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Edit- some posts are just genuinely acne. Like the post above me is just picked at acne. But for some, this is beyond acne-
This is not fungus! It's not parasites! It's not any weird disease or condition or anything like that.
This is straight up inflammation/disorganized skin from a wound healing process gone awry.
if you have tried the anti-acne approach, and find that your issue is more of a non-healing wound, keep reading.
I honestly think when the skin or a wound is picked at, it just makes the skin cell layers super irregular/messed up, and it never really heals right.
But the plugs ARE real. So how do you get rid of them?
1. Order IODOSORB online.
2. Get on a strong antibiotic - doxycycline/clindamycin/Bactrim. If you've been digging around in an open wound, I 100% guarantee there's some level of bacterial infection going on. Go to an urgent care and say you've had impetigo, have been on Keflex/some other generic antibiotic, but it's not working, and you're still experiencing pain/tenderness/yellow oozing. Say you've had MRSA before, and doxycycline cleared it up. They will put you on doxy or some other MRSA-effective antibiotic. Also request mupirocin.
3. After being on the antibiotic for at least 48 hours, with clean skin and whatever clean, sterilized tool, GENTLY remove any LARGE keratin plugs. Sterilize the tool as you go! Do not make a mess. Do not traumatize the sh*t out of your skin. But yes, the LARGE plugs need to be mechanically removed. You do not need to get every one! Just the large ones causing pressure/pain.
4. Now, clean the wound with a gentle cleanser, such as Cetaphil. Apply mupirocin to the edges of the wound, slightly overlapping the healthy skin. Do not gob it on! You only need a very thin layer over the edges of the wound. You can also use very high quality/high MGO (like UMF 25+ at least) Manuka honey.
5. Apply Iodosorb to the wound bed. Do not get it on the healthy skin. The Iodosorb will essentially 'debride' all of the messed, damaged surface skin of the wound that is causing the havoc/irregular keratin plugs to form.
6. When the Iodosorb changes color, it's time to change it. Very gently remove it with a Q-tip and repeat the process.
7. Keep doing this. You might have to continue this routine for 3-5 days until the wound sloughs and reveals a beautiful, healthy, smooth, even later of skin that will not go on to heal normally.
8. Once it is at this stage, you do not need to continue using the Iodosorb. Iodosorb doesn't work on dry/clean wounds. At this point it should heal like a normal scab with a little TLC.
DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON IT THAT WILL IRRITATE IT, DAMAGE IT, INFLAME IT!!!!! No acids, no anti fungals, NOTHING THAT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY INDICATED FOR OPEN WOUNDS!
Please understand. You do not have some never-heard-of-before ultra rare disease. You have an irritated-as-sh*t open wound that you've been relentlessly digging at and messing with and is not just like WTF because there is so much damaged/irregular skin in it.
Debride the skin and leave it tf alone!
@25years what does the athletic tape do? do the "plugs" disappear? how long do you leave it on for? Any specific brand you're using - Nexcare?
Have you by chance used the tape, and what are your thoughts about it
@toniacook I'm so sorry - I totally understand how frustrating this is! If I were you, I'd definitely go to an infectious disease specialist at this point. That is my plan as well. I'm going to try one more dermatologist and if that doesn't work I'll be searching for an infectious disease doctor. I'm also going to try a few more things - water fasting for at least 10 days is one of them...not looking forward to that.
Mine has somehow gotten better than it was. No major open sores. I still have obvious overgrowth of Demodex and they're still jabbing at me. I have a couple of trouble areas that won't let up. Infectious disease dr won't see me for this. Still searching for a dr that actually is aware of Demodex. One dr said he'd put in a referral to wake forest for help. Dr after dr misdiagnose rosacea. It's crazy. Good luck to you.
Edit- some posts are just genuinely acne. Like the post above me is just picked at acne. But for some, this is beyond acne-
This is not fungus! It's not parasites! It's not any weird disease or condition or anything like that.
This is straight up inflammation/disorganized skin from a wound healing process gone awry.
if you have tried the anti-acne approach, and find that your issue is more of a non-healing wound, keep reading.
I honestly think when the skin or a wound is picked at, it just makes the skin cell layers super irregular/messed up, and it never really heals right.
But the plugs ARE real. So how do you get rid of them?
