Eyebrow Mites Facts, Symptoms, Treatment & Remedies

The first time I heard that about 50% of the world population suffer from eyelash or eyebrow mites, I thought it was a joke. After a few hours of thorough research from some of the authoritative website online, I realized it was true. The whole idea of them being in brows, lashes or in sebaceous glands is disgusting.

We already did detailed research on what these mites are while we’re covering on eyelash mites. These two are the same thing. We do not intend to go to the details since you can find details on eyelash mites symptoms and treatment.

For the benefit of those who might not have the time, here is a summary of facts about them, how to treat them as well as some tips that might ensure you keep these parasites at bay.

Quick facts

If you have never heard about them, here are some of the quick facts about these parasites.

• Eyebrow mites, scientifically known as Demodex folliculorum are one of the two mite genera that attack human beings. The other one is Demodex brevis that live in your sebaceous glands.
• They are microscopic, about a third of a millimeter in length and their bodies are segmented with legs that enable them to crawl to the skin for mating at night before they can get back into your brow follicles.
• About 25 of these mites can live in one hair follicle and each female mite lays about two dozens of eggs in your brow follicles.
• Their bodies are covered with scales which they use to attach themselves to your hair follicles
• They feed on sebum as well as skin cells using a pointed mouth like structure and when in a small population, they have s symbiotic relationship with humans where they help in eating the harmful oils that your body produces.

Prevalence

Not everyone has them but older people, 60 years and above have a higher prevalence of about 80% of them having eyebrow or eyelash mites. The prevalence is lower in children since they do not produce as much sebum as older people.

Furthermore, women who use much makeup tend to suffer from this problem more often as opposed to those who do not wear eye makeup.

Signs and symptoms

To the many people who have them, they tend not to show any signs. However, when you have so many of these them, especially when you have weak immunity, some signs tend to shows.

Some of the common signs or symptoms you might notice include the following:

• You will suffer from skin inflammation, itchiness as well as other skin disorders around your eyebrows
• You will have an increased prevalence of rosacea on your face. Research has shown that face mites including these ones are one of the many causes rosacea on the face.
• You might have crusty, reddened, swollen and burning eyelids, a condition known as blepharitis
• Some people suffer from acne vulgaris because these mites have been found to worsen this condition
• Eyebrow hair loss

How to treat or get rid of them

Having them is not life-threating, however, no one will be happy to learn they actually have mites in brows.  We are going to give you some of the common treatments of these bugs.

1. Tea tree oil

The first and perhaps the most effective way to kill them is using tea tree oil. Just rub tea tree oil on your eyebrows before you go to bed and within four to six weeks, they will be gone. Furthermore, using face care products that have tea tree oil will be of much help.

2. Antibiotic ointments

The second treatment is the use of over the counter (OTC) antibiotic ointments. Some of the effective ones include Tobradex and TetraVisc

Control Tips

In addition to the above treatments, here are some important tips that can ensure you do not get these mites and if you have them, these tips can also ensure you get rid of eyebrow mites easily.

• Stop using eye makeup – if you are fond of using tons upon tons of makeup, including eyebrow makeup, you need to stop using it at least for the time you are treating these them.
• Cleanse your face – Cleansing your face can also be helpful in ensuring you deal with this problem. Go for cleansers that contain tea tree oil especially shampoos as well as any other cleansers.
• Remove makeup before you sleep: Sleeping with makeup clogs your pores making you more vulnerable to these mites. Ensure you always remove your makeup.
• Get your pets checked since they could also be hosting Demodex folliculorum.
• Buy new pillows and bedsheets to ensure you do not get re-infected
• Get your spouse checked too.

These are some the quick ways you can fix them.  If you want a more details insight, see eyelash mites symptoms and treatment.