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Author Topic: Newbie with HORRIBLE SKIN DETERIORATING! Lines, dents, pricking, porous pink skin and orange peel texture.  (Read 61990 times)

SarahVaughter

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It is very likely that you do indeed have demodicosis. It is caused by the overpopulation of Demodex mites on the skin. Demodex mites are normally present on the skin of about 20 percent of the population and they are normally harmless. The problem begins when there are too many of them. 

  Demodex mites love oily skin because they feed on skin sebum, which is an oily substance, produced by the skin. Men are more prone to have Demodex mites because their skin tends to be oilier. You wrote your skin was getting oily prior to the onset of the problems, so that was probably the reason why you got this problem.

     

  Demodicosis looks like a combination of Rosacea + dermatitis + bumps. The skin is inflamed and irritated; you can experience all kinds of sensations (itchiness, pricking etc). Whether you can actually feel the mites crawling: I do not think so but there are all kinds of strange sensations present.

 

It can take half a year to fully get rid of it with proper treatment.

 The skin with serious demodicosis is somewhat compromised and sometimes gets additional infections such as fungal or other.

 
Look at the photos in this Demodicosis study and tell me whether your skin looked more or less like that. From the photos you had posted, I would say it did.

Demodicosis: A clinicopathological study: https://http://rosacea-control.com/pdf/sdarticle.pdf


Dermarolling is absolutely not suitable with demodicosis.

Concerning  Keratosis Pilaris on your thighs and arms:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Keratosis-Pilaris
« Last Edit: June 08, 2013, 12:25:10 PM by SarahVaughter »

SarahVaughter

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The adult, Demodex folliculorum can measure 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm (0.003-0.016 inches) in length and they walk on the skin at a speed of 8-16 centimeters (3.1-6.3 inch) per hour. I start to think that you may actually feel them crawling if you have many.

birdsing

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SarahVaughter;3684 wrote: It is very likely that you do indeed have demodicosis. It is caused by the overpopulation of Demodex mites on the skin. Demodex mites are normally present on the skin of about 20 percent of the population and they are normally harmless. The problem begins when there are too many of them.  

  Demodex mites love oily skin because they feed on skin sebum, which is an oily substance, produced by the skin. Men are more prone to have Demodex mites because their skin tends to be oilier. You wrote your skin was getting oily prior to the onset of the problems, so that was probably the reason why you got this problem.

     

  Demodicosis looks like a combination of Rosacea + dermatitis + bumps. The skin is inflamed and irritated; you can experience all kinds of sensations (itchiness, pricking etc). Whether you can actually feel the mites crawling: I do not think so but there are all kinds of strange sensations present.

 

It can take half a year to fully get rid of it with proper treatment.

   The skin with serious demodicosis is somewhat compromised and sometimes gets additional infections such as fungal or other.

       

 

Look at the photos in this Demodicosis study and tell me whether your skin looked more or less like that. From the photos you had posted, I would say it did.

     Demodicosis: A clinicopathological study: https://http://rosacea-control.com/pdf/sdarticle.pdf



     Dermarolling is absolutely not suitable with demodicosis.

Concerning  Keratosis Pilaris on your thighs and arms:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Keratosis-Pilarise/a>



Thank you for that link on demodicosis. I actually did not find that article when googling on demodex mites. It does appear that this might be what I have. I have asked my dermatologist for a prescription of oral metronidazole since it seems that is the best oral course of treatment against these mites. I have tried topical metronidazole and it made my skin redder in a matter of one day each time I tried, so I didn't continue using past two days. I'm not sure if I should ignore the redness and try to use the metro gel for a longer period of time, but when I used permethrin, my skin became lighter so I think the metro gel just isn't for me. It says in the article you sent me that permethrin and sulfur does not seem to help with the mites or at least not enough. It mentions crotamition cream as being useful against them. I have this at home too. I tried it once, but the perfume smell it has is very strong and dizzying, almost like a toxic smell. I am also unsure if it helped after one use I did not see any improvement, but thought I saw more redness. I think the perfume added to it didn't make my skin happy, but I do think if it didn't have perfume, it would have helped because it did seem to make my face seem lighter all around after a few hours of dealing with redness and irritation.

