Thanks for that! Yes, the picking doesn't help. You have to leave it alone and wait till the skin basically spits it out. That is easier said than done, because it does feel like a splinter in your skin and it is painful. My problem is a lot better since I avoid a mirror. But the one on my chin can't be ignored, it is too deep and too painful. After reading about potential fungi I started to put doterra On Guard on it. It's antifungal and seems to help. But stings. I also find a hot teabag helps to draw it out.

On 3/12/2021 at 6:06 PM, Redwine said:

I highly suggest everybody experiencing issues like this (each anecdote is similar but seems to vary) to get tested for HSV. I am almost convinced that this has to be the cause for my issues. Somehow Ive gotten a serious HSV breakout in my nasal area and it continues to present in the same spot at the tip of my nose.

I say this because what else could it be? I can baby my skin all week and use antibiotic ointment or anti fungal medication and not touch it and still the watery, moist underlying skin presents with strange protrusions that can be extracted when I squeeze the area. They do not exit the skin like a keratin plug (if Im confident in what I consider a keratin plug) or a simple clogged pore. They exit very fast and almost viral like to the eye. I do not know what they could be or if they are simply sebaceous filament or keratin but exit the skin differently due to that particular skin being damaged. Its too hard to really classify.

I guess my next step is a dermatologist to see if theyve ever seen something like it before. Because this obviously doesnt heal with the provisions Ive taken so I need something else or another approach. Its such a stressful situation because there are no real answers. Just try this or that and hope. Its really deflating.

When you have an outbreak a derm can swab the area to test for HSV. Its asuper simpleand quick test.I had this swab on an active outbreak, but it came back negativefor HSV.I have been diagnosed with roseola or human herpesvirus6, though.

I have had complete success with getting rid of all sores. I have a faintly pink spot where they were the absolute worst that Im still monitoring.

I think the biggest thing is being patient. You cant only give it 7-8 days, wonder why its not healing and then go to town digging out the white plugs. I made that mistake. Honestlyit takes 4-5 weeks for them to go through their lifecycle. They go through weird stages,but I promise they will go away on their own if you just give it time.I still dont know the cause,just that what Im doing is working.

Another big thing is not putting anything oily/pore clogging on the spots because this straight up turns the white plugs into inflamed pimples.

Ingredients to check out:

Cromolyn sodium (NasalCroma nasal spray mast cell stabilizer, but safe to spray on the face). Works for some rosacea/inflammatory diseases. I use this to manage inflammation.

Sodium sulfacetamide: effective for seborrheic dermatitis. Really helps maintain my skins integrity and strength. I feel like it prevents my skin from becoming weak/damaged and susceptible to more outbreaks.

Sodium sulfacetamide/sulfur facewash: sulfur is a gentle keratolytic. A keratolytic (salicylic acid, sulfur, urea, etc.) somewhere in your routine is essential.Ive also found that physical exfoliation with a spin brush a few times a week really helps keep things smooth.

I think this is about managing inflammation and damaged, reactive skin. Something is going on beneath the surface to cause these terrible, painful clogs. Unfortunately I dont think theres a silver bullet for fixing them.

Ive wondered for a long time if this is just a weird type of acne.I think some people get it in recurring spots due to skin damage from picking and/or that spot has a high density of sebaceous glands (such as the nose and chin).

Mmmh, not sure if they would do this HSV test here. I'm in New Zealand and the health system is...sometimes not very thorough to save money.

I read a few people blame it on HPV, just thought I mention I am vaccinated.

It is just a white blob now and definitely not squeezable or anything.

I am sure it is a weird type of acne and the best solution is to leave it alone. Which is nearly impossible for all the reasons mentioned above. My mother's dermatologist once said to her that the skin is capable of a lot more than we think in terms of healing and she should trust that.

I am glad others have this too, so I am feeling reassured I am not crazy -this post helped heaps. But the bottom line is that noone really knows what exactly it is.

Ive been dealing with the white plugs for years,theyveitched and been so painful! They can be a number of things and probably are. Iveused a lot of this and that and got some good results and sometimes itmade my skin worse. I also have ezcema and the byproduct is a weakened skin layer so bacteria, fungus and other things can infect the skin easier. Things that helped my skin isdiluted apple cider vinegar its a microbial and helped with the itching,urea helped remove dry skin, antibiotic ointment helped keep any bacteria infections at bay,azeliac acid helpsclean out pores and cerave ointment to heal. All these helped but nothing completely got rid of it all. My doctor put me on dupixent, its a shot you give yourself every 2 weeksand I have seen dramatic results, its been 2.5 weeks and Im not 100% healed but its the best its been in years. Its a new drug that just came out last summer I think.

On 3/30/2021 at 2:56 PM, Schnick said:

Mmmh, not sure if they would do this HSV test here. I'm in New Zealand and the health system is...sometimes not very thorough to save money.

I read a few people blame it on HPV, just thought I mention I am vaccinated.

It is just a white blob now and definitely not squeezable or anything.

I am sure it is a weird type of acne and the best solution is to leave it alone. Which is nearly impossible for all the reasons mentioned above. My mother's dermatologist once said to her that the skin is capable of a lot more than we think in terms of healing and she should trust that.

I am glad others have this too, so I am feeling reassured I am not crazy -this post helped heaps. But the bottom line is that noone really knows what exactly it is.

