Recently, I had a client who suddenly began to have flair ups on her skin. They were slightly red raised bumps all over her cheeks and forehead. Her skin felt very hot and it was itchy. She had tried a candida diet (no sugars, starches, grains and little fruit) thinking it was fungal. She also applied Tea tree oil and other natural products. Later she was prescribed an antibiotic and steroid cream. None of these products brought permanent reversal of the outbreaks. At night the itchiness and heat on her face seemed to increase. This went on for a few months with no permanent relief in sight.
When she contacted me, I discovered that what she had was a proliferation of microscopic Demodex mites. We all have these mites on our facial skin. Demodex mites are often found on the forehead, cheeks, sides of the nose, eyelashes, and outside of the ear canal. They die about every 15 days and when an infestation of Demodex mites occur and these excess numbers die on the face, the skin has a reaction. It then manifests in what the medical world labels as rosacea or dermatitis. By the way, until the Demodex mites begin to get under control, it is important to wash all bedding and clean up room and bathroom surfaces on a consistent basis.
A cream that has had very good results in lowering the number of these mites is called Soolantra (brand name for a 1% dosage of ivermectin). For years ivermectin has been given orally to livestock, pets and horses to treat these mites as well as scabie mites. Basically, ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medication. Ivermectin can be found on Amazon for animal use (1.87%). But some people have also used the animal strength version; using 1/2 of a pea size on the effected areas. You need a prescription to get the 1% Soolantra. In severe cases, an oral version of ivermectin needs to be ingested.
If you have had unresolved severe facial skin irritations have a dermatologist test you for Demodex mites. Please watch the following video to get a better understanding.
Informative video on Demodex mites and other topical solutions to control Demodex mites. Click here to watch.
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