Mites Create Acne for Some People

[misfitz]

the creams have helped my skin about 80% overall. When I run my hands over my face, it 'feels' smooth though i still have spots from hyperpigmentation/scars and The itchy red spots are visually noticeable.

[Lenore]

It's great to hear of people clearing up, but I do have some concerns about the products. One is that metronidazole is an antibiotic, and my experience with topical antibiotic lotions is that they worked great for like 3 months or so, and then stopped working, apparently because resistant bacteria had formed (which is a problem with all antibiotics that I know of). Also, I have been reading about an anti-mite soap from China for a long time (probably the Face Doctor one), since many many years ago, and it seems to me if it was so dramatically effective on a longterm basis, that word would have spread about it and that dermatologists would be using it. It has been around for a long time though, so maybe people are using it repeatedly and having success with it.

The other thing that concerns me is that some supposedly "natural and herbal" medicines that came from China were discovered to actually contain Western drugs in them, some of them addictive (like Valium, for example). Two doctors told me about this danger. A friend once bought me a supposedly herbal sleep medicine from China, Jin Bu Huan, which worked so well, that I started to feel suspicious about it being just herbal. Sure enough, when I mentioned it to a friend of mine who is a homeopathic Doctor of Oriental Medicine, he said that this pill did actually contain a drug and was not herbal. Anyway, I know these products are topical, but I would have some concern as to whether there might be cortizone or other steroids in them that would calm inflammation in the short run, but then cause worsening of the acne in the long-run (as topical steroids can do). This is a remote possibility, but I just became suspicious of Chinese herbal medicines from my experience with the sleeping pill.

I don't know if these are a different type of mite, but I've always been concerned about there being dust mites in my pillows (I have some older pillows). A friend told me that putting the pillows in a hot dryer will kill the mites. I think that most pillows can be laundered in a large capacity washing machine at a laundrymat and then dried there also. I'm concerned, though, that any remaining dampness inside the pillow might harbor mold or something. There are special pillow cases to keep the mite dust contained (I think the allergens are from their excrement or the mite corpses). One article claimed that something like 10 or 15% of the weight of a pillow could be actually made up of mites and mite corpses (oh, God, that's disgusting, isn't it?). I know that mites can cause allergic reactions, but I've never read about them being implicated in acne, except in those ads for Chinese soaps. In the Dr. Murad commercials, he talks about there being many different skin conditions that look like acne but aren't actually acne. Perhaps the problem is that the traditional acne medicines, like benzoyl preoxide e.g., only work for true acne, and not for the other look-alike conditions.

Here's a previous thread on the board about Demodex mites:

http://www.clearskin.net/viewtopic.php?t=4313

[gerald]

Well, thanks for your info lenore...I must say i am easily influenced and easily awed. Your post does have its point.

I started my cream last night. It does feel very comfortable on me. The minty feel was great but today i noticed that the two bumps i have seems to be much crusty in colour and seems more obvious.

So that means the metronizade in the crem is actually a form of a/biotic? So do you mean that it is a wrong move to use this cream then?

One thing that confuses me is why the price is so extravagant when the packaging is so simple... Plus, they come from two different companies.

I surfed the website www.xmfl.com.cn but i cont understand the language...i will ask my friend to read them for me tomorrow.

But i really pray that my problem is demodex. For now my t-zone is kinda fested with dry patches....something like fungal infections...but nothign worst thoug...jhust dryness on the forehead.

I will cross my finger that this thing will work on me...btw, is there any long term demodex solutions users here?

cz440, u seem to know walter well when u say he's busy ...

[Lenore]

Gerald, I really don't know whether this product works or not. It might be just the ticket for some people, I just don't know. I just know what my experience was with topical antibiotics like Cleocin-T and others -- they worked famously for a few months and then they stopped working, and the acne came back in full force or even worse. Now these mite products contain a lot of other ingredients, so perhaps by the time the antibiotic stops working, the skin will have cleared from the other ingredients, I just don't know.