Someone wrote to me on a rosacea forum and sent me a link to a youtube video of a girl who has demodex: https://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a09r8B5h3sc&list=UUWjHev9wbkomYvRBWbG4L-A&index=100&feature=plpp_video

She said it went away through use of oral  metronidazole (in her country it is called Trichopol), use of benzyl benzoate ointment (which I have tried to get my dermatologist to prescribe me and he just doesn't for some reason. I am not sure if it's because it isn't available in the US or possible to get  a prescription or not but he hasn't said one or the other so I'm not sure whether this is something I can obtain through him), and she said she took Vitamin A (I am not sure how Vitamin A could help with demodex and what vitamin A actually does for the body. I did not want to go the antibiotic pill route to treat my face, but I just feel desperate at this point. I had tried doxyciline antibiotic (which I noticed was in the article you sent listed for one patient as having been treated with it), and I had noticed my bumps were diminishing a bit after two weeks of use, but I had to stop abruptly because I thought I was having trouble breathing from the pills. I'm not sure now if it was my anxiety and if it was my own brain thinking something was wrong or if I was in fact having a reaction...

Unfortunately, I developed a bladder infection the last 3 days and yesterday had to start a course of antibiotics for seven days called Clarithromycin. I am terrified that the antibiotics I have to take to clear the infection will give more breeding ground for these mites to take over if they are in fact my problem. Also, I am unsure as to whether it is healthy or ok for me to start the metronidazole perhaps a few days after I finish the Clarithromycin. I plan to ask my doctor. Before my facial skin problems began a year ago, I had taken a ZPACK antibiotic. I worry that it was the cause of my skin problems.

I am seeing my regular doctor on Monday and want him to test me for everything under the sun so as to rule out any disease or health problems. Do you have any suggestions for some tests or disorders I can suggest to be tested for? I have tested for lyme disease and systemic lupus already. And Vitamin B12 I believe. Vitamin D was tested on me once and it was said to be low and I was not tested for that in my last blood work so I am planning to get tested for it. Please let me know what else you think would be important to get tested for.

I am starting to develop eczema on my body and my skin is itchy. I worry this is a side effect of the mites too.

SarahVaughter

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As a layperson, I do not think there is a need to be tested for various conditions at the moment. You should be properly treated for Demodex. If that doesn't help, it is time to be tested for other possible causes. I also doubt antibiotics have anything to do with your demodex infestation. Antibiotics kill bacteria, including "friendly" bacteria but I do not think antibiotics can cause oily skin or promote Demodex.

Demodex can for example overpopulate when your immune system is not 100% working, such as due to chronic stress, lack of sleep, fighting other illness etc.

I do not share your opinion that eating so many carbohydrates while not eating protein is a good idea. Carbohydrate-rich foods deliver mainly empty calories so their nutritional value is very poor.

For decades, there has been a crusade against oils and animal fats for being very bad for health and as it turns out now, it has been an immense exaggeration or better to say a complete fabrication. The opposite is the case: It is carbs that are making us fat and unhealthy - not fat.

Try to relax, sleep as much as you can, eat high quality protein, vegetables (raw or cooked or fried - even in butter), salads, nuts and seeds (almonds, hazelnuts,  walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin seeds etc.)

Completely quit soft drinks and sugar and corn syrup in general.

Reduce your intake of carbohydrates (potatoes - especially french fries, rice, pasta and bread - especially the white varieties).

I hope a dietary improvement will assist your immune system in helping the proper treatment for the Demodex along.

birdsing

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SarahVaughter;3706 wrote: As a layperson, I do not think there is a need to be tested for various conditions at the moment. You should be properly treated for Demodex. If that doesn't help, it is time to be tested for other possible causes. I also doubt antibiotics have anything to do with your demodex infestation. Antibiotics kill bacteria, including "friendly" bacteria but I do not think antibiotics can cause oily skin or promote Demodex.

Demodex can for example overpopulate when your immune system is not 100% working, such as due to chronic stress, lack of sleep, fighting other illness etc.

I do not share your opinion that eating so many carbohydrates while not eating protein is a good idea. Carbohydrate-rich foods deliver mainly empty calories so their nutritional value is very poor.

For decades, there has been a crusade against oils and animal fats for being very bad for health and as it turns out now, it has been an immense exaggeration or better to say a complete fabrication. The opposite is the case: It is carbs that are making us fat and unhealthy - not fat.

