Credits: Social Media
Tiny bugs are living on your face, and there’s nothing you can do about it
What would you do if we told you tiny, microscopic bugs are living on your face right now? You wouldn’t believe us, right? Well, it’s true.
A dermatologist has shocked everyone on TikTok after sharing the revelation that mites called demodex are hiding in your facial hair follicles. Yuck!
Tiny bugs are living on your face
“Oh look, it’s the time of year where I tape my face to see if I still have demodex mites living in my pores. Spoiler alert, I found some and you have them too,” Dr Scott Walter said in a jokey tone – but he wasn’t joking.
The skincare expert stuck a piece of tape to his forehead and used a microscope to zoom into the tiny mites that live inside your hair follicles and oil glands, mostly on your face, neck and chest. They come out at night to eat dead skin cells and mate.
Demodex are only 0.15 millimetres in size and look slightly transparent under a microscope, covered with scales. They have eight legs, meaning they are actually tiny arachnids, distant relatives of spiders and ticks.
More commonly known as eyelash mites, face mites�or�skin mites, these microscopic parasites eat dead skin cells for around two weeks and then die as that’s the end of their lifespan – but don’t be alarmed. It’s normal to have bugs on your face.
“Don’t panic. They’re completely normal and some research even says that they help keep our skin microbiome in check,” Walter said. “So next time you’re washing your face, say ‘Hi’ to these little microscopic demons because they’re not going anywhere any time soon.”
They can cause demodicosis
Most of the time, demodex live on your face without you even knowing and cause no probelms. However, they can sometimes result in a condition called demodicosis.
This occurs when the microscopic bugs multiply out of control, usually because your immune system isnt functioning well, Cleveland Clinic explains.
Demodicosis can result in a burning sensation, itchiness, redness, sensitive skin, spots and skin that feels rough.
The mite infestation is usually easily treated with creams, gels or lotions that kill the bugs and return them to normal levels.
Keeping your skin clean, washing your face twice a day, exfoliating and avoiding greasy products that clog pores will help to keep the demodex numbers under control. Here is the ideal winter morning skincare routine and a nighttime skincare routine for the colder months.
However, you can never fully get rid of them – so you’re stuck with tiny bugs living on your face for good.
Dr Scott Walter is a Board Certified Dermatologist in Denver, Colorado, who got his medical degree from the�University of Rochester Medical Center and completed his dermatology residency at Boston Medical Center.
