

Presence of diabetes mellitus.
Predisposition at the genetic level, as well as a hereditary factor.
Weakening of the body's immunity.
Disturbances in the hormonal balance of the body. It can be caused by the use of hormonal drugs or hormonal-based cosmetics.
The presence of various diseases in the digestive tract.
Liver pathology.
Various stressful situations, including the chronic stage of overwork, insomnia or lack of sleep.
Different stages of alcoholism.
Excessive exposure to sunlight or frequent visits to the solarium.
Disruption of the endocrine system.
In women, an outbreak of parasite activity can be caused by pregnancy.
Unbalanced diet.

Note! Like some pathologies, demodex can only be transmitted from humans. Infection through animals is impossible for the reason that an animal parasite does not have the ability to carry out parasitic activity in humans.

The routes of infection are different:

Using only hygiene products.
Kisses or hugs (if hair touches).
The use of one clothing, as well as one bed linen.

Note! Despite the fact that demodex is present even in a healthy person in small quantities, this factor can also provoke infection by another person.

Risk factors

As mentioned above, what is unpleasant is not the presence of a subcutaneous mite as such - in itself it cannot harm a healthy person - but demodicosis, which is caused by a mite. If the body is weakened and there are additional risk factors, the tick can settle in the skin for a long time and cause considerable mental and physical damage to its “breadwinner”. Risk factors include:

dysfunction of the sebaceous glands, changes in the composition of sebum, vascular changes;
some skin diseases (rosacea, acne, seborrhea);
long-term use of hormonal corticosteroid ointments;
adolescence;
pregnancy;
stress.

Unfortunately, non-specialists react with unacceptable ease to the appearance of acne on the face and body. The appearance of such problems is attributed to age and ordinary acne, which sooner or later should disappear on their own. We have to disappoint you: demodicosis caused by subcutaneous mites will not go away on its own. The disease can travel from one area of the skin to another, existing for years and ruining the life of its “donor”.

IMPORTANT:

squeezing out acne when infected with a subcutaneous mite only leads to an exacerbation of the infection, since during this process the mites are pressed into healthy areas of the skin and infect them.
Make an appointment

Signs and symptoms of tick bites

The bite site itself looks like a small reddish or pink speck - this is the result of trauma to the skin and the development of a local allergic reaction. The site of a tick bite infected with Lyme borreliosis looks different.

Note! The tick will cause the first symptoms in a person due to saliva getting into the wound. Within a few hours, weakness, body aches, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting and even hallucinations may appear.

People with chronic diseases, with a history of allergic reactions, the elderly and children are prone to pronounced manifestations. Most often, ticks cause fever in humans as a response of the body to the parasite's saliva entering the blood, even if they are not carriers of diseases.

Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is an acute lesion of the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord, leading to the development of flaccid paresis and paralysis. The outcome of the disease can be the death of the patient, psychiatric and neurological changes. Through damaged skin, the virus enters the internal organs and the central nervous system hematogenously (through the blood) or lymphogenously (through the lymphatic system), where it has a detrimental effect on brain cells. The incubation (that is, hidden) period is 7-12 days (1-40 days).

When the virus first affects the internal organs, the first wave of fever occurs, then the second when the central nervous system is affected:

Feverish form. The onset is acute with a rise in body temperature to 38-39 degrees. There is pain in the eyeballs, fear of light, sharp pain in the muscles of the shoulder girdle, back, limbs, nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbance. The characteristic appearance of the patient: severe hyperemia of the skin of the face, upper third of the chest, neck area, conjunctiva, injection of scleral vessels.
Meningeal form. To the above symptoms is added damage to the meningeal membranes of the brain, which is manifested by increased body temperature, vomiting, which does not bring relief; a sick person cannot reach his chin to his chest (stiff neck). With this form, the course and outcome can be favorable.
Meningoencephalitis. This form of the disease is more severe. To all the listed symptoms are added delirium, hallucinations, convulsions, cranial nerve paresis, impaired consciousness; There may be seizures of epilepsy, and death is possible.

Symptoms of tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease)

The disease is transmitted by a bacterium of the genus Borrelia, a type of spirochete, and affects the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, and heart. Symptoms of borreliosis appear after 1-2 weeks, but can appear after several months or even years.