My conclusion has been that its a form of acne. Some type of papular/cystic/nodular. Iveactually noticed dramatic results with sodium sulfacetamide topical. Im not convinced it was viraljust that the anti-viral topical I was using also had anti-acne ingredients. It does suck. Yourskin will always heal but dont underestimate its propensity to form scar tissue. I wish I had picked less. Especially cause the plugs always come back. I have one really nasty scar from this. Just happy its finally gone away and I can start moving on.

On 11/27/2020 at 2:14 PM, Jenncherishbug said:

Hi I too have this same issue. I've researched and researched. The best thing I've came up with is the dermatitis mites. I've actually looked at the white plugs under a microscope and if you look closely they have tiny spikes on one end. These are the facial mites which our skin naturally have to keep bacteria down. They feed off our sebaceous oil glands. Also, I have cats and I believe it has something to do with them. And not to burst anyones bubble but I also do meth. So it's a combination of all of the above mentioned comments. Peroxide and alcohol work wonders. You still have to pull them out. Anyways I just wanted to put my 2 cents in.

I started noticing this issue about a week before Christmas 2019. I first had the issue of the plugs on either side of my nose. I searched online and found it could be Lyme.

I thought that could be a possibility as in spring/summer 2017 i had a tick stuck on me. I also started getting a rash on my thigh that summer the size of a quarter. Little bumps that seemed to turn to blisters. But it goes away and comes back bigger and bigger each time. I thought maybe it was a link to the Lyme disease.

Back to the plugs. I went to the Dr initially thinking it was demodex. I took the medicine. I drenched myself in Vaseline, slept on a trash bag to leave the Vaseline on long enough to kill the "bugs"

It didn't help. I still felt like things were crawling on my face.

I would feel a sting/bite sensation, then rub my face and see a white speck or black speck every time. Especially around my eyes and nose. I've wiped the specks on a paper towel. Waited to see if they move. They don't. I've looked at the plugs under a microscope. They look like they have a suction cup on one end.

It's been a year and I'm still dealing with it.

I constantly feel the crawling feeling. My boyfriend doesn't but he's developed the plugs. About once a month he has me "do his face" and remove ingrown hairs and pull plugs out.

I'm responding to your comment because my plugs started (Dec 2019) about 6 months after starting to use meth.

Not making excuses for my actions/ drug use but I'm not a young person (in my 30s) and was always afraid of using any type of drugs, but after meeting and befriending a new person, and finding out they used, and weren't comatose like I assumed all drugs would make you, as if she was on H, I tried it. And it seemed to be the answer to my lifelong depression. I felt good. Active, productive. And without insurance, it was clear, this is how I can be cured and escape the darkness I'd been clouded with my whole life.

I know meth mites are psychosomatic, so I find it hard to believe this is psychological as I feel a sensation and there's a visible thing where the feeling was.

Edit: My bad, after I posted this I saw there was 11 more pages whichI hadn't read. Hope I'm not repeating stuff already discussed.

These are demodex guys. It's mind boggling that vets have a better grasp on this that dermatologists/medical professionals do. Even thoughvets know demodicosis is common an alarming numberprescribe topical and systemic steroids which is like tipping kerosene on a fire.

Demodex are minusculemites/acari that live in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands of all mammals. Generally they don't pose an issue, however,when their numbers get out of control they cause problems.This canleadto everything from baldness, ingrown hairs, acne, sores, massive pores, rosacea,rhinitis, rhinophyma etc etc.

Kinda suspicious doctors all know about the psychiatric disorder delusional parasitosis in spite ofdemodexbeingquietly documented in medical literature for over a century.

Google demodex blepharitis slit lamp if you wannasee a vid of an ophthalmologist extracting one then putting it under the microscope. Ophthalmology seems the only medical discipline with practitioners aware. Yet plenty of them still recommend things like baby shampoo which iscompletely ineffective.

The goal is to keep their numbers in check,eliminatingthem entirely would probably not be possible.The most promising solution I'veread about is oralivermectin in conjunction with oral metronidazole, metronidazole daily for two weeks, one dose of ivermectin at the start and another a week in to it. I am yet to convince my doctor to me prescribe this but will link the study below and report back once I convince them.

Tea tree oil not diluted more than 50%and permethrin kill them. When my acne was bad and Id use tea tree oil itd work for about half a week then just stop liketheydbecame resistant. They're in all your follicles andarent limited to areas with flare ups soonly treating a localised areas could quickly leadto them becomingresistant I guess.

Id recommend getting over the counter permethrin scabies cream and covering from scalp to toe once every 7 days til you see improvement. Iused an epilator a couple of hoursafter putting on permethrin and it was just crazy, all these big white chunksflicking out of my skin on to the mirror.Soo gross.

Since they cause hyperplasia responsible for rhinophyma and have been documented internally, not just in pores, it wouldn't surprise me if they're a factor in tumours. There's an interesting paper that elaborates on the different internal animal tissue they've been found in that I'll link too.

Hope this is of use,

All the best

Here's the metronidazole ivermectin study https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(12)01315-X/pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

This is the one re: tumours

https://www1.montpellier.inrae.fr/CBGP/acarologia/export_pdf.php?id=3761&typefile=1

Cheers guys

On 10/16/2020 at 9:29 AM, ElaineA said:

I had demodex for decades misdiagnosed as bacterial acne by 4 board certified dermatologists. None of them ever ran one test to find out why all the prescription drugs failed to cure it. A 5th dermatologist actually knew what it was and how to test for it. The 2 week oral treatment worked for me. Note: The following treatments work for demodex skin mites only. They will not work for fungal folliculitis/acne or bacterial acne.

