Today, demodicosis is not a very common disease, but sometimes it still occurs, both in humans and in mammals. It is not difficult to recognize the signs of demodicosis, however, for an accurate diagnosis, it is still strongly recommended to contact a medical institution, where a qualified worker will confirm or deny the presence of this pathology.
The disease affects the sebaceous glands, as well as hair follicles on the human body, and most often it occurs when certain failures have occurred in the body. The disease can become chronic, and also begin to flow with exacerbations. Further in the article, we will talk about what are the main signs of demodicosis, and also learn how to treat this disease with various methods. Carefully read the information provided in order to protect and arm yourself as much as possible.
What is demodicosis
The described disease is characterized by damage to the skina special type of tick - demodex. The sebaceous glands and hair follicles are home to this parasite. And this means that signs of demodicosis can be found in the face, in the ears, on the eyelids, in the nasolabial folds, on the eyebrows, and so on. The named parasite chooses for itself those places in which the sebaceous glands work as actively as possible.
If the human immune system is in excellent condition, then the tick can be located directly in the upper layers of the skin, while feeding on dead cells. But as soon as the body's defenses are weakened, the tick penetrates deep, and then you can notice the first signs of demodicosis.
In fact, over seventy percent of the world's population are carriers of this parasite. At the same time, women with delicate fair skin are affected much more often than the stronger sex.
Especially good signs of demodicosis can be seen if we examine the hair follicle under a microscope. There you will notice just an incredibly huge cluster of colorless mites that have already managed to attack your body.
Causes of occurrence
As mentioned above, more than seventy percent of people are carriers of this disease. However, some of them do not even know that they have such a disease, while others no longer know what to do to eliminate the signs of demodicosis on their faces. Of course, the reason for the sharp deterioration is the fact of active reproduction of parasites. This can happen if the human body is under stress, andalso with a significant deterioration in the functioning of the immune system.
If the disease began to actively progress, then more than ten representatives of Demodex can be found in each hair follicle. Consider the main reasons leading to the appearance of signs of demodicosis on the face:
- prolonged stay in nervous tension, as well as the constant experience of stress;
- not following the diet and eating too many spicy and fatty foods;
- provoking factor is visiting solariums, saunas and baths;
- excessive abuse of cosmetic products that have a very greasy and oily base.
All of the above factors contribute to the activation of increased work of the sebaceous glands, which in turn contributes to the appearance of signs of demodicosis in humans. Oily skin is an excellent breeding ground for mites.
A very common cause of pathology is a malfunction of the immune system. Even the most common cold can spur the active work of the tick. Also, a violation of metabolic processes in the body can provoke an ailment. This is especially true of the fair sex, using hormonal contraceptive methods.
By the way, for a person infected with a tick, the daily use of cosmetics from the same package will contribute to constant self-infection. To avoid this, doctors advise choosing drugs placed in a tube, and notin a jar. So the risk of constant self-infection will be minimal.
As practice shows, it is not very difficult for a person to get rid of the signs of demodicosis, especially if the disease is at an early stage. But if various bacterial infections also join the tick, then the treatment process will be longer and more tedious.
Most often, the signs and symptoms of demodicosis can be found in people with oily, sensitive and loose skin. In women, as we have already said, the disease is much more common, as the fair sex uses a large number of different cosmetics.
Signs and symptoms of demodicosis
In fact, it is not very difficult to recognize the pathology. After all, it is characterized by certain symptoms. Let's consider by what signs it is possible to understand that such an unwanted inhabitant has settled in your skin and hair follicles:
- The presence of various pimples, blackheads and ulcers on the face. The more the disease begins to progress, the more it affects the skin. Gradually, the rash may also spread to the neck, back and chest.
- The skin becomes incredibly oily and the pores enlarged. The greatest fat content can be seen on the nose, forehead, and chin.
- The skin becomes bumpy. Under them, a special tissue begins to form, which gives the skin an unhe althy and neglected look.
- If the disease is severely neglected, the nose may begin to change its shape and increase in size. Sometimes the skin on ittakes on a bluish tint.
- A clear sign of demodicosis in the ears and on the face is a slight itching sensation. At the same time, most people do not pay absolutely no attention to this sign, and simply automatically scratch one or another part of the body. Most often, this symptom increases significantly at night. This suggests that the mites are starting their activity and mating.
- Severe itching is also observed in the scalp. In this case, the disease may be accompanied by significant hair loss.
