Demodex Journal - With Pictures

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Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hello all,

My name is Stefan and i sufer of severe Demodex for over 1.5 years(facial and scalp), i've tried all kinds of treatmens that i will talk later.

Tomorrow I will get my hands on my order from Demodex Solutions(ZZ Cream, Zin Cream, soap and shampoo) and i decidet to stick with this treatment for over 120 days.

I will keep you updated as much as i can, and we will go togheter to this journey.

Here is a photo of my actual status (before starting the treatment):

http://i.minus.com/ipY8S67CtSGd8.jpg

Image

- in this picture taken today, my face is just before night time, washed with wather and tea tree oil.
That's why looks "quite good", but it can be much worse, you will see. :(

To begin, i have 2 questions:
1. When i am in "eruption mode", and i have all this pimples with pus, what is recommanded to do?
- if they break when you wash you face, fine, if not let them alon
- break them with my nails like a teenager

2. It is recommandet to shave as much as possible, or not?

Keep in touch!
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Walter
Posts: 767
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:30 pm
Location: Hong kong
Contact:

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Walter »

Hello Stefan

Thank you for your before picture

I have been an acne sufferer myself since teenager and In my opinion,
it is better to push the sebum/pus out if a spot is ready for it.
On the other hand, starting to mess with a spot too soon can make it worse, however,
there are many different kinds of spots and it also depends on which part of the face they are
so it is a bit up to you what to do with them according your own experience.
I had for example infections under the skin which took a long time yo heal and almost made no pus
so never ready to squeeze out, if I did do nothing they went away after some weeks but left
a scar, like the bacteria eaten some skin, if I made a hole with a (sterile) needle and tried to
push out some liquid then most of the time they healed without a scar.
No general rule for this I guess………
It is recommended to shave as much as possible, or not?
Doesn't matter

Walter
Acorn59
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 2:56 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Acorn59 »

Hi Stefan!

I like your positive attitude, and your willingness to give demodex a fair shot! I've only been using it for 1 month, so I can keep you updated as well.

When I was reading most of these posts, a lot of people didn't really get to the point that they wanted to be until around 6 months. So I will be on them til 6 months. :) And then judge from there.

To answer your questions..

I agree with walter about the pus thing. You should do what you feel will work better for you. In my experiences (especially after starting zzcream), the pimples with pus HURT! And they are very irritating. I just feel like I am carrying around infection... lol So I take tweezers or a sterilized needle and pop it. I drain the pus out, and put whatever medicine (in this case, zz cream). Pop, wash face, then medicine. The scars do fade over time.

As for the shaving,... I think it would be best to invest in an electric shaver. I think it's good to have short hair in beard when treating (and maybe you look better with shaved.. lol), and the electric shaver doesn't irritate the skin.

I also notice that you have acne mainly around your mouth.
Have you tried using a toothpaste without fluoride?

I, and a few of my friends have noticed that when we switched to a toothpaste without fluoride in it, our symptoms improved. My favorite toothpaste is Vicco.

:)
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hi there,

I will take your advice with the tooth paste.
Regarding the electric shaver i have 2 major concerns:
1. Spreading the infection taking in consideration that in not very reusable. (that's why i switched to single-use shave blades :) )
2. Irritation and pain :)

Ok, we will keep in touch about the updates, i will soon post a new image.

How is your condition after one month?

PS: I've heard that a healthy diet helps... do you have any idea?
Acorn59
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 2:56 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Acorn59 »

Hey again!
lol I am not a guy, so I have no knowledge about shaving the beard area. haha Most of my guy friends use the electric shaver. Their race is black/african american. They said that the electric shaver is better because since they have curly hair, when they shave with regular shaver, it grows back in ingrown, and causes a lof of problems. or something like that. And my uncle, who is white, uses an electric shaver and he has baby smooth skin. But I never did think about infection. =O I wonder if they have cleaners for shavers? Like they have cleaners for retainers, and things like makeup brushes. lol You know your skin better than anyone so I say use the shaver that causes you to break out less. :)
I have heard that if you shave with the lather from your facial cleanser, things are not so irriated. I also read one time that a man put diaper rash cream around his mouth area to help with the bumps around there. I don't know if this is related to demodex, or... what. because diaper rash cream has zinc oxide.