Best Treatment: 2 week, highly effective, cheap generics, treats the entire body
Prescriptions: 2 once a week doses of Oral Ivermectin + 3 times daily dose of Oral Metronidazole for the 2 week period.
Costs: About $13.03 Insurance Copay or $52 retail with no insurance or coupon.

Dosage:

Oral Ivermectin: Dose based on body weight at 200 micrograms Ivermectin per kilogram of body weight. Take with a large glass of water on an empty stomach. Take Day 1 and Day 8 of treatment.

Oral Metronidazole: 250 mg tablet 3 times per day with food. Do not drink alcohol while taking or for 72 hours after the taking the lasttablet.
Treatment documented in a proper medical study documented in the May 2013 edition of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Title: "Evaluation of the efficacy of oral ivermectin in comparison with ivermectinmetronidazole combined therapy in the treatment of ocular and skin lesions of Demodex folliculorum"
URL to paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

Other things that help:
1. Use a clean towel every day. Mites can live upto 54 hours on a damp towel.
2. Tea Tree Oil face wash, night cream and shampoo and conditioner can help.
3. Cliradex wipes contain a strong extract of tea tree oil. Wiping the face and eye area with these 2 times a day can help.
4. Expensive prescription Soolantra cream with 1% Ivermectin can help but slowly - takes 16 weeks for treatment.
5. Ivermectin Horse Paste with 1.87% Ivermectin is available from Amazon for $5 per tube. People have found this as effective or more effective than Soolantra at a fraction of the price.
6. Hypochlorous Sprays for the eyes and face contain a weak acid identical to that made by the human body in response to a scrape. The spray will kill juvenile demodex before they can reproduce.
7. Borateam (Borax powder) and Boric Acid products can also help kill the mites. For external use only.

Borax Bath soak can be helpful to treat body and scalp issues caused by Demodex.
Described here: https://irosacea.org/forums/topic/3817-elainea-borax-bath-for-demodectic-rosacea/

Borax DIY Shampoo + Apple Cider Vinegar rinse can help with scalp itchiness and pustules:
Described here: https://rosaceagroup.org/The_Rosacea_Forum/showthread.php?39885-Demodex-Treatment-Borax-DIY-Shampoo-Followed-by-Apple-Cider-Vinegar-Rinse-(Balances

Boric Acid DIY Mask to treat face can also help The Makeup Maven explains how here:

Yuss glad to see others aware of oral ivermectin + metronidazole!

I don't doubt the usefulness of borax, it's even the main ingredientClear Eyes. RecentlyI learntmore on the importance ofpH + maintaining the acid mantle for it to bean effective barrier etc, whichwas kinda horrifying knowing Id been bathing in borax lol. Boric acid isn't as accessible as borax but could be worth going for. Weird to think acids are marketed as abrasive when they're all we should be using

Thanks for your post, really stoked to hear from someone first hand it's effective. Now just to convice my doctor lol. Told her thats what I wanted and instead she gave me a super long course of doxycycline. Which I decided not to take. She got me to email the study to her though to look into it,fingers crossed she'll agree at my next appointment

On 4/6/2021 at 3:41 PM, Yellowblue said:

Yuss glad to see others aware of oral ivermectin + metronidazole!

 

I don't doubt the usefulness of borax, it's even the main ingredientClear Eyes. RecentlyI learntmore on the importance ofpH + maintaining the acid mantle for it to bean effective barrier etc, whichwas kinda horrifying knowing Id been bathing in borax lol. Boric acid isn't as accessible as borax but could be worth going for. Weird to think acids are marketed as abrasive when they're all we should be using

 

Thanks for your post, really stoked to hear from someone first hand it's effective. Now just to convice my doctor lol. Told her thats what I wanted and instead she gave me a super long course of doxycycline. Which I decided not to take. She got me to email the study to her though to look into it,fingers crossed she'll agree at my next appointment

Doxycycline and the older related Minocin antibiotics are both effective against just thebacillus oleronius bacteria that is sometimesfound in demodex skin mites. That bacteria may create a secondary infection. The mites track bacteria and fungus around at night. At first doxy or minocin seems to work as it might be clearing asecondary infection up. But neither doxy or minocin has any impact on the mites themselves. The mites can plug up your pores with blackheads, whiteheads, and create papules and pustules. The pustules are what happens when the mites die on their 2 to 3 week life cycle. The papuples are also full of mite debris that just never came to the surfaces as a pustule. I took Minocin for 6-8 years. In the short run it did seem to help. But taking that antibiotic for such a long time eventually triggered an autoimmune disorder. The dermatologist who first prescribed Minocin for me said "We don't know why this drug works. It may reduce the inflammation."

Print the medical study paper out and take it with you to the next appointment. Ignorance can be cured, if a doctor is willing to listen and learn something new.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

Human demodex were first discovered on some corpses in 1840. Since the corpses didn't have any skin disease, their discoverers assumed that the mites were harmless. Nobody ever studied Demodex as they have never figured out how to culture them in the lab. So the naive first assumption that"demodex are harmless and normal" was taught in medical school for over 150 years. They never considered the skin and eye damage that an over population of mites could cause. Around 2008 an eye doctor invented Cliradex wipes with tea tree oil extract to fight demodex infestations. Ophthalmologists started figuring out that demodex were the underlying cause of blepharitis demodex (aka ocular rosacea). They also started noticing that theirblepharitis demodex patients had large blackheads and other skin lesions. Veterinarians studying animals with demodetic mange have also observed that the mites cause large blackheads in the skin of their patients. Demodetic mange is also caused by the species specific demodex skin mite. Humans and every other mammal have a species specific variant of demodex skin mites. The mites can cause skin disease in all species they inhabit.

