Treatment of demodecosis on the face

As is known, demodicosis is a skin disease caused by the opportunistic parasitic mite Demodex. The mite lives in hair follicles, in the mouths of glands, and is so tiny that it is impossible to notice it with the naked eye. In this article, we will talk about what is the treatment of demodicosis on the face, we will analyze the main drugs and means used in dermatological practice in relation to this disease.

Treatment regimen for facial demodicosis

Treatment of demodicosis can be quite long and difficult, since the lifespan of the mite-pathogen is from 1 to 1 ½ months. Success can be achieved only by following all the doctor's recommendations and carefully observing the rules of personal hygiene.

The most common treatments include acaricidal medications, such as 1-2% yellow mercury ointment, zinc-ichthyol ointment. In practice, medications based on sulfur, tar, ichthyol, benzin benzoate, 1% permethrin, amitrazole, 1% lindane, 10% crotamiton are used. The main disadvantage of acaricidal drugs is their toxic effect on the body.

A good effect is observed from the use of a suspension or gel of 2% metronidazole (synonyms - clion, metrogyl) as an external treatment. Internal administration of metronidazole is also possible, twice a day at 0.25 mg for 2 weeks.

Hormonal ointments (with corticosteroids) cannot be used because they suppress the skin's defenses and promote the proliferation of the pathogen.

Theoretically, any ointment, due to its viscosity, inhibits the tick's motor activity. However, external preparations should still be selected according to other principles. If a secondary infection has joined, external antibacterial and symptomatic therapy is prescribed. Massage is recommended, using burdock oil, regularly for one and a half to three months.

Remedy for facial demodicosis

For successful treatment, it is important to use a combination of drugs, not just one remedy. Most often, they combine the use of external agents and drugs for internal use, including medications to strengthen the immune system and to treat underlying diseases (if necessary).

The following are considered systemic drugs:

• immunomodulators (pyrogenal, cycloferon, galavit, pentoxyl);
• vitamin-mineral-amino acid complexes (Vitrum, Alphabet, Elevit);
• antiparasitic drugs (oral administration of ornidazole or metronidazole for 2-3 weeks);
• antihistamines (to relieve sensitization) – tavegil, suprastin, diazolin.

Various solutions are also used for rubbing and treating skin surfaces affected by demodicosis:

• Spregal is an antimicrobial and antiparasitic aerosol, usually used at night;
• sodium thiosulfate - 60% solution is rubbed into the skin for 10 minutes, usually once every 3 days;
• sulfur-tar alcohol - rub into the skin once a day;
• Lindane is a pesticide that is rubbed in at night, avoiding the area around the eyes;
• Crotamiton is an anti-scabies agent, used to wipe the skin once a day.

Treatment with ointments and creams usually lasts a long time. Often the doctor prescribes such therapy in courses, several courses with weekly breaks. The duration of treatment depends on the severity and form of the disease, and can last from 1 month to 10-12 months. Therefore, it is recommended to start therapy as early as possible and use several types of drugs at the same time.

Ointment for demodicosis of the face

Ointments for this disease are considered to be one of the most effective means of external treatment. Excellent results can be expected from suspensions, the composition of which is represented by sulfur, tar, mercury, antiprotozoal substances, zinc. The listed substances paralyze the respiratory function of parasites, or simply cause their death. Such ointments include:

• ointments based on metronidazole (Klion, Metragil);
• antibacterial ointments based on clindamycin or erythromycin;
• sulfur ointment - keratolytic and antiparasitic agent, applied to clean skin in a thin layer, rubbing lightly, 2-3 times a day for 2 weeks. The course can be repeated with a break of 5-7 days;
• benzyl benzoate for facial demodicosis is a suspension that has a toxic effect on mites. The skin of the face is treated with benzyl benzoate with caution, avoiding contact with the eyes. After treatment, after 10 minutes, the treatment is repeated, after which it is left on the skin without rinsing for at least 3 hours;
• ointments based on azelaic acid;
• yellow mercury ointment – 2%, used to lubricate affected skin areas 2 times a day;
• ichthyol ointment - used in the form of a 5-30% ointment, which can be combined with salicylic acid or sulfur;
• Wilkinson's ointment - contains tar, calcium carbonate, sulfur, naphthalan ointment and green soap. It is used to lubricate the affected skin;
• zinc or zinc-salicylic ointment.

Cream for demodicosis of the face

Demalan cream is the most popular cream for demodicosis. It has antibacterial and anti-demodicosis effects. With the help of the cream, you can eliminate inflammatory elements, allergic manifestations on the skin (rash, itchy elements), anticipate the formation of new signs of the disease, get rid of the burning sensation and general discomfort.

Demalan is created using unique cutting-edge technologies. It contains chamomile extract, olive oil, highly purified glycans and emulsifiers.

The cream is used externally: it is applied to the area of the face and eyelids affected by the disease. The duration of treatment is usually one and a half months, when using Demalan up to 2 times a day.

