undeniable observations : 20 months and not cured

[crzyakta]

Peaches one thing to note, which is odd in ur case...stridex pads have 2% salicylic acid as the active ingredient...this is known to kill (though not to effectively) demodex mites...how do you think it triggered ur outbreaks? why did you use it to begin with?

[sandy]

Interesting observation, but the point is that now pears does have a problem and wants to cure it. I too am wondering why a maintanance program is needed, I think we need Walters input in this thread.

[pears103]

I don't have any idea why an outbreak happened but all I know is I had not a single problem with my facial redness or pastules and the pimples associated with rosacea until I used the stridex pad on my face. Maybe my face was allergic to the pads and couldn't handle it. I did use them for like 3 days straight so probably the effects were very strong. I never used stridex pads before then in my entire life..which would explain why I all of a sudden got a red face that wouldn't go away.

[crzyakta]

Perhaps the stridex ruined the equilibrium of demodex on your skin, causing them to proliferate uncontrollably?

[pears103]

perhaps the mites did indeed. I think it sounds logical to assume that the chemical balance in my face/body was shifted when i used the stridex pads. I had 1 tiny red zit on my nose so I used a stridex pad..and the next day the redness was covering a larger portion of my face..and me being dumb used stridex pads again and it kept spreading. I had no signs of redness in my cheeks or nose before using the stridex pads for 3 straight nights and my acne actually got worse..not better...after using stridex pads. This is why I just ordered some zz cream. a month's supply or 2(b/c i ordered all 4 of zz) to hopefully solve my facial problem and return my face to the normal clear skin it used to be.

[crzyakta]

You made a good point with the immune system pears (lol sorry I called you peaches b4)...I would assume that after 6 months of consistent treatment, while also boosting your immune system (via taking ester-c and b-complex), the acne and mites should be in definate remission/control

Any of those who may have taken such a road like to comment? thanks

[SteveInAustin]

It's really overly simplistic saying that one can just reach a point where ones immune system "takes over" and is able to deal with mites/bacteria/whatever. The truth of the matter is that for some people, their immune systems will never be good enough to deal with these invaders on the skin. Inside the body, where their blood is able to come into contact with invaders, no problem. They can fight that off easily. It's just a problem with invaders that do NOT come into direct contact with the blood. And that covers all skin problems. So, some people are just genetically disadvantaged when it comes to this. There's no magic pill or cream that can truly cure people of it, because it's genetic (my opinion, but based on good reasoning). The only real cure would be something that alters your DNA itself. And that ain't gonna happen in the near future. We're talking 30 years away minimum.

We just have a genetic blind spot here. That's all. And that's why we have to be diligent about what we come into contact with and using various products to ensure we remain protected. Sorry to be the one to tell you that, but I feel that's the truth. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones whose physiology changes with age, and at some point in the future your body will be able to deal with these invaders. Who knows.

I wish there was a better way. A year or two ago I first heard of a virus that someone had managed to engineer which would only kill the acne bacteria. Neat idea. I doubt it would be a one-time application and you're protected forever, though. That's because the viruses will die once they run out of bacteria. And they probably won't be able to get to all the bacteria before they die, either. They might be engineered so that they don't reproduce, either. So I doubt it will be anything better than what we already have in the way of topicals. Systemic antibiotics will probably be more effective.

Steve
Austin, Texas USA

[sandy]

Interesting post Steve, however, Pears did say that before using the strips he skin was fine, so I guess her skin immune system was working well. This was the same for me, my skin was fine, then suddenly (whilst going through serious stress) I started to get symptoms. My own theory is that these mites are just opportunists like many microorganisms, and when the host is stressed, and the conditions are favorable, they proliferate. Logically, it should be possible to get them down to the pre-problamatic level. In cases where somebody has suffered with acne all thier lives, it could be as you say, a weakness in the immune system.

[crzyakta]

Steve you are completely right in that immune defficiencies do exist from person to person....but sometimes you have to look at other factors...ie no symptoms prior to a really stressful experience etc...where the immune system is weakened for that prolonged period of time, enough for an infection to come about...also in terms of immune response at the skin level...thats why we have inflammation and inflammed lesions from acne

I would assume long term immune strengthening would aid in combatting all types of skin parasites etc

[SteveInAustin]

Interesting post Steve, however, Pears did say that before using the strips he skin was fine, so I guess her skin immune system was working well. This was the same for me, my skin was fine, then suddenly (whilst going through serious stress) I started to get symptoms. My own theory is that these mites are just opportunists like many microorganisms, and when the host is stressed, and the conditions are favorable, they proliferate. Logically, it should be possible to get them down to the pre-problamatic level. In cases where somebody has suffered with acne all thier lives, it could be as you say, a weakness in the immune system.

I don't think you can conclude what you've concluded. Not yet anyway.

Changes in physiology happen all the time for various reasons. Age is the biggest trigger of changes. Your body's genes (DNA) express themselves differently at different stages in your life. That's the reason why people who are going through puberty have acne but often clear up after puberty has completed.

