ontask

Hi,

I was diagnosed with Rosacea by a dermatologist this year after suffering from red raised patches on my cheeks and forehead for the past 8 years. Although it wasn't that bad at the beginning. Anyhow I demanded to have a skin scraping done which came back positive for Demodex folliculorum mites and Malassezia yeast species. The mites are often implicated as the cause of Rosacea while the yeast is usually linked to Seborrhoeic Dermatitis.

Rather than accept the treatment proposed by the Dr ( long term low dose antibiotics) I decided to research things myself and found case study in a scientific journal whereby a man in his fifties had a major facial infestation with these mites. They tried all the scabies treatments and as a last ditch effort tried oral Metronidazlole 250mg three times daily for two weeks. This cleared his infestation permanently.


I ended up taking this article to my GP and asked him to try the Metronidazole. He gave me 400mg three times daily for two weeks which cleared the mites and the red patches completely. I also took Clarithromycin 250mg twice daily over the same period to take care of residual Ocular Rosacea. I have had many styes (chalazions)over the years cut out by an eye surgeon which i finally worked out to be down to these same mites. It's been more than two months and I haven't had a recurrence. I should note that this won't treat the yeast problem which I still have.

Precautions that I took to prevent reinfestation included:
changing shower gel, face wash, shampoo and conditioner to pH balanced alternatives. The skin has a protective acid mantle (pH 4 -6.5) that is stripped away by regular alkaline soaps and shampoos. This makes it easier for microbes and parasites to take up residence. Try to find ones as natural as possible pref with some essential oils. Email the manufacturer as I did to be sure of the pH (should be no higher than 6.5).

Washing all sheets and pillow cases on hot cycle with a few drops of lavender essential oil and tea tree. I also used a fresh pillow case each night during and after treatment for a few weeks.

Use of pH balanced natural moisturiser. Being a guy it was the first time I had used one.

On a final note, if it turns out you have these mites then I would advise you to ask your Dr for Tinidazole as opposed to Metronidazole. As tinidazole came back negative for carcinogenicity studies in mice and rats while metronidazole came back positive, but is has a similar action. 2 weeks prob isn't long enough exposure but better to be on the safe side. I only discovered this after I had been treated. Tinidazole prob comes in different dosage.



Post any questions. Good luck.