I started zz cream on November 14, 2012.
So yesterday was literally one month. haha

My problems:
Eyebrow loss. Eyebrow flakes - seborrhea/seborrheic dermatitis in eyebrows.
oily skin
acne on forehead, chin, cheeks, and nose, and between eyebrows. basically my whole face. =)

I do have acne on my back. And I also have dandruff on my scalp.

After 1 month of using zz cream, my skin is not that oily. My acne has its ups and downs (which is normal). It seems to get worse every Friday. I do not know why? I heard demodex cycle is every 2 weeks so ...it might have something to do with that? The breakouts are bad. But after a month, each breakout is less terrible than the previous. So that is good. My eyebrows still fall out. I still have eyebrow dandruff. The oily skin is better. So I guess overall, my symptoms are still present, but it's not as bad (the eyebrow loss and dandruff is still bad though). It's okay because I know it takes time. I am now starting to treat the scalp. I change my pillowcase every 3 days. I take multivitamin, D3, C, and olive leaf.

As for diet, I actually made a post here on this forum. lol how ironic. Walter replied and said that the diet didn't really affect it (i assume he means while using zz cream). :)

I have not changed my diet. I do admit that i splurge every once in a while, but I haven't really given up anything that I love. I still eat my carbs, my dark chocolate.... =)
I think that all of those people that have clear skin,...even when they eat trash,.... are okay because their immune system takes care of the demodex population. But people like me and you,... when we eat junk, I think something happens and the demodex population get out of control. This is why we need something like zz cream to keep things in check. maybe? possibly? just a theory. I noticed before using zz cream, that I have a strong reaction to gluten/wheat.

But since using zz cream, I don't seem to have this problem. I remember I couldn't eat pizza, and baked ziti. I eat those, and don't really have a problem anymore. ^_^ So I say... for diet... I would try to eat healthy, and if you know something bothers your body, just avoid it. Especially in the beginning stages of treating demodex. But later down the road,... maybe 8 months or so when demodex problem is not so bad, maybe give your sweets a shot.

Are you from Russia? Stefan seems like a russian name? I heard benzol benzoate (spelling?) is popular use in russia for demodex. couldn't find it in the USA here though.

I have pictures of me, but don't feel comfortable putting them up in a forum. but i do not mind sending some through messages.
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hello,

I had my laboratory analysis and my doctor found "helicobacter pylori".

Searching on the internet about it, i found out that there is a connection between demodex and helicobacter pylori.

So, for all you guys there with demodex, you should get some laboratory analysis to see if you have this.

I will start the treatment later today, or tomorrow.

Keep you updated.(also with pics)
Acorn59
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 2:56 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Acorn59 »

Interesting.
My doctors always REFUSED to do a skin scraping. I stopping going to see them.... And it is part of the reason why I am a microbio student. So I asked my teacher to borrow a microscope, and I did not see any mites, but I did see Staphylococcus aureus.

I do not have any itching on my face. Just my scalp. I never tested my scalp for anything. So I do believe that acne can be attributed to bacteria, but it is not the CAUSE. Demodex is the cause because when it goes about its life cycle (dies and mates), it releases bacteria and produces more offspring that will do the same thing. But we still don't know the cause of overpopulated demodex. But killing off demodex is a very good starting point. :)

UPDATE:

It's been 5 weeks and 1 day.

I don't have oily skin anymore. Instead, I have normal skin. Before, my oily skin was going down in oilyness but now I do not have ANYMORE oil. it's shocking. I thought it was just for one day, but it's been like this for 3-4 days now. And today too, I wake up with no oily skin. =O

I had a TERRIBLE...TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE breakout about a week ago? Eyebrows falling out, flakes in the eyebrows, lots of acne everywhere on my face. But after this outbreak, my oily skin stopped, and I have NO ACNE on my face. My eyebrows still fall out (about 4-10 a day). Even this is better than 20-25 hairs so I think this is some improvement. The flakes are still there, but not as bad.