6 hours ago, ElaineA said:

Doxycycline and the older related Minocin antibiotics are both effective against just the bacillus oleronius bacteria that is sometimes found in demodex skin mites.  That bacteria may create a secondary infection.  The mites track bacteria and fungus around at night.  At first doxy or minocin seems to work  as it might be clearing a secondary infection up.  But neither doxy or minocin has any impact on the mites themselves.  The mites can plug up your pores with blackheads, whiteheads, and create papules and pustules.  The pustules are what happens when the mites die on their 2 to 3 week life cycle.  The papuples are also full of mite debris that just never came to the surfaces as a pustule.   I took Minocin for 6-8 years.  In the short run it did seem to help.  But taking that antibiotic for such a long time eventually triggered an autoimmune disorder.  The dermatologist who first prescribed Minocin for me said "We don't know why this drug works.  It may reduce the inflammation."

Print the medical study paper out and take it with you to the next appointment.  Ignorance can be cured, if a doctor is willing to listen and learn something new.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

  Human demodex were first discovered on some corpses in 1840.  Since the corpses didn't have any skin disease, their discoverers assumed that the mites were harmless.   Nobody ever studied Demodex as they have never figured out how to culture them in the lab.   So the naive first assumption that "demodex are harmless and normal" was taught in medical school for over 150 years.  They never considered the skin and eye damage that an over population of mites could cause.  Around 2008 an eye doctor invented Cliradex wipes with tea tree oil extract to fight  demodex infestations.  Ophthalmologists started figuring out that demodex were the underlying cause of blepharitis demodex (aka ocular rosacea).  They also started noticing that their blepharitis demodex patients had large blackheads and other skin lesions.   Veterinarians studying animals with demodetic mange have also observed that the mites cause large blackheads in the skin of their patients.  Demodetic mange is also caused by the species specific demodex skin mite.  Humans and every other mammal have a species specific variant of demodex skin mites.  The mites can cause skin disease in all species they inhabit.

That's a great idea to it print out for my doctor, I'll definitely do that. Thanks

I just want to be normal.

Ive had the same problem andfor years and was told I was picker, which I am not. I purchasedDe La Cruz 10% Sulfur Ointment Acne Treatment, from Amazon ($6.89)andall my spots cleared within a few days. Didnt smell the best but I didnt care.

Hi do you have the best Urea product to use? Thank you for all the info

There are a lot of different looking things going on in this same thread. I don't think it's a one-size-fits all question.

A new topical androgen blocker called winlevi was approved by the FDA last summer. I'm planning on checking with my doc to see if it's available for prescribing. It's very interesting because unlike spiro, it's topical. Has anybody actually taken it?

Hi everyone

Thank you all for participating and sharing here - it helps a lot to know that some people are going through (sort of) the same thing!

If I may comment on several of the above points:

- I eventually went to see a dermatologist. He looked at me strangely... with a weird kind of sympathetic look, and told me that the skin will expel whatever it needs to (so I guess we really just have to wait?! I™m finding it impossible).

- I raised the possibility of fungi and mites with derm - he just said no, that™s not it. He didn™t run ANY tests. He looked at my back and said œAah, you see - the lesions only appear on areas you can reach. Omfg I KNOW that already, guy! This is my body! ( I felt so self conscious and ashamed of my skin that I didn™t have the balls to argue with him...)

He prescribed a pretty strong antibiotic for seven days (Doxycycline or something such) and gave me a large pot of derm lotion (not sure what™s in it but the consistency is similar to aqueous cream... he also gave me cortisone cream (hardly using it because my skin is already sooo thin) and the strongest version (red tube) of Fucidin. Told me not to pick, which I agree is a destructive habit and so I did not pick for at least three weeks... as mentioned above, the bumps began reappearing after about three-four weeks, as they usually do, due to the life cycle of the mites. 
 

I applied the cream and took the meds and my lesions healed.

HOWEVER, new bumps have been appearing, the same as they™ve always been, and I™m pretty sure demodex mites ARE the reason.

Remember, the mites and their corpses (puke) carry terrible bacteria which is released into the follicle upon any kind of squeezing, which then leads to severe folliculitis (bacterial infection, secondary), multiple plugs (colonies?) and damaged, scarred, thinned skin. 
Ive also noticed a dramatic loss of and thinning of remaining hairs in the most affected areas, notably my forearms.
Demodex cause irreparable damage to hair follicles.

- I™m trying a dry body brush before my shower once a week atm - I™m surprised at how much smoother my skin is afterwards (I brush as softly as I possibly can before shower)! This probably helps skin to œexpel plugs and mites and doesn™t tempt me as much to start squeezing at little bumps!

- About the plugs/hairs being œjumpy - I get that too and I™ve seen a lot of ppl mention the same thing - the theory is that the mites in the plug are alive and kicking, so to speak, hence the strangely jumpy plugs. (Skeptics attribute it to static electricity.)

- The bottom halves of my calves are pretty much hairless (I™ve removed those hairs so many times, they™re not coming back!) and I have to note: these two hairless areas are usually clear and bumpless! No hair=no plugs/mites? For this reason I™m planning on purchasing a laser epilator ASAP - there are good ones on Amazon. You can apply the laser at home at your own time and the process is kinder to skin than waxing.

