How to Get Rid of Face Mites

You may have heard of mite infestations in your house, as they are a pretty common insect infestation, but what if we were to tell you that there are mites living in your body, particularly on your face? Scary, right? Face mites, or Demodex mites, are parasitic insects that live and feed on your face.

Even more startling is that while you are asleep at night, these mites emerge out of the pores of your skin, mate, and then go back inside. Then, they proceed to lay their eggs on your face as well. These mites live on almost everyone, but a heavy infestation of Demodex mites can bring about itching or even a burning sensation.

Read below to learn more about face mites and how to reduce their infestation on your face.

Identification

Before you can carry out a treatment program, it is important to first properly identify face mites. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment methods, which will be a waste of time and money. Here are some traits and facts about face mites that can assist you with identification.

• Demodex, or face mites, are 8-legged arachnids that live on the human body and are related to ticks and spiders.
• They are classified into two types: Demodex follicular (they live in the hair follicles, such as eyebrows, eyelashes, and scalp) and Demodex brevis (they live on the entire face and outside the ear).
• Face mites don’t penetrate the body; they only live within the skin and hair follicles. They eat sebum, the greasy oil our skin makes to protect itself from drying out. Washing your face will not eliminate them, as they live under your pores. 
• All humans have face mites, but they only become an issue when they increase in number, resulting in a condition called demodicosis. Demodicosis is a very distressing skin condition that may be caused by complications of your immune system and will require a trip to the doctor to treat.
• The lifecycle of face mites is quite short. Each adult face mite lives no more than 15 to 24 days on the human skin. This is due to regular cleaning habits, but a lack of hygiene or oily glands may cause overpopulation of these mites.
•  Dogs and other wild animals also suffer from this condition, called Demodex canis.

Use the image and description above to help you identify face mites properly. If you are unsure or would like assistance, contact us, and we will help you identify the problem.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with face mites, you can proceed with an inspection. During this phase, you will examine areas where they may be and where they may have been picked up.

Where To Look 

It lives on your face, preferably the cheeks, forehead, and chin. It also lives on hair follicles on your eyebrows, eyelashes, and scalp.

What To Look For

It'll be hard to see Demodex mites on your face without a microscope, but you can check for symptoms of overpopulation (demodicosis), which include itchy or scaly skin, redness, increased skin sensitivity, a burning sensation, rough skin, or eczema.

Treatment

When it comes to getting rid of face mites, using pest control products is unnecessary and will not work. The fact is, we all have thousands of microbes and other organisms living on and inside our bodies; face mites just happen to be one of them. Face mites only become a problem when they overpopulate your skin and cause skin problems such as eczema, rough, scaly skin, eyelashes falling out, etc., as these are signs of Demodicosis.

If you have Demodicosis, then you will have to visit a doctor who will offer treatment options such as permethrin-based medicated cream or tea tree oil.

Prevention

As mentioned earlier, there's no way that you can prevent Demodex or face mites from living on your skin. They will always be there and, for the most part, cause no problems unless there is an abundance of them living on your face. If you are dealing with skin conditions due to these mites, here are some things you can do.

Wash your face

While this won't remove face mites, it can help reduce any skin flare-ups they can cause. Don’t wash your face too often so that the skin gets stripped of its natural oils, causing dryness or, in some cases, excessive oiliness because the sebum produces more oil on the skin if you overwash.  So, have a good skincare regimen that includes washing your face at least twice daily (or more if you have oily skin). Use a good non-soap cleansing facewash for your skin type daily.

Bathe your pet regularly

You must worry about yourself and your dog’s hygiene. Bathe your pet periodically in a Tick and Mange Dip to keep it clean and itch-free and prevent the transfer of bugs.

Use antibiotic treatment

Ask your dermatologist for the best antibiotic treatment for your skin conditions. These treatments help combat the bacteria and mites present on the skin and relieve any skin problems.

Change your bed linen and pillow covers often

This is also an effective way to stay clean and not have face mite infestation on your skin, as they can live and move around on your bedding and are active while you sleep.

Key Takeaways

What are Face Mites?

• Face mites are parasitic insects that live on your face and hair follicles and eat your skin oils.

How To Get Rid of Face Mites

• Nothing can be done to eliminate face mites completely, but they are not a problem anyway unless there's an overpopulation that causes itchy rashes and other skin symptoms. When examining yourself or other personal belongings, we recommend wearing a pair of gloves. 

Preventing Face Mite Reinfestation

• Reduce the chances of overpopulation on your face with routine face washing and general cleanliness.