- The same goes for eyelashes. A person feels a strong burning sensation at their roots, which indicates the vigorous activity of demodex. Eyelash loss is a clear sign of eyelid demodicosis.
As you can see, there are simply a huge number of signs that indicate the presence of a tick in your body. If you notice at least one of them, contact a dermatologist for a diagnosis, and start timely treatment.
Signs of eye demodicosis
Most often, the described disease affects only the skin on the face, but sometimes it also goes to the eyelids. This form of pathology is considered the most severe and is characterized by special symptoms. Usually people are not sufficiently aware of such manifestations of the disease and do not even realize that Demodex has taken up the job.
Let's consider what are the main signs of eye demodicosis in humans:
- The occurrence of severe redness, inflammation and swelling of the eyelids.
- In some caseswhite-yellow discharge from the eyes is noticed, which at the same time have a frothy character.
- Small white scales appear at the base of the eyelashes, and the eyelashes themselves begin to fall out rapidly.
- The patient feels a constant burning sensation, so he combs his eyelid very hard. As a result, his situation becomes even more complicated. He may also have a feeling of having a foreign object in his eye.
- Signs of demodicosis of the organs of vision in humans also include the frequent occurrence of styes and other diseases such as conjunctivitis, blepharitis and many others.
- Some patients have experienced significant visual impairment.
Stages of disease
The symptoms of this disease primarily depend on the number of ticks, as well as on the speed of their reproduction. The very first and main sign of the presence of the described pathology is acne not only on the face, but also on the skin of the eyelids and throughout the body.
There are several forms of the disease, which are characterized by the type of rash. Consider the main stages and forms of demodicosis.
Erythermal form
This type of pathology is manifested by the occurrence of erythema in certain areas of the skin. Most often, these rashes can be found on the nose and cheeks. However, they are characterized by clear borders and slightly raised edges.
This form of demodicosis is very similar to rosacea, so complex diagnostic measures must be taken to differentiate it.
Papular-pustular type of disease
Next varietyDemodicosis is characterized by the appearance of papules and pustules. Such phenomena occur when the sebaceous ducts simply overflow with fat, and they are blocked by mites. At the same time, pustules can become quite impressive in size and turn red and burgundy.
Hypertrophic stage of the disease
This stage of pathology develops with the active progression of the disease, which is not subject to any therapeutic measures. In this case, the patient may experience hypertrophic processes in some areas of the skin. This is usually the chin, nose and cheeks.
Is it possible to develop complications
If you do not start timely treatment of demodicosis, then serious complications may occur. At the same time, if you remove pimples yourself at home, you can only aggravate your situation, because the purulent infection will begin to spread rapidly, and besides, there is simply a huge risk of other infections. Just imagine what can happen to your skin when self-squeezing acne mechanically.
Let's consider what consequences this disease can lead to:
- Demodicosis, the signs, treatment and symptoms of which are described in this article, can lead to very advanced forms of acne, which will lead to the development of scars and scars.
- Severe chronic inflammation (rosacea) can develop on the skin (particularly on the face).
- Because the diseaseaccompanied by excessive sebum secretion, this can lead to many other pathologies, such as seborrheic and perioral dermatitis.
- Eye damage is also considered a complication of the disease. It's hard to believe, but small parasites can lead to blindness if a person is not treated in time.
If the pathology was detected in the early stages, and the patient started treatment in a timely manner, then complications can be avoided.
Demodicosis in dogs
Not only people face such an unpleasant disease. Quite often, the demodex mite also settles in various mammals. However, most often the parasite prefers dogs.
Signs of demodicosis in a pug, as well as in other breeds of dogs, are easy to notice. The main thing is to carefully examine your animal. And we will tell you by what symptoms you can determine the presence of a tick in a dog:
- Pathological hair loss. In this case, this process begins with a small patch of skin, after which it spreads throughout the body.
- Animals develop skin scales, scabs, rashes, acne and some nodules.
If the disease has a localized form, it does not pose a particular threat to the animal. In this case, there are no large lesions on the pet's body, and the disease does not spread throughout the body. According to veterinarians, in this case there is no need to resort to the use of antibiotics or other serious medications, since the disease can disappear on its own. The main thing is to stock uppatience.
But generalized demodicosis affects a large surface of the skin. Moreover, such a disease is most often transmitted to offspring by inheritance. To eliminate it, it is very important to take urgent medical measures.