I™d love to purchase a microscope as well, because I™m sure I™ll find similar creatures in my own samples as those mentioned by another member somewhere in a previous post. 
- Pls look at pics of demodex - they DO have short horny legs (eight bec they are arachnids...) and a suction cup thingy for a mouth (so gross right).

My healed lesions have left purple spots, but the doc said they would fade with time. 
 

Here a pics of my arms as they are right now... much better but still with keratin plugs which pop out even with little encouragement (and there are almost always two plugs - the superficial one that pops first, and then the second, deeper one which is a v-shape at its bottom end (the inner shape of hair follicle and sebaceous gland - demodex nest).

I read a study somewhere that found that anti-inflammatory topicals and internal meds fight demodex because these mites flourish in any kind of inflammatory environment. Therefore sugar, alcohol, processed foods and stimulants encourage the mites™ proliferation. So they say...

I™m no angel and I™ll admit that I could live a more healthful life. BUT I™ve had this problem since I was 13 and sporty/active/healthy! It™s never gotten better regardless of my diet. 37 now...

If I have to hear œexfoliate and moisturize one more time, I™ll explode. 
I DONT WANT TO LIVE WITH PIMPLES ON MY BODY .. that™s why it is so hard to œleave them alone. I feel dirty. 
 

Take care guys. xxx

1 hour ago, Charlz420 said:

Hi everyone

Thank you all for participating and sharing here - it helps a lot to know that some people are going through (sort of) the same thing!

 

If I may comment on several of the above points:

- I eventually went to see a dermatologist. He looked at me strangely... with a weird kind of sympathetic look, and told me that the skin will expel whatever it needs to (so I guess we really just have to wait?! I™m finding it impossible).

 

- I raised the possibility of fungi and mites with derm - he just said no, that™s not it. He didn™t run ANY tests. He looked at my back and said œAah, you see - the lesions only appear on areas you can reach. Omfg I KNOW that already, guy! This is my body! ( I felt so self conscious and ashamed of my skin that I didn™t have the balls to argue with him...)

He prescribed a pretty strong antibiotic for seven days (Doxycycline or something such) and gave me a large pot of derm lotion (not sure what™s in it but the consistency is similar to aqueous cream... he also gave me cortisone cream (hardly using it because my skin is already sooo thin) and the strongest version (red tube) of Fucidin. Told me not to pick, which I agree is a destructive habit and so I did not pick for at least three weeks... as mentioned above, the bumps began reappearing after about three-four weeks, as they usually do, due to the life cycle of the mites. 
 

I applied the cream and took the meds and my lesions healed.

HOWEVER, new bumps have been appearing, the same as they™ve always been, and I™m pretty sure demodex mites ARE the reason.

Remember, the mites and their corpses (puke) carry terrible bacteria which is released into the follicle upon any kind of squeezing, which then leads to severe folliculitis (bacterial infection, secondary), multiple plugs (colonies?) and damaged, scarred, thinned skin. 
Ive also noticed a dramatic loss of and thinning of remaining hairs in the most affected areas, notably my forearms.
Demodex cause irreparable damage to hair follicles.

- I™m trying a dry body brush before my shower once a week atm - I™m surprised at how much smoother my skin is afterwards (I brush as softly as I possibly can before shower)! This probably helps skin to œexpel plugs and mites and doesn™t tempt me as much to start squeezing at little bumps!

- About the plugs/hairs being œjumpy - I get that too and I™ve seen a lot of ppl mention the same thing - the theory is that the mites in the plug are alive and kicking, so to speak, hence the strangely jumpy plugs. (Skeptics attribute it to static electricity.)

- The bottom halves of my calves are pretty much hairless (I™ve removed those hairs so many times, they™re not coming back!) and I have to note: these two hairless areas are usually clear and bumpless! No hair=no plugs/mites? For this reason I™m planning on purchasing a laser epilator ASAP - there are good ones on Amazon. You can apply the laser at home at your own time and the process is kinder to skin than waxing.

 

I™d love to purchase a microscope as well, because I™m sure I™ll find similar creatures in my own samples as those mentioned by another member somewhere in a previous post. 
- Pls look at pics of demodex - they DO have short horny legs (eight bec they are arachnids...) and a suction cup thingy for a mouth (so gross right).

My healed lesions have left purple spots, but the doc said they would fade with time. 
 

Here a pics of my arms as they are right now... much better but still with keratin plugs which pop out even with little encouragement (and there are almost always two plugs - the superficial one that pops first, and then the second, deeper one which is a v-shape at its bottom end (the inner shape of hair follicle and sebaceous gland - demodex nest).

 

I read a study somewhere that found that anti-inflammatory topicals and internal meds fight demodex because these mites flourish in any kind of inflammatory environment. Therefore sugar, alcohol, processed foods and stimulants encourage the mites™ proliferation. So they say...

I™m no angel and I™ll admit that I could live a more healthful life. BUT I™ve had this problem since I was 13 and sporty/active/healthy! It™s never gotten better regardless of my diet. 37 now...

If I have to hear œexfoliate and moisturize one more time, I™ll explode. 
I DONT WANT TO LIVE WITH PIMPLES ON MY BODY .. that™s why it is so hard to œleave them alone. I feel dirty. 
 

