50 replies to this topic

[Yo Adrienne!]

So last night I was reading someone's post on here and they talked about a doctor that wrote a book on modern medicine and how "they" know what causes acne, but they choose to ignore the REAL cause so the doctors can have patients, the pharmaceutical companties can sell drugs, and they can keep you coming back! make sense right? if we had the cure for acne, there wouldnt be a need for the entire aisle of acne creams and washes at the store right?

Apparently there are some countries that WANT to help you (unlike the united states and europe). There is a lot of evidence that something called demodex mites are the cause of acne and rosacea. Most people have these mites in there skin and dont even know about it. I know that sounds scary, and almost insane, but it makes sense if you think about it! We know there are tiny living bacteria and dust mites living all around us, so maybe this doesnt sound so crazy. there is a simple test you can do to see if you have these mites (i havent done this yet). Its all explain on this website that sells creams from China to kill the mites (I'll post it at the bottom).

I've spent a good portion of my day researcing this theory and demodex mites are real! but most american websites choose not to blame the mites for causing acne and rosacea. they say "evidence is not conclusive that demodex mites are the cause of acne". why is this the first time ive ever heard of such a thing? Ive been batteling acne for most of my life and no one has ever suggested that mites were the cause!

Do you think the government is trying to keep this a secret so they can continue to sell us more over the counter CRAP that doesnt work? to keep the dermatologist in business? to continue to sell us some uneffective antibiotics? make your own decision... but i found all of this very intriguing!

there is all the information you need about these mites on: http://www.demodexsolutions.com/

they tell you how to test for mites, and also sell a cream to kill them. i havent bought it, but it all makes a lot of sense. there is other research out there to support the claims made on this website.

let me know what you guys think! dont yell at me if you disagree... i didnt make this up, im only sharing what i have found.

[vpm]

I have seen a bunch of info on this too.
It looks like there were others talking about mites on this site a few years ago, but they were banned and other members felt them to be whoring products rather than sharing real helpful information. I don't really know the truth, or the whole story, that is just what snooping around these forums has lead me to believe happened.

Anyway, I have looked into some of the articles on these mites and it looks pretty interesting, and clearly the mites are real, it is just unclear if their described connection to skin disorders is valid.
(The zz cream looks interesting too. It seems to be made of harmless ingredients, so if it works, I wouldn't really care if the mites were true or not. I am thinking about trying it.)

I think it may be possible that the mites are a problem for a few people, just like some people are allergic to dust mites bodies. But, like any complex body function issue, there are clearly many different causes of acne in different people. It is just so difficult to figure out what factors contribute to one's own acne. Not knowing is one of the worst frustrations. If we could all just know what causes it for us, then working on treating it would be more straight forward. Alas, that is not the reality of it.

Let me know if you have used any demodex mites products, and what you think. I would love to hear what works or not. It seems like the zz cream has ingredients that are often used in acne products and help control inflammation and kill bacteria, etc.
Lately I have had terrible flare ups and have been very discouraged. It all started when I tried to to a body cleanse, thinking I had food allergies/sensitivities, but I am not so sure. I almost think that the stress of totally changing my diet was too much. I am currently using a topical Niacinimide (vitamin b) gel 5%, I just started and so far I like it, but it isn't a total solution yet. We'll see...

[Yo Adrienne!]

I am thinking about ordering one of the creams on the demodex solutions website just to give it a try... but i am on accutane right now and dont know if the cream would be too hard on my skin. so far the accutane has only made my acne worse, so i dont want to irritate it even more. i'll probably order it in the near future if accutane doesnt start to work soon.

maybe the reason you had a flare up from the body cleanse is beause it was pushing the toxins our through your pores? they say accutane pushes up all the acne under your skin before it gets better, so maybe its like that?

i dont know... im pretty frustrated that nothing seems to help. just gotta keep searching for answers

[vpm]

That is exactly what everyone says about the cleanse; pushing it all out. But, it was horrible! I also already felt so terrible because it is really hard to eliminate: soy, eggs, wheat, red meat, dairy, etc. from everything you eat and get enough food and not be miserable. To have all the skin stuff too, was just more than I could take!
Anyway, I got the demodex cream today. I figured it can't hurt right? The ingredients look pretty good whether the mites are true or not. Some people have really liked it, so maybe it will work. I will keep you posted. I also started antibiotics for the first time yesterday and got a flu shot, so I will probably have no idea what is going on with my skin, or what it is responding to.
Good luck to you!

