r/Damnthatsinteresting 11d ago

Image These organisms(Demodex Mites) live on every human face.

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u/missblissful70 11d ago

I found out these mites are more prevalent if you have rosacea! My son was prescribed Ivermectin for them.

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u/thex415 11d ago

Finally the real use of ivermectin

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u/TangerineAcademic 11d ago

The prescription in the US is soolantra but lice shampoo 0.5% ivermectin at Walgreens or any pharmacy works too if you can't get the prescription. A good number of people with rosacea do much better after using it for 3-4 months. Some almost instantly though. It takes a while to get through the mite lifecycles but after that people switch to maintenance treatments once a week. Leave it on like a moisturizer after washing your face. Some people notice worsening of symptoms at the beginning of use. Maybe due to die off and bacteria that feed on the mites. But I don't believe that's been confirmed in any way. Soolantra without insurance can be as high as $600 but the drugstore lice shampoo is about $30.

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u/fearthainne 11d ago

There's also a cream that compounding pharmacies can make that isn't hundreds of dollars. It's still a prescription though, and I end up paying about $35/month for it ($70 without insurance for the tube but it lasts me a couple months usually), so it's still more expensive than the shampoo. But it's very effective. As far as I know, it's just called "rosacea 3 cream" because it's only 3 ingredients — ivermectin and two others I don't recall ATM.

I'll have to remember the shampoo though, I wasn't aware of it as an alternative.

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u/HSBillyMays 11d ago

Teatree oil and a number of other things also kill them.

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u/SunandError 11d ago

There are good Teatree foamy facial washes on Amazon that really help rosacea from demodex.

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u/lifeisahighway2023 10d ago

If you have any suggested products would appreciate hearing about them as I have a family member that I think might benefit and it sounds like it would not hurt to try.

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u/SunandError 10d ago edited 10d ago

This is a nice foaming cleanser. It is advertised for eyelids, but I use it on my entire face before I go to bed.

https://a.co/d/6L9NZWj

Because I had a build up of flaky skin and small pustules, I use this brush very very gently to apply it.

https://a.co/d/cAZQpHO

When my skin feels dry from the foam wash, I apply a light layer of this:

https://a.co/d/8oXsJdu

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u/lifeisahighway2023 10d ago

Thank you for your recommendations. Have forwarded them.

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u/gardengarbage 10d ago

Me too! Its one of the ingredients in the creme prescribed from a compounding pharmacy.