1. Order IODOSORB online.
2. Get on a strong antibiotic - doxycycline/clindamycin/Bactrim. If you've been digging around in an open wound, I 100% guarantee there's some level of bacterial infection going on. Go to an urgent care and say you've had impetigo, have been on Keflex/some other generic antibiotic, but it's not working, and you're still experiencing pain/tenderness/yellow oozing. Say you've had MRSA before, and doxycycline cleared it up. They will put you on doxy or some other MRSA-effective antibiotic. Also request mupirocin.
3. After being on the antibiotic for at least 48 hours, with clean skin and whatever clean, sterilized tool, GENTLY remove any LARGE keratin plugs. Sterilize the tool as you go! Do not make a mess. Do not traumatize the sh*t out of your skin. But yes, the LARGE plugs need to be mechanically removed. You do not need to get every one! Just the large ones causing pressure/pain.
4. Now, clean the wound with a gentle cleanser, such as Cetaphil. Apply mupirocin to the edges of the wound, slightly overlapping the healthy skin. Do not gob it on! You only need a very thin layer over the edges of the wound. You can also use very high quality/high MGO (like UMF 25+ at least) Manuka honey.
5. Apply Iodosorb to the wound bed. Do not get it on the healthy skin. The Iodosorb will essentially 'debride' all of the messed, damaged surface skin of the wound that is causing the havoc/irregular keratin plugs to form.
6. When the Iodosorb changes color, it's time to change it. Very gently remove it with a Q-tip and repeat the process.
7. Keep doing this. You might have to continue this routine for 3-5 days until the wound sloughs and reveals a beautiful, healthy, smooth, even later of skin that will not go on to heal normally.
8. Once it is at this stage, you do not need to continue using the Iodosorb. Iodosorb doesn't work on dry/clean wounds. At this point it should heal like a normal scab with a little TLC.
DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON IT THAT WILL IRRITATE IT, DAMAGE IT, INFLAME IT!!!!! No acids, no anti fungals, NOTHING THAT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY INDICATED FOR OPEN WOUNDS!
Please understand. You do not have some never-heard-of-before ultra rare disease. You have an irritated-as-sh*t open wound that you've been relentlessly digging at and messing with and is not just like WTF because there is so much damaged/irregular skin in it.
Debride the skin and leave it tf alone!
There are different conditions in this thread it would appear, however Demodicosis/Demodex is a real condition.
Demodex attacks the compromised immune system and becomes overpopulated. It's not rare, it's just misdiagnosed. Dermatologists and Dr's gaslight instead of wanting to help or test for it.
I know for a fact that's what I've been fighting and can't get proper treatment for. Often the antibiotics prescribed hinder Demodex and make worse. The correlation of antibiotics, the immune system, and Demodex is real.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8942344/
This is also something that makeup cannot really cover to make more presentable. It shows under makeup with the flakes/tails all over your face and really cakes up. It's almost like trying to cover up sandpaper.
I have another Dermatologist appointment I made coming up sometime. I'm hoping they can help me and maybe I won't have to drive to Winston Salem.
Dr's that I've seen don't want to prescribe ivermectin oral and the ones I did get it from only gave me the one time package. I've read that you have to take it for a bit to do any good. It's awful.
I ordered this from Amazon and received this evening. Fingers crossed it works for me. It's expensive and a tiny jar. I've been eyeing it, but finally ordered.
Ovante Demodex Mite Eliminating Facial Cream for Humans With Demodex | Original | - 0.5 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZEK50D
its proboscis connects to the red collar around the outer end of the stomach
I wanted to give a update for anyone following...... I wrapped the athletic tape around my arms for 12 hours and seen the difference immediately! Followed with a apple cider vinegar bath- I then rubbed cinnamon on each part of my body then rinsed 30 sec later. After 25 years of this I'm seeing and feeling the difference. Now I will have to work on getting rid of these scars. I'm now taking cinnamon vitamin, oregano vitamin, and the herpes meds. The athletic tape pulls out the infection and kills it. Cinnamon is a ancient skin remedy!
@25years turn myself in to apple cobler check...
i spoke with my doctor thismorning , they looking in to this page , i want to 1st say thank you for suffering with these bastards before me , i still say we can turn them in to a mechanicism that converts rust in to bio sub strait , ( soil creator just ad rust) to convert mars in to a life giving planet the eco system living in us would do it.
@25years turn myself in to apple cobler check...