[temp123]

As I understand it, it doesn't look like demodex is the cause of most people's acne. The demodex are fairly easy to kill and when you do that people's skin doesn't generally improve.

It's possible that a few percent of people with acne have it caused by demodex, but there's no good evidence to support that.

The problem probably wouldn't be the demodex themselves anyway- there's a bacteria or something that lives in demodex that might cause problems sometimes. Giving antibiotics to people kills the bacteria in the demodex, and then the demodex don't cause any further problems.

[IPA]

You may have read my post in one of the most recent demodex threads but I've been using the shampoo for a few weeks now and the zz creme every once in a while when my forehead gets nasty. It's been working well for me. Not perfect, but I don't get any side effects like I do with everything else I've tried. I don't really know if the mites is a problem or not, but the products seem to be helping me and as long as I don't get skin cancer I'm fine with it

[temp123]

Well, if you really do have a demodex problem, then there's an antibiotic that could probably clear you up permanently by killing the mold that is carried by demodex, rather than messing around with these shampoos. But most people that tried these demodex products have had very disappointing results.

[Choof_Chomper]

why do mad people in china have acne then? If they cured it then they wouldnt. Acne's caused by hormones or food allergies or both. stop those and you stop acne.

[jksl]

most people that tried these demodex products have had very disappointing results.

How do you know that?

[LexieF]

Hi Everyone - this is a long read...SORRY!

My background…

My past medications were every topical on the market, prescriptions, accutane 2x and mincocycline. Only the minocycline helped, however, within a week after a 7 month treatment my acne was back. I’ve been so depressed with my body acne that I was on a mission to find a cure or some improvement. I visited an allergist, 2 different primary doctors, colonist therapist and finally last week I was referred to a holistic doctor which was previously in the medical field. After reviewing my blood work he told me that I was not only vitamin D deficient (which the other doctors found), but also vitamin B deficient & anemic (which 2 doctors missed) and most likely what I had was a form of acne/roscea on my chest, neck and back. He told me that I needed certain vitamin supplements added to my diet and I should have blood work after a few months to see if my vitamin deficiencies improve. After my vitamin B, folic acids are within normal ranges my skin condition will improve.

Long story short….

After my appointment I began to research rosacea and recently learned about Demodex mites in medical articles, studies and etc. Yes, they are real and most people have them, (My allergist performed a throat culture as well which found skin flora overgrowth), however, those that are deficient in vitamin B will have an abnormal range living within their skin. They are very difficult to kill off since they reproduce very quickly and live well below your skin and if you become a host most likely you will be re-infected unless you find the reason. 7 different dermatologists diagnose me with regular acne or dermatitis, however, after seeing pictures in medical books rosacea and acne look similar and most people have a form of both. Even accutane after 5 months only showed little improvement – nothing ever helped my acne.

I did order the zz cream and will begin treatment once it arrives, however, earthclinic.com and other websites do have other home remedies as well.

I just wanted to share this information and hopefully it will be helpful to someone. I believe that not all people may have acne or rosacea due to the overgrowth of demodex mites, however, some may and it maybe worth asking your doctor at your next physical to run a test for vitamin b. Many people on this forum have had success with vitamin B-5 or B-12 while others have not this could be the primary reason why. I also feel strongly that people should not try to “medicate” themselves without proper blood work and a knowledgeable doctor, since you can cause other deficiencies in your body by taking the wrong supplements.

I would be happy to answer any questions. My husband has noticed my skin is improving. I’ve been on my vitamin D supplements since August 21st, and my vitamin b since November 12th.

[temp123]

Do you think the government is trying to keep this a secret so they can continue to sell us more over the counter CRAP that doesnt work? to keep the dermatologist in business? to continue to sell us some uneffective antibiotics? make your own decision... but i found all of this very intriguing!

I live in the UK which has a nationalised health service- the government picks up the bill for our acne treatments. If this theory had any credence whatsoever NICE would be all over it like a rash.

None of the treatments I have been on deliberately attack demodex, however some of them do kill it anyway.

None of the treatments that I have been on that kill demodex well worked better than those that didn't.

Some of the treatments I have been on that worked well have no activity against demodex at all.

My understanding is that possibly some percentage of the people with acne rosacea symptoms may be reacting to demodex; however even there the percentage is believed small.