Take care guys. xxx

I had demodex for literally decades since age 12.  It was misdiagnosed for decades as bacterial acne by 4 board certified dermatologists who did only quick visual exams and never tested for anything.  I had what appeared to be facial acne and body acne, not the typical redness associated with rosacea or demodicosis.  They didn't notice or even look at my slightly pink eyes.  The eye issue was separately misdiagnosed as either allergic conjunctivitis or a viral infection by a board certified opthalmologist.  The Opthalmologist did at least test for a bacterial infection.   Finally turned into a roaring case of ocular rosacea with severe dry eyes and multiple eyelashes falling out daily.   Looking back it was all related to what appeared to be a separate issue with occasional abdominal cramps and gas caused by SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth).   Cured all issues with the 2 week, highly effective, inexpensive oral treatment with Oral Ivermectin and Oral Metronidazole found in a medical study paper published in the May 2013 issue of The International Journal of Infectious Disease found here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

The treatment consists of 2 once a week doses of Oral Ivermectin, dosage based on your body weight at 200 micrograms per kilogram of body weight.  First dose day 1 kills off the current adult demodex population.  The second dose of Oral Ivermectin kills off the demodex hatched from eggs since the first dose.   During the same 2 week period you take Oral Metronidazole 250 mg three times a day.  The Oral Metronidazole doesn't kill the demodex directly.   Oral Metronidazole will kill off several different kinds of bad gut bacteria that can cause SIBO.  At least 50% of rosacea patients also have SIBO.  Apparently, the gut issues do cause the skin issues for many people.

There is also a topical whole body treatment that you can do that is anti-microbial (kills demodex as well as bacteria and fungus).  Its a 30 minute warm water bath soak using 20 Muleteam Borax powder and Dr. Teal's Moisturizing Epsom Salts - any Epsom salts will do but the moisturizing can help avoid over drying your skin).  Both products are available in most grocery stores in the US.  The 20 Muleteam Borax powder is available on the laundry aisle.  Epsom salts in the Health and Beauty Aisle.   OB/GYN doctors have recommended the Borax bath soak to help clear Candida Yeast infections in their patients for over 30 years.  It works.  Borax is also anti-microbial and kills bacteria and demodex too.  Demodex can leave scalp and skin really itchy.     The bath soak really helps.  Here's the procedure for a standard size 5 foot bathtub:

1.   Fill the tub with pleasantly warm water - not too hot as you don't want to get overheated - just get a nice warm soak.

2.   While the tub is filling, add 1 cup 20 Muleteam Borax and 1 cup Epsom Salts.    Swish water with hand to mix.  May have to crush up any lumps in the borax powder.

3.   Soak for 30 minutes.   If your scalp is affected, wash your hair in the solution too.   Done.  Shower off if you like.

If your scalp is affected by demodex or dandruff, the DIY Borax Shampoo and DIY Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse  (ACV) is also recommended.  The ACV rebalances the pH of your hair.  ACV also has anti-microbial properties.

DIY Borax Shampoo Mix:    Per cup of hot water, add 1 tablespoon of 20 Muleteam Borax powder mixing until borax is disolved.  Cool and put in clean shampoo bottle.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (ACV):   1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with 3/4 cup of water.  Mix and put in clean plastic bottle.

Usage:

1.  Wash hair and scalp with Borax shampoo.  This is a no suds shampoo.  Use it like regular shampoo massage scalp thoroughly.  Rinse.

2.  Pour some of the diluted ACV rinse on your scalp and hair.  Massage scalp and hair.  Rinse.  Keep your eyes closed during this process.  This stuff stings if it gets in your eyes.  If it does get in your eyes, rinse eyes immediately with cold water.

3.  Optional:  Follow with some hair conditioner if you like.

Hope this helps.

Wow, thanks so much for the recent replies. As someone stated above, Ive been thinking the same thing about no hair = no mites and have considered getting a device to remove all the fine hairs on my nose (I only have this issue on my nose). Ive noticed since Ive been dealing with this that I seem to have more visible and greater quantity fine hairs coming out of the pores in my nose. Im not sure if the mites in the follicles stimulate hair growth but it certainly seems like it. Ironic since everything I read on demodex supposedly causes hair loss.

Recently I have been actively plucking these fine hairs hoping to eventually stop regrowth of the follicle. Since these mites like to attach themselves to follicles and the bulbs of hairs, the theory is that by removing them entirely the mites can no longer burrow down or hide. I have no idea if this is true but it seems like it would make sense.

I also get the jumpy expulsions when they are pushed out of pores. This is an entirely different exit than normal whiteheads or sebaceous filament in my estimation. I also notice the skin in the inflamed areas seem to be moist underneath and any pushing on the skin seems to cause subcutaneous eruption and very slight weeping of the skin with what I assume is just water underneath the skin (Can somebody clarify moisture under the skin?).

After the skin underneath has erupted the outer layer of skin then very easily molts or peels by the slightest touch. When the area has been cleaned or dried this peeled skin becomes simply flaky or damaged edges that are visible to the eye. I carefully clip these skin edges with nail clippers to try and maintain a smooth appearance, although this ultimately delays healing as the skin must completely grow together and form a full layer. Its just a terrible cycle because I have to sacrifice smooth skin for up to a week or longer for the skin to finally heal, only for another infection to flare up.

I really think this has to be Demodex. Ive read that permethrin can be used topically to kill Demodex and its even sold and marketed to kill mites - look up HHCream online. You can get it on eBay even. Im really tempted to buy and try. Creams of this variety specifically mention scabies which is a more severe (visually) infection that apparentlymites cause. I dont think Im quite at that level but this is already hell and I certainly do not want to ever experience scabies or anything worse than Im already exposed to.

