If the treatment of such a disease as demodex or demodicosis is not started in time, it will be fraught with consequences. If the eyelids are affected, then conjunctivitis may begin, eyelashes will fall out, pain in the eyes will appear. If the scalp is affected, then in advanced cases, inflammation, dandruff and alopecia (hair loss) appear. All these circumstances should encourage a person to take an analysis in the form of a scraping for demodex.
Symptoms of disease
Demodecosis manifests itself depending on the location of the scabies mite.
Eye symptoms:
- Easy eye fatigue.
- Angioneurotic edema, it is manifested by swelling around the eyes, similar to an allergic reaction.
- Hyperemia of the skin in the region of the edge of the eyelids.
- Severe peeling of the skin around the eyes, especially in the eyelash area.
- Severe loss of eyelashes, which mostly fall out without root. If the eyelashes fall along with the roots, this may indicate alopecia areata or telogen effluvium.
Manifestations characterizing skin demodicosis:
- Red spots, mostly on the face.
- Increased secretion of sebum.
- Presence of follicles and acne on the skin.
- Pale skin.
- The appearance of areas of peeling on the face.
- Itchy skin.
- If demodicosis dragged on, and therapeutic measures were not taken, then hair loss on the head begins.
How to get tested for demodicosis
This disease is caused by subcutaneous mites that live in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. They can stay in the human body for a long time without showing themselves. But if the work of the sebaceous glands is activated and against the background of a decrease in the immune system, demodex symptoms occur, which are characterized by increased scabies in the head, face and the appearance of rashes.
To make sure that it was a tick from the genus Demodex that caused the disease, you need to take an analysis. This is human biological material, which is tested in the laboratory. But the study should be carried out only when symptoms of demodicosis are present.
It is known that with this pathology the internal organs are not affected, the tick attacks only the upper layers of the epidermis, therefore, demodex is scraped from the affected areas of the body.
An adult mite is oblong in shape and can only be seen under a microscope.
Bsmall amounts of these microorganisms are harmless. Moreover, they regulate the acid-base and hormonal balance of epidermal cells. But if, for some reason, ticks grow, they begin to multiply in the subcutaneous layer, causing symptoms of demodicosis disease.
What is it and why is it needed?
Scraping for demodex is a procedure for the selection of biological material in order to study its microflora. When the mite multiplies in the subcutaneous layers, it results in skin scabies.
Analysis is necessary in order to distinguish demodicosis from other similar pathologies.
When the result of skin scraping for Demodex is ready, the doctor will be able to confirm or deny the presence of the disease, after which treatment will be prescribed, which involves the use of drugs that affect the nervous system of the scabies mite and prevent its further division.
How is the subcutaneous tick test going?
Demodecosis has different localization:
- Subcutaneous epithelial layer of the body, head and face.
- Tissues and circles of the eyelids.
Therefore, the order in which the biological fragment is scraped will also depend on which segment of the skin material is susceptible to infection.
If there is a suspicion of demodicosis of the epithelial tissues of the eyelids, then the dermatologist takes an eyelash from the eyelid for analysis, which, with this disease, is easily separated from it. Then the eyelash is placed in a special solution, whichserves as a kind of conservative. If demodex is present in the tissues of the eyelids, then parasites and their eggs will be found on the eyelash follicle.
Scraping from the face to demodex or from other skin surfaces of the body is taken according to the type of smear. A specialist laboratory assistant removes biological material from the surface most susceptible to disease with a cotton swab. Then this cotton swab is placed in a sterile polyethylene package, which also indicates the data on the patient who underwent the examination.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, it means that a family of Demodex mites and their eggs were found in the smear.
Laboratory scraping
Where will the demodex scraping be most informative - in the laboratory or in other medical institutions?
The most informative analysis will be scraping in the laboratory. In this case, it will be possible to identify the type of tick that attacked the skin and select the necessary treatment.
Depending on its type, the place of its distribution will be determined:
- Demodex brevis - This type of scabies mite lives in the sebaceous glands, so the scraping is taken from the affected surface.
- Demodex folliculorum - common in hair follicles, so 2-3 eyelashes will be enough for analysis.
If you are interested in where to take a demodex scraping, it is better to ask your doctor about it. He can refer the patient to a laboratory at a public clinic or to private medical centers. For example, inMoscow, you can contact "ON CLINIC", "Elegy", "MedicCity".
Eyelashes for demodex analysis
If it is indicated to take eyelashes for analysis, then you should not be afraid of pain, the procedure for pulling them out is absolutely painless. Moreover, the study will need only 2-3 cilia. If demodicosis is present, then the affected eyelash bulbs quickly separate from the skin.
In order for the analysis to give a reliable result, you must follow some rules:
- Do not wet eyelashes the day before the test.
- Do not apply make-up or medicines to the eye area.
- When shampooing, avoid getting shampoo in your eyes two days before going to the lab.
- Cancel the day before going to the analysis taking eye drops. The exceptions are those cases where the withdrawal of the drug can cause negative consequences.
If the symptoms of the disease are pronounced, but demodex was not detected in the tests, then it is worth considering that the patient has signs of seborrhea.
Self analysis
It happens that it is not possible to test for demodicosis in the laboratory. You can also make it at home. To do this, during the day it is necessary to collect several eyelashes, and if scabies has developed on the skin, then adhesive tape is glued to the rash, preferably all night. The next morning, she is squeezed between two panes of glass.
After that, any of the family members can go to the laboratory withprovided biological material. After that, a microscopic examination is carried out.
Despite these actions, this method of detecting the disease is not so informative. And sometimes the analysis is done again in the laboratory.
Rules for scraping on Demodex
As it was found out, the demodex scraping itself does not bring a person any inconvenience, pain and discomfort. But in order for its data to be the most informative, one should adhere to the following rules:
- For 1-2 days before going to the test, you do not need to apply decorative, medical or other skin care cosmetics to the skin.
- It is not allowed to wash your face the day before the scraping.
- It is advisable to take a scraping after 6 pm, since in the daytime, when exposed to sunlight, the tick can hide and the analysis data will not be correct.
- The material is taken from the affected areas, if the disease has not yet manifested itself, then from several arbitrary areas of the skin where microorganisms can presumably live. Most often these are the following places: scalp, face, eyelid area, auricles, thigh, back, chest.
If the analysis did not reveal the larvae of the mite and the scabies itself, then this means that the disease is absent. If demodex is found in the scraping, a second study will be required.
The patient learns about this on the third day after the laboratory study of biological material.
Timely diagnosis of the disease allowsidentify the disease in the early stages and easily cope with it. Demodicosis is not difficult to identify, it is enough to take a scraping for demodex and wait for the result, and the dermatologist will select the therapy.
