Acne, Rosacea and the Demodex Mite
Acne has been plaguing us humans since the dawn of civilization. Egyptian pharaohs got it, and it was written about by both Aristotle and Hippocrates in ancient Greece. Even way back then medical healers saw the connection between the onset of puberty and acne but then, as now, doctors did not know how to cure it. In fact, outside of the connection to hormonal activity there isn’t even a general consensus today on the causes of acne.
Old wives’ tales attribute it to any number of reasons which include God’s will, sin, diet, genetics, puberty, menopause, psychosomatic reasons…the list goes on. How many poor traumatized youths stricken with acne had to live with the prevailing belief that their affliction was caused by, ahem, self abuse? And while acne is not considered medically dangerous I think we can all agree that it is extremely emotionally and psychologically devastating to its sufferers.
There is now compelling, if strange, evidence that acne, rosacea, dandruff and even some cases of baldness can be caused by a microscopic critter that lives in our skin follicles. It is called the demodex mite. A species of these mites cause mange in animals.
You may have seen a Discovery Channel documentary about the unknown, microscopic world around us that creeped most viewers out with its depictions of the scary looking dust mites that live on us and in our homes. Dust mites feed on the microscopic flakes of skin that we are continually sloughing off. While they are certainly look like monsters in their microscopic close-ups, they live on the surface of your body and are performing clean-up duty. They do cause respiratory problems in some people because of allergic reactions they have from inhaling the mites along with their corpses and feces. And you thought your home was safe!
The demodex mite, however, actually lives in your pores where they feed on the hormones, fluids and oils in and around your hair follicles. Most people have never heard of this mite, although it is estimated that it lives in the follicles of 96-98% of people. One researcher has counted as many as 25 mites in one hair follicle.
The mites live for approximately 2-3 weeks and continuously feed, breed, lay eggs, hatch, die and decompose inside our follicles. Most folks are blissfully unaware of this jungle on their skin and the mites cause no problems. Some people, however, have what might be termed an allergic reaction to their presence which creates skin problems. Demodex populations can explode under certain conditions. Where they may never have been an issue before, something like the hormonal changes of adolescence will spur an increase in mites and acne will erupt, along with itching and general discomfort.
They are most active at night. Some sufferers can actually feel a crawling sensation on their face or on their scalp.
Fortunately, there are natural, non-toxic products to alleviate demodex problems. Some of the most effective skin and scalp care solutions contain sea-buckthorn oil. The sea-buckthorn is a hardy, deciduous shrub that grows all over the world. A number of Canadian provinces are cultivating it, and it is planted extensively as a wind break in the western Canadian plains.
The edible bright orange berries of the shrub are full of vitamin c and anti-oxidants. Skin creams and shampoos that contain the oil will help to kill off demodex mites and alleviate demodex caused skin problems. Many rosacea and acne sufferers have had their skin completely cleared by using sea-buckthorn products both externally and internally. Seabuckthorn is a nourishing, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial skin conditioner that helps reduce scarring.
Sea-buckthorn is also being hailed as a new super-food…I saw it displayed next to the goji, noni & acai berry juice at an Atlantic Superstore here in New Brunswick recently. A number of online companies offer a full range of sea-buckthorn products including shampoos, soaps, lotions, teas and supplements.
Stephanie Kelley
