What are eyelash mites

Eyelash mites

Eyelash mites are tiny parasites that infest thesebaceous gland and the follicles of the hairs. Other names for these mites areDemodex folliculorum and demodicid. Theseparasites are very tiny, approximately 0.4 millimeters in size and they usuallyleach on the roots of the eyelashes, nose and chin, as well as on cheek andforehead. In most cases, the eyelash mites do not cause a major problem anddo not have any symptoms. However, it can occur that these parasites cause some skincondition.

Thesetiny parasites have long body, which is semi-transparent and divided into twosegments. They attach to the hair follicle by the means of scales, which are allover the body of the mites. They use the dead and flaky skin cells as a food, aswell as the hormones and the sebum produced by the sebaceous glands.

The shape of the female adulteyelash mite is slightly different from the male eyelash mite, since it is rounderand slightly shorter. Both the female and the male have a genital opening andthe fertilization is internal. The eggs of the eyelash mites are usually laidin the hair follicles and the sebaceous glands. The eyelash mites can liveabout several weeks.

Causes of eyelash mites

The eyelash mites are parasitic mites present in every person in normal amounts.However, there are people who are susceptible to large numbers of the eyelashmites. The women who always wear eyelash mascara or eyeliner, as well as thosewomen who do not remove completely the makeup in the evening are more prone tothe development of a large number of these parasites.A large eyelash infestation alsooccurs in older people and in the people whose sebaceous glands are overactive.Furthermore, when one has a suppressed immune system, the mites may overproducethemselves very rapidly.The excessive multiplication of the eyelash mites causes a condition calleddemodicosis, which is manifested through itching and inflammation. The Demodex mites mayalso lead to the occurrence of rosacea and swollen eyelids. As a consequenceof the eyelash mites overproduction, the eyelashes may start to fall out. Even cornealirritation or scarring may happen due to this constant infestation of themites.The eyelash mites are the parasitesthat may also result in the development of the condition called demodectic conjunctivitis, which is characterizedby the conjunctiva blushing.