Try to relax, sleep as much as you can, eat high quality protein, vegetables (raw or cooked or fried - even in butter), salads, nuts and seeds (almonds, hazelnuts,  walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin seeds etc.)

Completely quit soft drinks and sugar and corn syrup in general.

Reduce your intake of carbohydrates (potatoes - especially french fries, rice, pasta and bread - especially the white varieties).

I hope a dietary improvement will assist your immune system in helping the proper treatment for the Demodex along.

 

Thank you for replying Sarah! I appreciate all that you wrote. I will definitely change my diet around. I do try to eat beans a lot to get protein. I may add hummus too. I am thinking about adding chicken and start forcing myself to eat at least chicken meat to get some protein. Would that be a good idea? Chicken is the only meat I could tolerate, I think.

Couldn't the immune system not be 100% working due to antibiotics though? I don't think I am that stressed, at least not so much anymore. This leads me to believe I may have some illness or something causing my immune system to be low. I may have been stressed when my problems because 3 months prior my long term relationship had ended.

The doctor just called to tell me that they found e coli bacteria in my urine and apparently this is not uncommon and normal for a urinary tract infection. I find it odd that I got a UTI all of a sudden, my muscles get weak quickly, my blue veins on my body have become more noticeable, I have been developing more cherry angiomas on my body in the last year after my skin problems began, I feel strange pricking pangs on my body that are coming from my nerves or blood vessels I think, I keep getting strange hives out of nowhere that disappear quickly, I've gotten eczema on my foot, my stomach seems upset all the time and makes gurgling sounds, I can eat and eat and hardly feel that full, I end up eating a lot of food, I've gained a little weight, itchy skin, tiny little red bumps that appear and disappear and itch a little, and sometimes it feels like light crawling is happening on my body as if something is running through my hairs. I am also losing a LOT of eyebrow hairs and recently am seeing little white flakes in my eyebrows.

I wonder if Demodex can pose health problems and get into the blood stream. I have read on the net about about how some people think that mites and parasites can eventually get into the blood stream if not eradicated and then start causing illnesses such as lupus.

Or I have something else going on that is creating these symptoms and overpopulated the demodex.

I have had two psychics look at my picture. One was many years ago and she said that I would get kidney problems. Another psychic looked at my picture last Christmas when I was already having my skin problems and said I have liver problems.

Both of these psychics were actually family friends who just happened to see my picture and say something. I did not go searching out a psychic. The psychic who said I have liver problem this past Christmas did not have a clue about my skin problems. I was wearing make-up in the picture.

I will keep you posted on what happens for me after I'm done with the antibiotics I'm on for UTI and get some testing done to check for any illnesses. This will just ease my mind anyway and if I do have some stress, it's because I think I may have some health problem. If I am proven wrong then I will begin to think it's stress.

I want to keep you posted so that if you come across anyone else with problems such as mine, you will be able to help them with any information I can provide.

SarahVaughter

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Mites and Demodex can not get into the bloodstream, and even if they would, they would very most likely not be able to cause Lupus.

Antibiotics can not impair the immune system, apart from damaging the beneficial bacteria such as gut flora. There are certain antibiotics, rarely used, that can impair the immune system slightly when overused but you very likely have not been given such antibiotics, and discontinuing them will very quickly restore proper immune function.

Psychics are generally not the best source of health-related information.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2012, 04:36:18 PM by SarahVaughter »


boafriend

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Any updates on this by any chance? I didn't want to create a new thread because I've been experiencing very similar symptoms since March (aside from the orange skin/peeling). I've been having random shallow linear scars and little pitted scars form on my face, twitching and prickling/biting sensations (I feel these on my hair and eyelashes now too), and the random shallow linear scars and little pitted scars have started forming on my knees, legs, and very slightly on my arms. I've gone to dermatologists about my face (haven't showed them my knees or other body areas) but I'm at my frustration's end. I had a blood test for autoimmune disorders and while I haven't had any physical skin tests yet, the derms I've seen don't think I have anything serious.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

SarahVaughter

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Unfortunately, Birdsing was only a registered member on our previous forum before we migrated from vBulletin to SMF so I do not know her email and cannot ask her.

