Do you have a constant feeling that someone is watching you? That someone is always near?
Well, some of your face might already had roommates. There are two species of mites called Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis which are parasitic arachnids that inhabit hair follicles and sebaceous glands, respectively.
They are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
Aside from living inside the pore of the skin, some of these mites make their homes on the surface. There are reports that say these mites are more active at night when their owners are asleep.
Does it mean you should start washing your face more often? Not really. Those mites are a normal part of your skin microbiome.
They tend to cause concern only when their population gets out of hand causing demodicosis, an irritation of the skin, and blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids.
Your skin is an ecosystem that hosts a variety of bizarre life forms, some of which you most likely have never known about.
So, if they are a normal part of our skin microbiome, where do we draw the line between keeping them clean and killing them off?
MBH/PS