It's not exactly like demodex is a newly discovered thing either. Demodex has been known for a *long* time- and vets have to deal with it in dogs; dogs react far worse to demodex than humans do. Don't you think that it would have been worked out ages ago if this was the cause... derms are just not that dumb.

[AsiaXiah]

While the notion of industrial America keeping "cures" off at bay is not completely unbelievable, I think it's more realistic to say that there are lots of dermatologists who sincerely care about the sufferings their parents go through.

What a lot of people don't realize is that most of the doctors who are in it for the money aren't the majority; four years of pre-med program in college and then the actual medical school, along with residency and internship are so grueling that it literally weeds out people who are in it for the wrong reasons.

In the end, the huge majority of the people who can withstand the witherings of the process are the ones who really want to make an impact on people's lives, who sincerely love and care what they do (not to say that doctors who are in it for the money do not exist; I'm sure there are people like that, but I'm just saying that assuming most doctors are like that is a bit misleading).

I do wish I could jump to the gun and believe the demodex story... But, after thoroughly reading through the website, it just seems a little bit too fishy/not very official. I know that regardless of how it is presented, it may end up being the cure-all, but if this cream was this successful as the site says, there is no way that doctors in Western nations would continue to ignore it (especially in the globalizing world today).

But I do wish the very best results for those of you who are trying this cream out; please keep us updated as to how it goes! We would love to hear about it!

[jksl]

Doctors have no choice but to ignore the zhongzhou cream because most of the ingredients are kept secret. I'm guessing they wouldn't want to look into something that they can't know anything about.

But, not all doctors/dermatologists ignore the demodex and the rosacea connection. I mean, sometimes they prescribe metronidazole cream to demodex-positive rosacea sufferers.

[IPA]

Doctors have no choice but to ignore the zhongzhou cream because most of the ingredients are kept secret. I'm guessing they wouldn't want to look into something that they can't know anything about.

No, when you buy it it comes with a listing of all the ingredients.

[jksl]

Doctors have no choice but to ignore the zhongzhou cream because most of the ingredients are kept secret. I'm guessing they wouldn't want to look into something that they can't know anything about.

No, when you buy it it comes with a listing of all the ingredients.

Well, according to Walter at demodexsolutions, only the main ingredients are listed. The extra herbal ingredients are kept secret.

http://www.demodexsolutions.com/phpbb3/vie...?f=1&t=5979

[temp123]

Strangely enough, people have tried these treatments before here, fairly often; and we're knee deep in ringing endorsements about how well they work.

Oh wait!

Well, they have tried them, but we're not knee deep in anything.

[jksl]

It's funny. First you say, "most people that tried these demodex products have had very disappointing results." with nothing to back up this statement.

Now you say,

"Strangely enough, people have tried these treatments before here, fairly often; and we're knee deep in ringing endorsements about how well they work.

Oh wait!

Well, they have tried them, but we're not knee deep in anything."

I don't know what you're talking about. I've searched 'zz cream' in the search box here and went through the threads that resulted. So, far there was only complaint that it inflammed more acne after first use. From what i understand/researching this product initial breakout is die-off and is normal.

As for the few of the people here that did say they used it, there were reports of nothing but various degrees of success.

The majority of the people responding to those endorsing the zz cream just shunned, ridiculed, or dismissed them - without trying it themselves (like you).

[temp123]

If acne simply was this worm thing, then killing it with a soap or whatever would completely cure acne. Right? And nobody has noticed this, in all the years this site has been up???

[jksl]

No one (not even demodexsolutions) said that acne is 'simply this worm thing'.

No one has noticed what? Killing the worm thingies?

No one (not even demodexsolutions) claimed that killing mites - what you call worm things - would "completely cure" you. No one can be Cured of parasites because there's obviously always a chance of reinfection from the environment.

If you're saying nobody at this site noticed that it treated acne, then you're lying. Learn to use the search function.

If you're saying no one was "cured" of acne, then you're either ignorant or simply setting up a strawman.

[temp123]

No one (not even demodexsolutions) said that acne is 'simply this worm thing'.

No one has noticed what? Killing the worm thingies?

No one (not even demodexsolutions) claimed that killing mites - what you call worm things - would "completely cure" you. No one can be Cured of parasites because there's obviously always a chance of reinfection from the environment.

Uh huh.

And you have references to clinical trials published in articles in good quality refereed journals that show that this is a primary cause of acne have you?