Demodex? - Page 2

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

@GenXmuse wrote:
My immune system went wonky about seven years ago and I ended up with this. Ask your dermatologist about ivermectin. I hope you get some relief soon.

Thank you! I have taken 2 RX's of this. Glad your ordeal is long gone.

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

One More Thing.....

Before I could get in to my doctor I ordered some products from Amaz@n.

Clearidex worked but was very harsh (for eyes)

Avenova was wonderful for eyes and gentle

a shampoo & conditioner made scalp worce and I returned and notified the company.

the name was something like Ovinate and I will look it up and clarify later.

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

It was OVANTE.

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Jackhound Mom wrote:
Here is the name of 1 of the articles that helped us understand some about this problem.

'You Are The Healer"
Demodex Mites: Normal Inhabitants That Can Get Out of Control

Also from what my Derm doctor told us:
There are 2 types of mange
Scabies & Demodex

Scabies are on top of the skin, Demodex live under the skin.

Conditions that are caused by Demodex are:

Acne
Blepharitis
Roscia
Alopecia

If anyone here has another good on-line article please share it.

Thank you

I forgot to mention that Eczema can also be "code" for this problem along with the above conditions

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

I do not want to hijack the thread but I was told by my eye doctor I had blepharitis.....my eyes are bloodshot, and are some times overly watery, my nose runs all the time, because my eyes are wattery.

According to my eye doctor the lower lashline gets clogged, which in turn irritates my eyes. I always feel like I look sick since my eyes are almost always bloodshot.

He gave me an eye wash to use - which really does not do a lot of good....Maybe I should see a dermatologist....

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
I do not want to hijack the thread but I was told by my eye doctor I had blepharitis.....my eyes are bloodshot, and are some times overly watery, my nose runs all the time, because my eyes are wattery.

According to my eye doctor the lower lashline gets clogged, which in turn irritates my eyes. I always feel like I look sick since my eyes are almost always bloodshot.

He gave me an eye wash to use - which really does not do a lot of good....Maybe I should see a dermatologist....

You are not hijacking anything, I hope you will get some answers. Here's what happened to me first. My eyelids felt rough at the lash line and my eyelids did not have the same color. They were sort of red. The strangest thing was on the margins I would get a bump (very small) and they would rub or scratch off. My eye doctor saw this along with my red cheeks and even showed us photos of the condition on his PC but he never named the problem or gave me anything for it! When I saw my dermatoligist he gave me the pills for parasites and the shampoo. It's funny you mention that your nose runs, mine did also and if someone has these mites they can get to the ears or nose. Please see your skin doctor. I hope you get help and I'm sorry you are going through this.

Thats Me · ‎03-09-2010

@Jackhound Mom @Hi - I've had some experience and am happy to share. I have rosacea, which has affected my eyes several times and I've gone to an ophthalmologist for treatment, usually 1-3x a year. And I am plagued with dry eye syndrome which has led to blepharitis. That part is age-related. At least once that condition involved demodex. It has been a vicious cycle but knock on wood I've been ok for a stretch! Here's what I do as needed: warm compresses. Cliradex wipes which have tea tree oil in them (my MD recommended them and they're great). Whether using the wipes or not I use a bit of force (not too much though) and go across the lash line, back and forth. And warm water. If not using a wipe I use a washcloth. I do this to soften and remove the hard things that get into the lash line. All advice from my MD.

When I have an infection it's prescription drops. I've also taken oral doxycycline which works wonders but aggravates my stomach so I don't take it unless really necessary, and then half the regular dose.

I cant wear eye makeup because it tends to clog the follicles along the lash line. This is really a bummer for me but it's better than having the eye issues.

Hope this helps you! At the least you can try warm compresses several times a day. That's pretty benign.

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Thats Me Thank you for the great answers/advice. This is really a tough problem and is almost never spoken about. I would think there would be TV ads galore with products for this as it is a common problem that is overlooked and misunderstood by even doctors.

One article I read said some thatr have or believe they have a problem with this are nutty!

I had the problem in my lids and yes, Clearidex works but is so harsh. Mine also went to the scalp which was much harder to control. I got an RX shampoo but the real cure for me was a shampoo from Amazon that did these 4 things:

Follicular Flushing

Keratolytic

Anit-Seborrheic

Anti-Microbial

It is Benzoyl Peroxide 3%

Salicylic Acid 2%

I think every skin & eye doctor should carry or recommend this to all who suffer from this problem.

It's no wonder if you have this in your eyes while drying form your shower it would be spread to the scalp or vise versa.

I hope this thread helps anyone that has had this problem.

Cathy

Thats Me · ‎03-09-2010

Hi @Jackhound Mom @it's all part of life isn't it! It sounds like you know what works for you which is GREAT. Because that can be a journey in and of itself.

May I ask what brand of shampoo from Az is it that is so effective for you? I may give it a shot.
thanks so much! Yes the wipes are harsh but I keep my eyes closed so they don't get irritated. Also I cut one in half because a whole one is a lot more than I need, so that helps with the cost since they're not cheap..

Jackhound Mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Thats Me wrote:
Hi @Jackhound Mom @it's all part of life isn't it! It sounds like you know what works for you which is GREAT. Because that can be a journey in and of itself.
May I ask what brand of shampoo from Az is it that is so effective for you? I may give it a shot.
thanks so much! Yes the wipes are harsh but I keep my eyes closed so they don't get irritated. Also I cut one in half because a whole one is a lot more than I need, so that helps with the cost since they're not cheap..

@Thats Me

Thanks for asking. The one I got from the Dr. is Ketoconazole 2% and is an RX. The over the counter is something like Nyzorile (sp?) and is 1 %

Selsun blue is also supposed to work

What I bought from Amazon is called CuraBenz by BEXLEY lABS. Please don't be put off by the fact that is a broad spectrrum Veterinary formula. It has everything in it to kill demodex mites.

Again I hope this works, this is a difficult thing to deal with.