How the diagnosis is made
The first signs of demodicosis on the face are easy to notice. The main thing is to contact a dermatologist for a diagnosis. To identify the parasite, the doctor will take a scraping of the epithelial tissue in the place where the skin lesion was noticed. At the same time, the difficulty lies in the fact that before such an analysis, the patient should not wash his face for several days, as well as use cosmetics.
According to statistics, during the first analysis, it is not always possible to detect adult ticks and their larvae on the skin. Therefore, to establish accurate results, it is recommended to take it several times.
The doctor will determine the presence of pathology if at least five adult ticks were found on the skin, with an area of 1 cm². In this case, you will have to start treatment immediately.
How the treatment process works
To get a good result, it is very important to use an integrated approach to treatment. Demodicosis, the signs and methods of therapy of which you can learn in this article, is treated with the use of drugs for the local destruction of parasites, as well as with the help of complex means.
Features of topical drugs
Sometimes photos of signs of demodicosis are really amazing,since the patient's skin can change beyond recognition, and it will be very difficult, and sometimes completely impossible, to return them to their previous appearance. In many ways, everything will depend on the actions of the patient himself.
Topical drugs are usually used in courses with short breaks. So, mild stages of pathology can be completely eliminated in one to two months. But if the disease has already begun to actively progress, then it may take you more than one year to treat.
Most often, for therapy, doctors recommend their patients to use various ointments for external use. Thus, preparations containing zinc, sulfur, as well as mercury or tar have an excellent therapeutic effect. Means based on these components are able to stop the activity of ticks.
The drugs most commonly prescribed to patients include:
- Ichthyol ointment;
- Metragil;
- sulfur ointment;
- yellow mercury ointment;
- Demalan and many others.
Each of these medicines is very effective. However, it is worth remembering that only an experienced dermatologist can prescribe treatment, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body of each patient.
If the pathology began to spread to the eyes, then additional treatment should be prescribed. It is very important to use special eye drops. From the best side, such drugs as "Armin", "Tosmilen" and "Physostigmine" showed themselves. And in order to restore the growth of hair, eyebrows and eyelashes,it is recommended to rub burdock oil into the skin.
Systemic treatment
First of all, in the presence of demodicosis, a specialist should prescribe a course of systematic therapy to his patient. With this disease, it is very important to establish the activity of the immune system. To do this, it is necessary to normalize the diet, include sports, and also accustom your body to hardening. An additional measure may be the use of immunomodulating drugs. They can be either natural or synthetic.
It is also recommended that the patient take a course of vitamins and microelements. It is especially important to take such a measure for those people who constantly suffer from seasonal colds.
If necessary, doctors recommend taking a course of treatment with antiparasitic drugs. Good results can be achieved by taking Ornidazole and Metronidazole. However, please note that such drugs have a rather strong effect on the body, so before using them, you need to make sure that they really suit you.
Additional measures
We have listed for you what clinical signs of demodicosis are observed most often. But before you start treating any disease, you need to correctly diagnose it. Therefore, if you have the first symptoms of demodicosis, go to a dermatologist to confirm or refute your doubts.
By the way, during the course of treatment, doctors recommend adhering to additional skin care procedures. So, it is worth refusing to wash with water with chemical cleansers. It is better to replace the usual washing procedure with the use of decoctions of chamomile, sage or calendula. Use tar-based soap once a day. Avoid oil-based creams. If necessary, replace them with lighter gel formulations. During the course of treatment, it is not recommended to perform any cosmetic procedures, including going to the solarium.
Preventive measures
To prevent tick infestation, be sure to maintain personal hygiene. Do wet cleaning and laundry at home as often as possible. It is recommended to iron washed items.
Pay attention to your diet. Eliminate sugary, fatty, fried and spicy foods from your diet. Be sure to include meat, vegetables, fruits, cereals and vegetable oils in your diet.
Don't start any fungal and viral diseases. Always proceed to their timely treatment. At the same time, be sure to monitor the state of the immune system, and then Demodex simply will not be able to exist normally in your body.
Conclusions
Only you are responsible for your he alth, so start doing it right now. If you notice even the slightest signs of demodicosis, urgently go to a dermatologist. Early treatment will save you from many unpleasant consequences.
Start to lead a proper lifestyle, eat well, avoid stress, monitor your immune system, and you can protect yourself from many dangerous and unpleasant diseases. Take care of yourself and youyou will be spared from many he alth problems.
