ABOUT DEMODEX

        Demodex is a contagious disease, that affects people all around the world, throughout the year.

        According to the research of the CSRDVI (Central scientific-research dermatovenerologic institute), 89% of people carry demodex.  The average age of women who suffer disease is 44.5¦2 years, and men v 38.3¦5.4 years. 90% of patients are women.

The demodex Disease is caused by Demodex mites (Demodicidae), who live in hair roots and sebaceous glands. Demodex mites prefers places with increased  oil glands. Demodex folliculorum live inside of hair follicles, Demodex brevis v, in sebaceous glands.

They are colorless, covered by tiny hairs, and are roughly 0.15-0.48 mm big. When they reproduce, the skin withers and many skin problems arise. The skin becomes inflamed and lumpy and acquires a faintly gray tone.  You may get rashes, whelks, acne, and sores.  A crawling sensation and itching are also common in the affected areas.

The reproductive life cycle of the mite has following stages: egg, larva, nymph 1 (protonymph), nymph 2 (deutonymph), and adult (the mite). The life cycle is 15-25 days long. Female-mites put eggs in a gaps in their hair follicles. After 60 hours the eggs hatch int larva. The larva are motionless and feed voraciously. After 40 hours, the larva changes into a nymph 1, and after 72 hours later- into a nymph 2, which is nimble and lives on the outer skin. 60 hours later the nymph changes into an adult, which puts its eggs in a follicle, and perishes there.

The characteristic localization of the mites - the so-called "a delta circuit of demodex" are: the wings of the nose, the nasolabial groove, and chin. Mites may also lives eyelashes, ears, hair on the head and face, and neck. In extreme cases, demodex mites begin to appear on the skin of the chest and very rarely (0.5-0.7% of cases), on the back.

Anti-parasitic treatment quickly eliminates the itching, confirming the leading role of demodex mite in this disease, and refutes the opinion of dermatologists who claim that demodex is not a primal cause of pathology.

Many doctors consider the mite-demodicidae only a factor in pink acne. Chinese dermatologists, as well as numerous scientists in our country (S.ð. Pavlov, O.K.Shaposhnikov, V.I.Samtsov, I.I.Ilyin), have shown that demodex is a disease in and of itself.

Infection occurs upon direct contact with an infected individual. Also, infection has been known to take place in beauty salons.

         You will find more detailed information about demodex in the section Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)