Has anybody used permethrin or other mite topicals with any success? It says to not use on the face but screw that. What do I have to lose at this point? This is where I have issues and nowhere else. It seems to be a very isolated, perhaps mild case. But Ive been dealing with it for over a year with no end in sight. Im so thankful for this thread because it seems like we are headed in the right direction in figuring out the true cause of this issue and hopefully together we can find the solution once and for all.

Yall I was googling some more as Im suffering terribly with my skin and I found a loooong article with pictures that look just like ours. The conclusion was dental work and some kind of block being created by the materials in the dental metals and bonds used that doesnt allow them to vent correctly thru the skin. Its a lot of info, idk if its related to what all of us are dealing with but I wanted to share in case it could help even one of us. Good luck!

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269394622_The_Case_Against_Delusional_Parasitosis

On 2/23/2019 at 4:14 AM, Aussie Scientist said:

Most of the people who have posted on this email string have candida or malassezia. Some people have recognised that they have malassezia. From the photos etc., I think most people have candida. The chances are that all the people on this email string have taken antibiotics in the last 12 months. Destruction of gut biota by antibiotics leads to fungal infections on the skin and elsewhere. Most doctors are "in denial" about skin problems caused by malassezia and candida in otherwise healthy people.

If you have a white tongue (and skin problems and possibly gut problems, headaches etc.), you most likely have candida. If you have dandruff (and skin problems) you most likely have malassezia. The best topical treatment for malassezia is terbenafine cream (OTC in Australia). The best topical treatment for candida is nystatin cream (sold as mycostatin, OTC in Australia). If you have candida - white tongue, tiredness, headaches, feeling of disorientation, and usually skin problems, you should also take oral nystatin - sold as oral nilstat in Australia (no prescription required in Australia, but you have to as the pharmacist for it). Oral nilstat is for candida in the mouth (white tongue) and you are supposed to swallow it - it fixes candida in the gut, although it does not always fix candida in the mouth, at least not directly.

The keratin plugs and strings that people in this email string have are caused by candida or malassezia, and the body's consequent immune response, disrupting the normal process of keratin formation. Infectious microbes (both bacteria and fungi) do this on skin.

Some people may also have secondary staph infections. These are dangerous. Use very strict hygiene protocols when dealing with skin fungal infections to avoid getting secondary staph infections. Doctors often treat the secondary staph infections (which must be done, but oral antibiotics exacerbate the fungal infection), without realising that the person has a fungal infection.

I am not a medical doctor, but I have spent over 1,000 hours researching skin candida and skin malassezia. I know what I am talking about. Try the remedies above and post again, if they do not work. I have had to use more extreme remedies (because the candida infection, which followed malassezia infection - from antibiotics when I had my appendix out - was so entrenched). After eight years, have finally "got on top" of my skin candida. I am happy to provide further advice on fixing skin problems caused by candida and malassezia, if people want this advice.

Aussie Scientist,Iwant to thank you for all the information you've provided on this thread - it's incredibly helpful and very kind of you. My story is similar to others here, so I won't recount the details, but suffice to say this thread has shone a light on what has mystified me for years. It's also been reassuring to know that others have had the same experiences (the non-healing sores and tiny white plugs etc.), which I before felt alone with, so thank you, too, toall who have shared their stories. (I realise not all of the conditions reported on the thread are the same, so I'm speaking here to what appears the main issue.)

To offer some contribution that might be valuable to others - miconazole appears to be helping with what I previously thought was malassezia folliculitis, but I now think may be, or may also be,candida; I had some of that cream already from treating ringworm - I'll try nextclotrimazole or terbinafine as per the suggestions on this thread.

I recently had what I believe was a secondary staph infectionon my chin near my mouth (and which is what, in the end, led me to this site, so silver lining!), and found that hydrogen peroxide cream (Crystacide) helped clear it. Current health guidelines here in the UK recommend an anti-septic cream such as hydrogen peroxide to treat impetigo in the first instance.

I am scheduling a derm appointment for next week. I am 99% certain I have figured this out (at least, for myself). 
 

It is Annular Demodicosis / Folliculorum... see the attached photo. I have had the exact same sores on my nose. The same thin peeling skin. And notice the abundance of vellus hairs under the nose and the œwhite specks. 
 

These white specks are follicular plugs caused by Demodex. œfiliform spicules, whitish-yellow follicular plugs and telangiectases.

https://www.cureus.com/articles/13354-first-report-of-concomitant-tinea-faciei-and-pityriasis-folliculorum-a-dermatomicrobiological-rarity#article-comments-section

œMost of his non-hair-bearing follicular orifices were noted to have minute, hyperkeratotic spicules protruding from their centers œ

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(13)00789-5/pdf

selenium silver, Permethrin and topical Ivermectin are treatment methods, among others...

I™m just so glad to have figured this out. 

Redwine,

For Demodex there is a 2 week oral treatment that is highly effective for treating demodex. The treatment isalso is very inexpensive since it uses 2 generic drugs. Both drugs are on the WHO's list of 100 essential medications and have in general good safety records over the 40-60 years the 2 drugs have been available. This treatment worked for me after decades of misdiagnosis by 4 board certified dermatologists.