Lol, , it really is working! I'm shocked at the results, and cheap! I been going to doctor to doctor for 20 years. Try it and please let me know your results
@finerfeedback did you ever end up trying Accutane for this? I am considering it!
Hi. After seeing another Dermatologist, they prescribed the 2 week dose of Ivermectin. They were more accepting than any other DR. They still don't fully understand it though or able to believe my experience with it. It's always rosacea first. It's frustrating. They say don't pick and try to tell me that Demodex are microscopic.
You almost have to get most of the mites out before it will heal. That's the only reason mine isn't as bad as it was.
Also, we aren't talking about a normal amount of Demodex. I'm talking extremely severe amount of them and yes you can see them. You obviously can't actually see the true body, however you can see and feel them.
They are sticky and stick to your fingers. They look like white boogers and flakes of skin. I posted that Pic of one them, one of about 5, that was hanging from my face one night.
That freaked me out for real! Those were a good size and you could make out the body close to its true self. I've showed that picture to Dr's with date/time and they dismiss it. They have it in their mind that the circumstances are the same as normally being microscopic.
Why? The game changed when Demodex overpopulated with a compromised immune system. There is a fb page (Barbara's Demodex...) that has some info.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086502830383&mibextid=ZbWKwL
It's unreal the regiments and treatments trying to get Demodex under control. That mite cream didn't seem to help, either. Like all, we've tried so much.
I was considering asking this last Dermatologist about Acutane/isotretinoin tablets (substitute for Acutane) if the ivermectin doesn't help. I haven't had much luck with ivermectin really. I found this the other day when researching ivermectin study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9350859/
I can't get the tape to really work for me. My issues are on my face and it doesn't seem to stick well. My face is extremely oily and is worse with Demodex. It's more than oily. It's kinda gooey.
I have used the compeed or mederma coldsore patches. They seem to help sometimes if you're able to leave it on about a day. The heat melts coverings/band aids sometimes, though. I've also used the All Health fast healing hydrocolloid bandages. (All from Amazon or Ebay). They do cover and not as noticeable as a regular band-aid on your face.
I can not even begin to explain how validating it feels to actually see others dealing with the same exact condition as well as the mass disregard we all have been receiving from doctors. It's become very depressing and creates this feeling of isolation and makes you question your sanity.
I am absolutely going to look up some of the ideas offered here. This has given me a needed boost to continue on with looking for a treatment.
Thank you so so very much for sharing and starting this thread. It has, at least for myself, given me ba k some hope and confidence in my sanity.
@fumi83 Welcome! The good news is: judging by your photos, you're in the right place, you have what we have! The bad news is: we don't know what we have 🙁 different things have worked for different people, and some of us are still dealing with this with no solution 🙁
please keep us posted on your trial & error!
PS. hope you feel less alone & you're definitely not crazy!
It looks like hers may be Demodex. The white crud and the hairs. Demodex will push the hairs out like that. The problem with Demodex is it's almost impossible to get under control since it is a part of our ecosystem. It has survived a lot and is immune to many things. It also depends on how severe the overpopulation is and our immune system. If our immune systems are still out of whack, it can't fight them and keep the numbers down. Mine hasn't really itched and that is something that supposedly is associated with it.
I will say when mine was worse and I had the huge ulcer like sores all over my face, there was a sorta burning/stinging feeling. I think this was due to the huge amount of Demodex attacking and I could feel them. I never could describe the feeling, but on that documentary Skin Deep/Morgellons; it was described perfectly. Pop rocks. That old school candy.
Now, I still have signs of it under my skin/face, that I can't cover. No sores on the left side, but I have 2 sore like patches on the right side. It's a scaly/hard patch below the corner of my mouth. Dead Demodex form this scaly crusty stuff and it won't heal. They just keep attacking it. I have another on my cheek close to my nose. Although no sores on my left side, it's still eat up with Demodex and looks horrible. It's hard to describe. Glossy white appearance with a little red and streaks. It's under my skin and you see it. Track marks of Demodex and whatever else associated with it. It's horrible looking. Not normal skin.
I hope we all can beat this war waged on us. It's awful.
@toniacook I do not think this is demodex at all. At this point I think it's most likely autoimmune and/or related to abnormal hormone regulation and/or sebum production.
Mine is in fact Demodex, unfortunately. Demodicosis is relentless and is tied into our immune system. People suffer for years with this as we see just from this site.
