Eyelash Mites

Here is my report on eyelash mites. I hope you like it, even though you are probably going to HATE what it says about your face.


Ronald Mack
Mr. Amato
Period 3

IT LIVES ON YOUR FACE!
(The Attack of the Demodex Mite)

There are two species of tiny mite that live on your face. One is called Demodex folliculorum (it lives in the hair follicles at the base of your eyelashes). The second is Demodex brevis (it lives in oil glands connected to the hair follicles). Both are called demodex for short.

This is colorized scanning electron micrograph of Demodex (Demodex folliculorum), tiny parasitic mites that live in the hair follicles of humans and other mammals. A friend got it for me from Eye of Science / Science Source. Gross, huh?
This is colorized scanning electron micrograph of Demodex (Demodex folliculorum). Really gross, huh? Demodex are tiny parasitic mites that live in the hair follicles of humans and other mammals. A friend got this image for me from Eye of Science / Science Source.

The adult demodex mites are invisible without a microscope. They have a semi-transparent body shaped like a worm with with eight short legs near the front. The body is covered with scales that it uses to hook into the hair follicle. It eats skin cells and oil. The mites can leave the hair follicles and walk around, but they are very slow. It takes them about two hours to walk an inch. Mostly they move at night because they do not like light.

Demodex live just 18–24 days. A female adult lays 20-24 eggs in a single hair follicle which develop into larvae. Oil from the human then washes the larva to surface where they grow into adults. It takes seven days for the larva to develop into an adult that is ready to reproduce.

Usually demodex do not cause any problem for humans and go unnoticed. But occasionally they can cause rashes or infections.

It is easy to figure out if you have demodex on you. Just pull out an eyelash and look at it under a microscope.

If you think you don’t have these creatures living on your face, you are probably wrong…especially if you are an adult. Scientists estimate that one-third of children and young adults, half of adults, and two-thirds of elderly people have these mites.


You can comment below. Tell me about science reports you did. Or if you pulled out an eyelash…and what you saw under a microscope. UGH!

Book 3

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Comments from my Readers & Friends

  1. Let me tell you folks something this is def true & I have had them & sorry to say my body got infested by them. You see I have a compromised immune system & my 2 house dogs got the canis Demodex mites & I got them not knowing it & it went on for months. I thought maybe bird mites or something till I finally researched & went to my optamalogist,, yep in my eyelashes, eyebrows , hair & face I was infested but at least I knew what I was up against now. I started breaking out & at 49 I’ve always had beautiful skin. Stay on your doctors make them take a graph of the infected site. I’m sure you have heard it’s all in your head when you feel the PING, the OUCH, but it ISNT!! Good Luck to all!!

  2. Hi
    i have rush on my face,eyebrow, scalp, back of neck, chest and armpit
    do you think it is because of this mitt
    pleast help me if possible
    ofcourse I refered to dermatologidt before and they said to me it is eczoma but i dont have any progress in treatment
    best regard

  3. I’ve heard of ones living on your eyebrows. If I made this project, I would do it how you did, but I don’t have a color printer.
    🙁

  4. Long version: THAT IS SO CREEPY AND WEIRD AND DISGUSTING AND GROSS!!

    Short version: Creepy Thingy.

  5. OH…..MY……….GARSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. Hi! Wow that is really gross. I don’t have a microscope so I can’t see them. That’s fine with me though!

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