The treatment was tested in a proper medical study and published in the May 2013 issue of The International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The paper is here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

The treatment consists of 2 weekly doses of Oral Ivermectin based on your body weight. Daily doses of Oral Metronidazole at 250 mg 3 times per day taken with food. No alcohol should be consumed during treatment with Oral Metronidazol until 72 hours after the last tablet. The first dose (Day 1 of treatment) of Oral Ivermectin kills the current adult demodex. The second weekly dose (Day 8 of treatment) of Oral Ivermectin kills any eggs that hatched since the first dose. The Oral Metronidazole is both an antibiotic and an anti-parasitic drug. Based on recent readings about Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), it is highly likelythat the Oral Metronidazole is treating an underlying SIBO infection killing the bacteria that is allowing the demodex to flourish on the skin.

SIBO has been found in at least 50-60% of people with Rosacea Subtype 2 (formerly known as Demodicosis) with demodex. SIBO apparently either suppresses the normal immune system response that keeps demodex from getting overpopulated OR it creates an environment where demodex flourish and get overpopulated.There are multiple types of different bacteria that have been found in patients with SIBO. You have to get the right antibiotic to kill the specific bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. Oral Metronidazole is known to be highly effective against at least 2 of the bacteria commonly found in SIBO includingthe common Bacteriodes bacteria and Eggerthella Lenta bacteria. Some studies have been limited to just testing the extremely expensive antibiotic Rifaximin for SIBO. Rifaximin is highly effective against some bacteria such as E. Coli, Shigella, and Salmonella.

The antibiotic Doxycycline is commonly prescribed for patients with Rosacea. At first, Doxycycline may help clear any secondarysurface skin infections caused by Bacillus Oleronus ssociated with demodex skin mites in 40% of cases. Doxycycline doesn't typically work on the underlying SIBO infection.

You might consider taking a copy of the paper to your dermatologist appointment and showing it to the doctor if they are unfamiliar with this treatment. The 5th dermatologist I went to actually knew of the 2 drug oral treatment. The first 4 dermatologists didn't know what was wrong and misdiagnosed the condition as ordinary bacterial acne after a brief visual exam and no tests. Nothing they prescribed ever worked.

I hope your appointment goes well.

Thats whats frustrating - getting somebody to listen. They may even be offended at a patient walking in with all the answers - which is ludicrous because the Internet has information on anything and everything. We do our research because we aredrivento figure out what is causing this condition.

I couldnt get a local appointment setup for next week. I did do an online dermatologist consultation with photos and information similar to what I posted above. I hope they at least prescribe the Ivermectin. But Im worried and wont be surprised if they are no help at all.

Who did you go see that knew of the 2 drug treatment? Id be willing to go wherever to get what I need to eradicate this. Wereyour symptoms cleared, and have they ever returned?

I just want a normal life again. Thanks for the information so much!

On 7/24/2017 at 12:50 PM, ColdHoneydew said:

Hello, 
I've been having this problem for a number of years now and have yet to find an answer. 
I often get hard lumps or what I think is going to be a huge spot. However if I squeeze them, as well as popping like a normal spot, the top layer of skin comes off and I'm left with an open sore. Inside this sore are little white plugs that seem to be growing out of the pores. There are usually a number of them in one sore. These cannot be squeezed out like a regular blackhead or whitehead they seem to be stuck in there and the only way to get them out is with a pair of tweezers or to really dig them out with an implement. This of course leaves a scar but until these little white plugs are out, the sore won't heal. I have tried just leaving them to see if they will heal and go away on their own but they don't. The sore remains open and weepy with these little grains of rice sticking out of them! So I resort to digging them out and once they are out of the pore there's usually a gush of blood but that stops quite suddenly. It reminds me of a verruca if anyone has ever pulled a plug out from that... 
I mostly get these on my chin but also sometimes on my nose and chest. I know that a dermatologist may be able to help me but I don't have any money right now and I am on sickness benefits as I have M.E.
Does anyone have any idea what these things are? They're kind of jelly like and slightly stretchy. The tweezers just seems to take the head of them off more often than not hence the digging which I absolutely hate but it seems to be the only way to get them out and once they are out the sore will heal. 
I have attached picturesof them on my hand after I get them out, sorry for the super close ups! 

I have had exact same thing for years with my partner, it is stressful and scaring my body. It started on my face, but now it can be anywhere back chest, tummy, still more appears on my neck and face. Any clue what it is and how to treat? If you know the place who can help I could travel to any part of the world just to get treated as all private dermatologists doesn't have any clue what it is

15 hours ago, Redwine said:

Thats whats frustrating - getting somebody to listen. They may even be offended at a patient walking in with all the answers - which is ludicrous because the Internet has information on anything and everything. We do our research because we aredrivento figure out what is causing this condition.

I couldnt get a local appointment setup for next week. I did do an online dermatologist consultation with photos and information similar to what I posted above. I hope they at least prescribe the Ivermectin. But Im worried and wont be surprised if they are no help at all.

 

Who did you go see that knew of the 2 drug treatment? Id be willing to go wherever to get what I need to eradicate this. Wereyour symptoms cleared, and have they ever returned?

I just want a normal life again. Thanks for the information so much!

I found the paper on the Internet after the skin and demodex issues advanced into severe ocular rosacea (aka blepharitis demodex). Topical treatment helped but could not get rid of the mites in the eye oil glands. My family physician prescribed the drugs - he knew that I had the skin issues for 20+ years. The treatment worked. I went to the 5th dermatologists shortly after treatment to get IPL treatments. He actually knew of the treatment and told a colleague that "it was like a miracle when it worked".

My skin and eye symptoms were cleared and 3+ years later have not returned. The occasional bouts of grinding abdominal cramps are gone as well.