There is no easy or quick fix for it like other conditions. It's so complex and has survived within humans through a lot without dying out. In a sense it is our bodies attacking itself so to speak. Dr's don't have the knowledge given it is a part of us. They like to diagnose rosacea and they don't even understand it or refuse to.
Things we eat also can create sebum for them to feed on. I'm going to get back with the Dermatologist on Mondy to see about isotretinoin. Ivermectin hasn't worked. It has to be a strong course of action (meds) in correlation with getting the immune system back on track. Stress also is a factor.
If the immune system can't get right, then it cannot properly fight the infestation or control the population.
You are right that it is with our immune system and sebum. It's a part of it. If you have white glossy/oily skin, scale like marks under your skin (track marks), white eye booger like things, scaly crusty patches with white plugs/flakes etc...most likely it's demodex. It's like gritty sandpaper that won't heal. They get on your eyelashes/eyes as well. If you try to get the plugs out, the mites stick to your fingers, tweezers, or whatever. They are sticky booger like things. What should be normally microscopic are not with a severe infestation.
They attack more at night. That's when they really come out and mate or feed. When you wake up. You never know what you're gonna look like. They go to the oily places and especially where they've already established a target area. They keep attacking in those same areas most of the time.
It's pure hell no matter what each person has. All I can do is contribute my experience and what I've learned. I wish us all healing.
@toniacook Okay, well if you're certain you have demodex (you wrote "Mine is in fact Demodex, unfortunately."), then I'm not sure why you're on this forum and not a demodex forum? Some people who have posted on here may have demodex, however the original post + many on posts here (which resemble the original post) are not demodex.
It's harmful to claim that it's certainly demodex as people who come on here with the same condition will read your claim, go to the doctor asking for ivermectin, and not see any results (just as you have not seen any results). I don't know why you're so certain that it's demodex, but I think it'd behoove you to take a step back and open your mind up to the possibly that it may not be demodex. Demodex is not visible to the naked eye. Even if you have a severe infestation they are not visible to the naked eye. You may have them slightly larger, you may have a greater amount of demodex, but never visible to the naked eye. I understand that you're pulling things out that resemble worms/parasites, but that doesn't mean it must be demodex.
I just hate to think that someone will come on here and start spending tons of money on "face mite treatment" from Amazon after reading your posts. If you want to continue to believe it's demodex, that's fine. We can just agree to disagree.
@toniacook Okay, well if you're certain you have demodex (you wrote "Mine is in fact Demodex, unfortunately."), then I'm not sure why you're on this forum and not a demodex forum? Some people who have posted on here may have demodex, however the original post + many on posts here (which resemble the original post) are not demodex.
It's harmful to claim that it's certainly demodex as people who come on here with the same condition will read your claim, go to the doctor asking for ivermectin, and not see any results (just as you have not seen any results). I don't know why you're so certain that it's demodex, but I think it'd behoove you to take a step back and open your mind up to the possibly that it may not be demodex. Demodex is not visible to the naked eye. Even if you have a severe infestation they are not visible to the naked eye. You may have them slightly larger, you may have a greater amount of demodex, but never visible to the naked eye. I understand that you're pulling things out that resemble worms/parasites, but that doesn't mean it must be demodex.
I just hate to think that someone will come on here and start spending tons of money on "face mite treatment" from Amazon after reading your posts. If you want to continue to believe it's demodex, that's fine. We can just agree to disagree.
Wow. You're serious??? Ease up. I'm not sure why you're coming off that way, but it shows issues bigger than skin or an acne message board.
There are different/various issues within this thread we've established and you're obviously not knowledgeable on Demodicosis. That's on you how you take it, not my problem. I deal with honesty, experience, and knowledge.
Skip the post if you don't agree. It's pretty clear since you're having these issues and it hasn't cleared up that there's more to it.
There's stuff posted throughout this thread that people have tried and sharing their experiences what may have worked and what hasn't. Everyone, even myself, are trying to find that solution to clear skin. By all means, people should research for themselves. This is a place to discuss and offer support/share experiences.
You went way off the charts reaching for something to cause conflict. You said autoimmune. Isn't that along the same lines as a compromised immune system that can't control the Demodex population? It's right there.
Believe or not. No worries to me. Good luck in any event!
I did a Google search of White plug Demodex acne and that's how I found this thread a while back. I read through a lot of the posts before I ever posted. Several mentioned Demodex and a lot have mentioned products they've tried.