What did your dermatologist say it is?

boafriend

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Unfortunately, Birdsing was only a registered member on our previous forum before we migrated from vBulletin to SMF so I do not know her email and cannot ask her.

What did your dermatologist say it is?

I have not been able to hear a diagnosis from anyone yet. I went to one highly rated derm twice and he said usually random scarring is sign of an autoimmune disorder (in his experience), but I was tested for that and it came back negative. I brought up something spread across the internet and on Acne.org called AMVC (Atrophia maculosa varioliformis cutis), which is supposedly extremely rare skin disease, but it matched to the tee what was happening to my face, but this derm said he'd never heard of it but he looked it up on his phone and said he highly doubted I would have this. I had blood drawn on this first visit just so he could have a lab test done to see if I had any autoimmune disorder. He told me to just give this thing time (he's put me on anti-acne antibiotics for the time being) but it's frustrating because this issue worsens every week. I've stopped checking my face because it's just depressing but I have checked my knees and thigh area and the damage is continuous and consistent with what I've experienced on my face.

In addition, 3 weeks or so after I noticed this random scarring, I started experiencing random twitching and bug/crawling and prickling sensations all over. It started in my legs and spread to my face. I was paranoid that perhaps bugs or some parasite was causing this but this particular derm ruled these out from his experience and from the way my scarring looked. He prescribed me (this was a second visit a month after my first) Ivermectin just in case to kill anything I may have, but a physical skin scraping or the likes was never done. I took the two doses already but have not seen any ceasing of these symptoms.

I'm seeing another derm on Wednesday and then on the 25th I will be going back to this original dermatology office to get a second opinion from another derm who practices there.

I really don't want to subscribe to such belief that I could possibly have a rare skin scarring disease, but my line of hope has run too thin. I've read quite a few accounts of people who have experienced the exact same thing as me (random indented linear scars, prickling sensations on the skin) but were never able to find an end to such horror. Most have run to several derms only to be shooed away, be told the issue is minor, or like me, been given no diagnosis. I've heard of a few lucky people who had skin scrapings done and their derm found that they had an excess of demodex mites....afterwards they were given a few meds which stopped their skin problems for good. But IDK....I've read that aside from scabies, any type of bug or mite can't do physical damage to the skin (e.g. Dents). And likes said I've already taken an antibiotic for such bugs so...it just is very depressing.

SarahVaughter

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I can imagine how depressing this is for you..

We actually have another very similar story to yours by a forum member Cheeky:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/newbie-with-severe-skin-issues-please-can-i-have-some-advice/

Her skin also very rapidly deteriorated, without any obvious cause.

Since I realized that the rapid deterioration of the skin can be a serious unidentified skin disorder (of infectious etiology perhaps) and unfortunately, the dermatologists consulted have no idea what it is, I do not recommend any form of dermaneedling in this case.

As much as I would like to help you, I really do not know what it is.

The only thing I would recommend is to visit as many various dermatologists as you can and maybe one of them will guess it right.
Please let us know the results of your quest for a diagnosis.

SarahVaughter

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Atrophoderma Vermiculata:

boafriend

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Thanks Sarah. Yeah the problem with my skin isn't what appears to be in that picture. And I have stayed away from dermastamping and do not plan to do it anytime soon. I was just hoping I could get some help here but it seems everyone is as stumped as I am.

Thanks anyways.

boafriend

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So the derm I went to recommended I go to an allergist after I informed him of all the weird things that have been happening to me, but did a skin scraping for me. He left a message with me today saying that the results came back and that I had no bugs, yeast infections, of anything odd. I'm so frustrated and defeated at this point. I have no idea WTF is causing this madness and it's torn me apart

SarahVaughter

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The only advice I can think of is to try a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent because in spite of your negative result, you cannot completely exclude infection. Wait for your allergy test and if it is negative and none of your doctors figures out what you have, buy Betadine liquid or Betadine ointment (containing Povidone-iodine).

Povidone-iodine exhibits a broad range of microbicidal activity against bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. Apply it to the skin and let it work for about half an hour.  If it doesn't help after trying it twice, there is no pint doing it more.

There are some antibacterial and antifungal creams for sale OTC. If you are really desperate, try it on the affected skin on the legs.