Post-scabies problem with demodex on face?

For all acne and rosacea related skin problems,
post here.

Moderators: Julia, Walter, Administrator

Post Reply
saturnineinch
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 8:19 am

Post-scabies problem with demodex on face?

Post by saturnineinch »

Hey everyone!

So I have kind of a weird story - about 5 months ago I was diagnosed and treated for scabies, which is an itchy full-body skin condition that normally doesn't affect face and scalp caused by the itch mite. It is similar to the demodex mite, but it usually prefers parts of the body other than the face.

Anyways, to make a long story short, after treatment for the scabies, I started getting itchiness in my face and scalp. A few itchy pustules started appearing on my face, which I generally could take care of with some sulfur soap and/or lotion with tea tree/neem/eucalyptus oil. I thought maybe the scabies had moved to my face, because I could feel crawling and sometimes biting sensations on my face and the pustules seemed to appear in rows sometimes. However, I have a history of mild rosacea (redness/flushing), and I thought maybe it was related to that, so I did research and found out the possible connection to demodex mites.

Anyways about a week ago the activity on my face seemed to increase, and in desperation I used the sulfur soap a lot which was drying out my skin. I also used the lotion I make with tea tree/neem/eucalyptus oil, which is supposed to be anti-parasitic. I don't know if that aggravated it, but for the past couple days it has been worse than ever. (It's also been very hot and sunny here so maybe that aggravated it too). It's very itchy like tiny mosquito bites or hives - they're not like acne because there's no whiteheads and they can't be popped. I also have some itching in my scalp, neck, ears, and shoulder area. I'm not sure if that's related to the scabies or my possible demodex. I've included some pictures below so you guys can see what it looks like.

Whole face view: http://imgur.com/SJ0gCkc
Right cheek: http://i.imgur.com/dVXPysp.jpg
Left cheek: http://i.imgur.com/d5pa828.jpg

It's kind of difficult to really see in the picture but it is fairly red. It feels very rough, bumpy and thick to the touch. I went to the dermatologist and was prescribed Rosiced (metronidazole ointment) but it seems to dry out my skin. I've ordered some ZZ-Cream, but while I'm waiting, I'm debating if I should continue with the Rosiced or not.

Thanks so much. Any input would be very welcome!
User avatar
Walter
Posts: 767
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:30 pm
Location: Hong kong
Contact:

Re: Post-scabies problem with demodex on face?

Post by Walter »

Hello

It happens many times that after a scabies infection a demodex mites problem occur,
one way or the other it looks that the scabies mites trigger the immune system to start reacting
on the demodex mites, we saw this already many times.
Treating with the ZZ ointment will solve the problem

Walter
Post Reply