We have the ability to research beyond a blog or message board to possibly find out more information on our conditions. We also have the ability to read the posts here and share experiences.
There shouldn't be bullies trying to dictate what you share, unless it's inappropriate. I'm not saying all have Demodicosis on here.
I imagine there's quite a few different diagnoses within this thread. I also imagine that quite a few have been associated with Demodex, even if people don't want to believe it. It tends to freak people out.
I totally get it, however it does exist and happens more than people realize or admit. There's no cure. There's no simple fix for this condition.
We all have Demodex and only when the numbers/population of them increases is when there's a problem. I've posted links to credible information on Demodex and Demodicosis in several of my posts.
I will continue my fight with it to get under control. I hope others get better soon from their skin issues as well. It takes a toll mentally, too. :'(
I have to agree with skin shit, this is something from the inside, I feel like we don't even have a name for this yet! The acid liquid stuff goes around little hairs and hardens under the skin, then quickly spread! Back on that athletic tape - it pulls the unknown stuff under that layer of skin that we can feel just can't see. I believe it also suffocates the area, open air makes it itch, burn all thee above. Keep the area covered! I just want a name for this so I know how exactly to fix it! I'm literally over 25 years of this?
Hello,A
I've been having this problem for a number of years now and have yet to find an answer.A
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...A
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.A
I have attached picturesof them on my hand after I get them out, sorry for the super close ups!A
Wow this is incredible. I'm so glad I came across this page. I've suffered this for yrs, and currently have 6 sores on my face, I'm freaking out as I have surgery in 9 days and they might not want to operate thinking it's staph? I'm gonna get a list together of what everyone had recommended and start finding something that will work for me.
Walgreens ivermectin lotion lice treatment. Kills mites. The folks in here that dont smoke meth likely have demodex and an allergic reaction to them paired with the picking.
dermatologists prescribe soolantra to rosacea patients.
soolantra is 1.0% ivermectin.
theres an entire fb group called rosacea rescue with lots of people using ivermectin to treat Demodex overgrowth.
After 3 years, 6 doctors, Mohs surgery, numerous creams, etc..... you know the drill. I finally tried DIMETHICONE to treat these. I am amazed how well it works after the constant pain and my efforts to get rid of them. 3 days in and it is healing up. I ordered it on Amazon. It works in a physical way, to smother, or effect water intake, of the parasite as opposed to a chemical method. Just like antibiotics, they can develop a resistance to treatments like Rid or Permethrin. I googled "parasites on the skin" and DIMETHICONE came up as a treatment for head lice.
I take a clean Q-tip and dip it in the bottle of dimethicone and wipe it over the entire area. Don't contaminate the dimethicone by reusing the Q-tip. Always use a fresh Q-tip or cotton pad. It did not hurt my open wound. I also use Listerine to keep the wound clean. It does burn a little. I am also taking oil of oregano capsules to combat infection. I am still removing the layers and dead skin to expose the parasites so they will absorb the dimethicone and die. I have these stuck under my skin that have scar tissue over them. Retin A also helps to peel the skin. After 3 years, my face has stopped hurting. As you all know, this has been miserable. I hope this helps everyone. After experiencing the pain, the second most frustrating thing is no one believes they might be parasites.
My doctors kept insisting that it is a picking problem or cancer. Four biopsies later and still no definitive cancer diagnosis. I thought it was parasites from the beginning. The doctors in the medical field never want to acknowledge parasites, except for pinworms and head lice. Anything else and they are absolutely no help. The frustration with doctors has been ongoing and it is ridiculous that they won't listen to their patients.
I bought some silicone tape to help with scarring after this heals up. If anyone has any suggestions to minimize scarring, I would appreciate any input.
For anyone following, I have been continuing the athletic tape on my skin, I have noticed hairs stuck on the tape that our different sizes, different from arm hairs etc. I'm not sure if these are worm hairs or what exactly. After the hair is some how pulled from the skin the itching stops from the inside of skin. As I keep doing the tape that area has a infection smell and I have to keep replacing the tape. After continuing the tape in that area it completely clears up and I don't have any more break outs. My skin is a different feel to it. I have been dealing with this over 25 years! I still have more to go, the infection is pulling out of my body, I have certain areas that definitely need more work then others. At least it's not every single pore of my body stinging and burning