I know that there are cycles of ups and downs. So, I will not be surprised if in a week or 2, things get bad again. But this is the FIRST TIME that I have had total clearing. Before, I would still have bumps, and before, I could tell it was better but it was still BAD. But right now, it is NOT BAD, and it is clear. Supple. No oil. No acne. Just have the eyebrow problem still.
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hi,

i have those cycles too:(. I am at the end of one.

Now i am trying to eat less fats, and i am taking some immune meds.
I will soon start treatment with antibiotics for the helicobacter:)

Status, after 16 days of treatment:
(only washed my face in morning)

http://i2.minus.com/iLV7VmpvR7rAW.jpg

http://i5.minus.com/iEDXHmC5SukRZ.jpg
Acorn59
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 2:56 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Acorn59 »

Hey Stefan!
you actually look better!!! I know that from a distance that it can look worse, but it's usually more so because of the scarring, but these go away.

i woke up today, and have 11 new pimples, and lost more eyebrow hair.
=/

I hate Friday nights!!! and saturday mornings! lol

Oh and I realized that... the zz cream didn't cure my oily skin. It took me a while to figure it out, but it was because I was drinking more water. Before, I would drink... 1 water bottle a day. This is .5 ounces. Nowdays, I drink about 5-6 bottles of water a day. This is 2.5 - 3 ounces of water a day.
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hello there,

Here is my status after one month of treatment with "Demodex Solutions" products.

Me and my skin feels much better. The visual appearance is getting better.
The only thing is that this situation coincides with the end cycle of the Demodex, so i don't know the treatment is working or is only the Demodex cycle.....until the next breakout.
Anyone any idea that to expect to the next breakout?

Here are the pics:
http://i.minus.com/iOzZofdrQ1YBU.jpg
http://i.minus.com/ibwFO8IHIipc0s.jpg
mcwick94
Posts: 77
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 7:49 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by mcwick94 »

stefan hows your face doing? I have the products and have been on the fence about using them. I'm so hesitant about the horrible breakouts that everyone is talking about. My face already looks like crap but I have the added bonus of seb derm and rosacea. All the pics I see of people have white skin with pimples, I have red rashy skin with bumps and dead skin and flakes. I need to apply it everywhere as my entire face is affected but I dont dare with this stuff. I've noticed when I use a serum I have with seabuckthorn oil in it I wake every single morning to new red bumps in exactly the area I've treated. This is because demodex hates seabuckthorn and dies upon contact with it. I experimented last night on a lesion on the center of my cheek and low and behold this morning there was another one right next to it. The original one I applied the solution to was a bit less red and smaller but I had the added additon of another one. I believe this is because when the demodex die it secrets its bacteria on my skin and causes the bump. Im curious as to what you put on the bumps or red spots when they arrive? More ZZ cream or something else to make them smaller?

Also How do I post pics?"
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hi there,

Since I started using ZZ cream 4 months ago, i never used anything else, besides some meds that stimulates my immunity.

My face is doing very very well, compared whit what i had before using those produces (almost 2 years ago).
This was the first time that my breakout was small and without major problems, for me a clear sign that the treatment works.

I use:
Morning - wash hands and face with Acarid removing soap and apply little Xin Fumanling cream.
Evening - wash hands and face with Acarid removing soap and apply little ZZ cream.

I think i've haven't missed a day of treatment.
My results are so good, that i've ordered again some products, to continue my treatment at least 6-9 months.
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hello,

I am having my first breakout for the past 4 months that I've started the treatment with Demodex Solutions zz cream.

Any idea why?

What is changed?
- I stooped using meds for increasing my immune system
- I stopped using B2 homeostatic meds
- I am more stressed and tired in this period (because of the work).
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Walter
Posts: 767
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:30 pm
Location: Hong kong
Contact:

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Walter »

Hello Stefan

This can happen, if you have also demodex brevis then not all mites are gone already, I don't
think you need to worry or look for any special reason.

Walter
Stefan
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:42 pm

Re: Demodex Journal - With Pictures

Post by Stefan »

Hi mindy,

It's getting better and better again. I hope that I will have a break in breakouts :) and the gap between them to be longer and longer and I hope they will be less and less "severe".

I am hanging on to my treatment and taking care what i eat and I also take some imumo stimulation meds.
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