It is noted that the cream is more effective if applied to skin that has been pre-treated twice with calendula or eucalyptus tincture. Between treatments with tincture, you must wait 15 minutes, then apply the cream, and after another half hour, remove the remaining cream with a paper napkin. If the cream is applied at night, the best effect is achieved by washing your face with soap and warm water, after which Demalan is applied to clean skin.

In people prone to allergic reactions, the cream may cause an allergy. Therefore, if itching or redness of the skin occurs after applying the cream, you should stop using the product and consult a doctor.

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Treatment of facial demodicosis with folk remedies

Folk remedies for demodicosis help to get rid of the disease faster, especially if they are used in combination with traditional medicine. For example, you can easily make an ointment against demodicosis at home. It is prepared as follows:

• take olive oil, purified solid oil and birch tar in equal quantities;
• mix;
• We treat the affected area on the face with the resulting mixture.

This ointment will not only help get rid of the disease, but will also improve the overall condition of the skin.

A good remedy for demodicosis mites is considered to be an alcohol tincture of calendula. It is used in the following way: in the morning after waking up, wash your face and dry it with a towel. After 15 minutes, wipe the skin with a cotton pad soaked in the tincture. After another 15 minutes, you need to wipe your face again. And after 5-10 minutes, you need to lubricate the skin with Demalan cream. Leave the cream on your face until the evening. Before going to bed, wash off the cream with soap, and wipe the skin with calendula tincture. According to reviews, regular use of this treatment for forty days allows you to completely get rid of demodicosis.

It is useful to wash with an infusion of herbs, which includes wormwood, celandine and chamomile flowers. To make an infusion, take 1 teaspoon of each herb per 1 liter of hot water.

What else can be used to treat demodicosis?

• Wipe your face with a cut aloe leaf.
• Wash with an infusion of oak bark (1 teaspoon of bark per 200 ml of water).
• Wipe the skin with fresh garlic juice.
• Wipe your skin with your own urine three times a day for three months.

Folk remedies can really help, but you shouldn't rely solely on such recipes, refusing to consult a dermatologist. Any treatment is most effective only with a comprehensive approach.

Effective treatment of facial demodicosis

Correction and certain changes in nutrition will help cure demodicosis faster. Without a special diet, it is sometimes difficult to achieve recovery. This happens because improper functioning of the digestive system can create favorable conditions for the reproduction of mites. For this reason, it is important to improve the function of the gastrointestinal tract, which largely depends on what and how we eat.

What is recommended for demodicosis:

• avoid foods that irritate the walls of the digestive tract (salty, spicy and smoked foods, alcohol);
• sharply reduce or completely eliminate the consumption of sweets, even honey, since a sweet environment promotes the active life of the tick;
• highly allergenic foods such as oranges, tangerines, cocoa, etc. should be avoided;
• It is recommended to consume fermented milk products, any kind of vegetables and moderately sweet fruits;
• It is important to eat enough fiber, which can be obtained from vegetables, greens, fruits and berries. Broccoli, asparagus and lettuce are especially good in this regard;
• The use of cereals is encouraged - millet, buckwheat, oats. Such products contain many useful vitamins and minerals, as well as complex carbohydrates;
• It is recommended to drink enough liquids: mineral water, tea, herbal infusions, compotes and fruit drinks are also suitable.

In addition to diet, experts recommend carefully following personal hygiene rules, changing bed linen more often (especially pillowcases). It is advisable to change pillows from feather and down to synthetic ones (synthetic padding, holofiber), or with other natural fillers, such as buckwheat husks, herbs, hop cones, etc.

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Cryomassage of the face for demodicosis

Since the Demodex mite loses its activity at low temperatures, it was decided to use cryomassage with liquid nitrogen to treat the disease. This procedure not only immobilizes the mites, but also activates the immune system, which only strengthens the skin's own defense against the disease.

Cryomassage sessions alone will not be of any use: the procedures should be combined with treatment with antiparasitic medications for external and internal use, which we discussed earlier.

It is also important to take into account that cryomassage has a number of contraindications:

• cold allergy, skin that is overly sensitive to cold;
• the presence of acute or subacute viral or microbial skin lesions (for example, herpes);
• scratches or wounds in the area where the procedure is applied;
• active tuberculosis;
• ARI, ARI, occurring with an increase in temperature, as well as sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, otitis in the acute phase;
• mental disorders, phobias.

During pregnancy, cryomassage is not prohibited, but not all specialists will agree to perform procedures on pregnant women. This is due to the fact that the restructuring of the hormonal background and decreased immunity, which are usually present during pregnancy, can unpredictably affect the results of treatment, and even affect the tone of the uterus.

Therefore, cryomassage is not always prescribed for the disease. In some cases, treatment of demodicosis on the face is successful only with the use of a combination of drug therapy and folk methods.

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