This information mite make your skin crawl.
Dr. Scott Walter, a dermatologist in Golden, Colorado, recently told his 959,700 TikTok followers about teeny, tiny bugs called Demodex mites that live on everyone’s faces.
“And it’s actually distantly related to ticks and spiders because it also has eight legs, but it likes to live in our pores of the face and eat off our sebum or the oil that we produce,” Walter explained.
But before you panic, Walter assured his viewers: “They’re our friends. Accept them, and they’re here to stay.”
That is because the mites are actually mating on your face, so there’s no reason to actively get rid of them — unless you’re experiencing some unpleasant symptoms.
The microscopic bugs live in or around hair follicles, including eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as nipples, ears and areas with pubic hair, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
If kept under control, they will not cause any problems.
However, the National Institutes of Health recommends that people keep the mites in check by washing their face twice a day with non-soap cleanser, avoiding oil-based cleansers and greasy makeup, and exfoliating every now and then to remove dead skin cells.
But if you start to experience symptoms on the face — including burning or itching, redness, sandpaper-like skin or eczema-like scales — the mites may have multiplied out of control.
Typically, that happens with the immune system isn’t functioning well.
An overgrowth of mites is typically treated by creams, gels, lotions or washes that contain acaricide — a pesticide that kills ticks and mites.
“You only need to treat Demodex if you have things like rosacea or severe folliculitis from them,” Walter explained.
The Post has contacted Walter for further comment.
Too many mites could also cause a condition called demodicosis, but that is pretty rare, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
People who have skin conditions, such as rosacea, or are receiving chemotherapy, living with HIV and AIDS, or using itch-relieving creams on their faces are more likely to get demodicosis.
Doctors previously warned fans of eyelash extensions to make sure they clean their beauty products carefully as eyelash lice were on the rise.