But you may be right. Stress, diet, exercise, etc. are all environmental factors that can contribute to a decrease in immune capability. But if it was just these that caused your acne, then your acne should go away fairly rapidly as your episode of high stress, poor diet, low exercise, etc. completes. If it doesn't go away, then something else is responsible. Perhaps even an illness you're not aware of. Or it could be your genes expressing themselves differently with age as I mentioned before.

I don't accept the hypothesis that mites "move in" when your immune system dips. Those mites were there probably just a few hours after your birth. They were always on your skin. In large numbers. As with everyone on earth I would imagine. It's just that your body was able to deal with them just fine before. But something changed. So I don't think they moved in at a time when your immune response was low. I think they were always there.

Also, I don't think your body has any defense for mites really. The standard defenses only affect bacteria and viruses. Mites are much larger, and so I don't think there's anything in the human body which kills them. So basically, that lends support to the idea that everyone has them on their faces all the time. It's just that for most people, the mites don't cause acne to form.

And by the way, acne pustules are caused by an outbreak of acne bacteria, which feeds on oil, oil which is produced by the pores to flush out the mite corpses.

So to put it all together... I think what's really happening is that the mites were always there in the same numbers. But something happened to your body's physiology which now allows acne pustules to appear. Why do they appear? Because of an inability to deal with acne bacteria. That could be because the body has become allergic to them or their feces. Or it could be because the body is now producing more oil than before to get rid of the mite corpses, and the acne bacteria proliferate on the oil thereby overwhelming your immune system which causes acne pustules to appear. Why is your body producing more oil? Perhaps because of a change in gene expression with age. Who knows. And there are potentially many other explanations for all of what's going on.

Steve
Austin, Texas USA

[SteveInAustin]

Steve you are completely right in that immune defficiencies do exist from person to person....but sometimes you have to look at other factors...ie no symptoms prior to a really stressful experience etc...where the immune system is weakened for that prolonged period of time, enough for an infection to come about...also in terms of immune response at the skin level...thats why we have inflammation and inflammed lesions from acne

I would assume long term immune strengthening would aid in combatting all types of skin parasites etc

When you say that it is possible to boost the immune system, I don't know what that means really. Yes, some nutrients taken with food do seem to improve acne for some people (zinc for example). Other nutrients can make it worse (iodine for example). But the cause of that is unknown. Whether it works by boosting the immune system or not is anyone's guess.

See, saying we should improve our immune systems is a very broad statement. Our immune system consists of an awful lot of machinery, each doing different things. And so if our target is acne, what things can be done to improve the parts of the immune system which deal with the cause of acne? Well, in order to answer that we need to know what the cause of acne is. Just bacteria? Oil production? Getting antibiotics to the skin? Allergens? Waste disposal? Etc.

Yes, I'm all for things like eating the right diet, exercising, relaxation, etc. Those are all common sense things. Trouble is, I've done all that and then some without any change to my acne more than a couple weeks or so (long enough to get rid of the placebo effect). I've tried it all, too. Vitamins, minerals, colloidal silver, fasting, herbs, traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture, moxa, chi-kung, herbs), ayurvedic medicine, TM, biofeedback, home made topicals, homepathy, and probably a bunch of others I can't think of. None of those things did squat for my acne, but they did drain me of some pretty hefty coinage. And that's a similar pattern I've seen in most others with adult acne. Your mileage may vary, however.

My advice now, from all of my experience with the subject, is to do the following to boost your immune system: eat right (high complex carb, low simple carb, low saturated fat, low salt, medium protein, lots of fruits, lots of veggies, little meat), exercise, relax, get a good night's sleep, and take a multivitamin daily. Beyond that, you're probably wasting your time and money.

Steve
Austin, Texas USA

[sousi]

To JS:

There is a very obvious solution to your problem. Shave your head and use the face cream all over your face and scalp until you completely rid yourself of the mites. Then you can go on a maintenance routine.

SB

[crzyakta]

Steve, I have also tried alot of what you mentioned...meditation, fasting, special diets, vitamins, collodial silver, herbs (sesamin actually works reallg well against acne, but kills your libido and sexual performance, as does beta-sitosterol)....how has your acne fared with an anti-mite treatment (which I assume you are undertaking)?

[crzyakta]

Also, steve, see what this researcher says about the immune system and demodex (and its possible implications in rosacea, acne, and hairloss):

http://pestalert.ifas.ufl.edu/acne.htm

also what are your thoughts on acne/rosacea worsening with stress and/or steroid usage?

[pears103]

I've used aloe vera lotion the past 2 weeks or so and have noticed my facial redness has went down probably 50%. I just don't see why a maintenance dose is required..and for how long does the maintenance supposed to happen? If it's for the rest of your life then this is definately no cure in my eyes. I just want a clear face and I know the pads caused my face to be this way because for the 20 years before taking the stridex pads my face was nice and clear with very minimal zits.