Stage 1: fever, headache, photophobia, malaise, body aches, joint pain. At the site of the bite, a specific ring-shaped erythema appears - a red papule of dense consistency in the center, with a hyperemic rim around it. The size can reach 10-60 cm. The bite site is usually not of concern. Erythema persists on the skin from several days to several months. Possible enlargement and tenderness of regional lymph nodes, stiff neck. With timely treatment, the outcome of the first stage can be recovery.
Stage 2: the pathogen spreads throughout the body hematogenously or lymphogenously. Characteristic: throbbing headache, photophobia, joint pain, weakness; there may be no fever, paresis of the facial nerves. Myocarditis and pericarditis may develop.
Stage 3: occurs in 10% of patients. This stage is characterized by: chronic damage to the joints, skin, chronic neurological syndromes (encephalopathy, convulsive conditions, etc.)

Attention! If the disease is not detected and treated in a timely manner, irreversible consequences for human health develop.

It is important to understand that anyone can become a victim of a tick attack. In addition to using various repellents, wearing closed clothing in the forests and examining yourself for the presence of ticks, vaccination is the most important effective preventive measure.

Treatment

Treatment of demodicosis caused by subcutaneous mites is a long and difficult process. Its complexity is that often this disease develops against the background of a decrease in the body’s defenses and has accompanying skin problems. Therapy tactics include suppressing the parasite, treating underlying diseases and increasing immunity.

The most commonly used local therapy is lotions and special ointments. In more severe cases, the doctor prescribes a course of antibiotics in combination with external therapy. Sometimes plasmapheresis procedures are recommended. In special cases, even surgical intervention is possible.

An important point in the course of treatment is diet. It is necessary to exclude hot, spicy and salty foods, foods rich in carbohydrates and fats from the diet. Those who are being treated for subcutaneous mite infestation are recommended to consume large amounts of fruits, vegetables, microelements, fiber, and dairy products. During treatment, you should not use face masks, especially those containing honey. You need to limit your exposure to the sun. You should also wait until better times to visit the bathhouse and sauna.

What does a tick look like on the body?

After a tick has bitten a person, it can penetrate partially or completely. Since the parasite is small in size, after attaching its proboscis to the skin, it can be practically invisible. But as the insect’s body fills with blood, its body increases significantly.

This is what simple ticks look like on the human body:

A tick that did not bite into the skin

Having drunk blood, the tick has a light brown or red-brown color, the shape resembles a grain of corn. It is worth noting that males are slightly smaller than females; the latter, before detaching from the skin, manage to lay eggs.

Tick drunk on blood

Ticks living in Russia are found in deciduous parks, forests, garden plots and pastures - where there are plantings. The average size of a tick is up to 0.5 mm; it is rare to find larger individuals reaching 3 mm.

The body of the tick consists of six pairs of appendages and two parts: the most anterior ones are claws, forming a piercing-cutting mouth, a pair of pedipalps and 4 legs.

During contact with the skin, the parasite injects an anesthetic substance, preventing the victim from feeling the moment of the bite, during which time the pest manages to drink blood. Only after a third of an hour can a person see redness at the site of the bite, which is often itchy and itchy.

After drinking blood, it can fall off on its own, which indicates that the parasite is a male. The female, on the contrary, the longer she drinks blood, the more she crawls under the skin with her proboscis and head, which further complicates the extraction process. The female's body increases significantly.

Diagnostic methods

Only a dermatologist can make a correct diagnosis. To confirm the diagnosis of “Demodicosis” and prepare future therapy, the patient is examined:

Analysis of the submitted pimples, hair, eyelashes, secretions of the fatty gland and discharge from the eyes is carried out. At the same time, before taking tests, it is forbidden to use all facial products - such an action will wash away the clinical picture.
In addition to the tests, the patient’s characteristics are taken into account; gender, the presence of certain chronic diseases, hormonal characteristics, and other characteristic features.
In addition to identifying the causative agent of the symptoms, specialists determine the cause of the activation of parasites.
After analyzing the data, the dermatologist comes up with a therapy for treatment individually for the patient.