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Identifying Mites
Demodex
Tiny spots, often red or flesh colored.
These tiny pimple like spots have a center to them that is raised and prickly to the touch. They are often described as feeling like spots of sandpaper or a tiny sliver sticking out of the skin just slightly. Demodex can live anywhere on the body including arms and legs, hands and feet, but are more recognized as facial mites.
Red, irritated areas with white spots.
Demodex mites are white and off white in color and are usually a stark contrast to the redness of an irritated area. This is often adults embedded in the skin, a cluster of eggs, or the debris of dead mite bodies the immune system is trying to push out of the skin. Demodex mites do not defacate like scabies or lice do, their waste is contained until they die and then released into the body to be processed out. Too much waste throws off the bodies ability to cleanse and regulate itself.
Raised, dry, flaky patches of skin.
This is biofilm and the number one indicator for Demodex mites. Demodex are more common in older people and the areas affected by them are often referred to as age spots and liver spots They are often misdiagnosed as skin cancer. Biofilm is a living organism that works in tandem with parasites to encapsulate the heavy metals and toxins that parasites feed on, but it‘s also the body’s way of encapsulating foreign invaders (the mites) to keep them from spreading to other parts of the body.
Scabies
Same tiny spots, often red or flesh colored.
These tiny pimple like spots have a center to them that is raised and prickly to the touch. Scabies mites are generally red whereas Demodex mites appear more flesh colored with white centers.
Tiny spots strung together in a line.
Mites burrow beneath the skin to take up residence. Female scabies mites burrow into a spot and stay there. Male mites come out of their burrows, especially at night, looking for females to mate. Once a female has been mated she is fertile for the rest of her life and will stay in her burrow, tunnel further into it, and lay her eggs. The burrow can be seen clearly as tiny dots strung together resembling a scratch or as a faint silvery line under the skin.
Webbing and waistbands.
Scabies is prone to the webs of fingers and toes, waistbands, armpits, under the breasts, in the groin, in the ears, and, contrary to a lot of medical information, can live happily on the face and on the scalp. Scabies can live on the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands and is found under the nails and in the cuticles. There is research to suggest that toenail fungus is actually mites and mite damage to the skin barrier.
Secondary Reactions
Inflammation and Histamine Reactions
Areas of outbreak often times become inflamed as an immune response to something invading and taking up residence in the skin. The body is also working tirelessly to remove the waste, the damaged skin cells, and the invader itself from the system, bringing heat and white blood cells to the area.
Skin Tags
Mites are opportunistic and will take advantage of any dark, oily, dry, cracked or compromised area of skin to dig down deep and multiple. They prefer the natural folds of joints and use the wrinkles and crevices to dig deeper in areas that are hard to reach. The creases of the wrists, the tops of the knuckles, the folds on the neck and the dark places under waistbands and breasts are all breeding grounds for ectoparasites. Skin tags (biofilm) will form in these areas.
Bacterial Infections
Mites invade the top and underlying layers of the skin leaving the skin barrier compromised and vulnerable to dirt and pathogens. Bacterial infections are common with scabies or Demodex and are often diagnosed solely as impetigo and treated with antibiotics. The underlying point of entry for the bacteria is broken skin, either from the mites themselves, or from scratching affected areas.