You might want to check out other acne boards, like http://www.absoluteacneinfo.com/index.html , and the one at http://www.healthboards.com and do a search on those boards and see whether people have tried these products and what results they had.

[zigzag]

I've also used antibiotics and indeed they do stop working, however I have read that this medicine is known not to stop working at any point -- Walter should be able to explain why... I will try to refer him to here.

As of today my face is clear and only marks remain

[misfitz]

Metronidazole is technically an Anti-Fungal, though it has some antibiotic properties. There is a difference, because fungi are actually eukaryotic (all bacteria are prokaryotes). Anti-Fungals can be nasty because its tough to get a really specific one that wont act on the good eukaryotes (your body cells) vs. the bad ones.

The Xin Fumanling cream contains Metronidazole and as such should be used carefully. After treatment, the usual protocol is to eventually phase out the xfml cream and go into a maintenance program with the zhongzou cream only. Walter could probably explain it better, but the 2 creams are manufactured to stringent quality controls and as such ingredients like corticosteroids cannot be in the mixture without being stated. I cannot vouch for longterm effectiveness but you really can't be sure of anything's longterm efficacy on an individual basis. I find the Zhongzou cream to be far superior and I apply XFML cream about once every 2 days these days.

Like Lenore says, if you've tried EVERYTHING, and you've got the symptoms, then give this a try. Its not going to work for everyone, but all I've heard are success stories so far.

But I just wanted to make the distinction that the products do NOT work primarily via an antibiotic mechanism. Sulfur is the primary ingredient in the Zhongzou cream, but I've used sulfur resorcinol before to no avail. I've used all the antibiotic creams in the world and NONE worked. The demodex solutions creams are also used for rosacea much of the time, which isn't thought of as a bacterial problem.

[Lenore]

Misfitz wrote:

[DanishDude]

Hello Lenore and others

I have been diagnosed with rosacea for about 5 years now. First of all - it is called "rosacea" and not "acne rosacea" since many products related to acne make rosacea patients breakout severely (eg. Benzoyl Peroxid). It is a common misunderstanding among doctors etc.

Second - if you want to know more about Demodex Mites in relation to rosacea I recommend the following website: www.rosacea.ii.net/toc.html When you enter the page you should choose "Theories" and then "Demodex Mites".

The www.rosacea.ii.net also has a discussion board on yahoo.com where they at the moment discuss Demodex mites. Maybe we should exchange information.

Best regards

DD

[misfitz]

[misfitz]

by cure for acne, i mean, UNIVERSAL cure for acne- that it works for ALL people. a lot of people have found their personal cure which hasnt helped others.

[gerald]

Umm,

I am confused now. I dont want this thing to come back worse ever...I feel really comfortable with the creams though...

But now after 6 days, i get breakouts here and there. Some are subsiding some small ones are growing....they have heds though as opposed to the ones i normally have before..

I have my singing auditions next week and whole lots of interviews...I am worry if these dont go away in a week.

I am indecisive now....

[misfitz]

Today is an awesome day. I don't have any cystic acne anymore, and the rest of my face looks good. I think I'm gonna start some microdermabrasion or something for my scars. I'm happy that I can even focus on my scars (I was more concerned with active acne). The red spot breakout has subsided significantly and my face does not feel itchy all the time. Hopefully things continue to get better. I wish i tried this treatment before others preventing the ravages of past scars.

Gerald- based on the demodex boards, i'd say that you are probably going to have some breakouts. Some have said it'll last for 2 months. I've personally found this to be the case. But the breakouts I've gotten haven't been scar-inducing or cystic, so thats a plus. Its DEFINITELY NOT an accutane like breakout (where every cyst in a 100 m radius decide to show up for a party on your face). I know you're worried, but what can you do? keep with the treatment, and hope that it doesn't interfere with your singing audition... alternately you can stop, wait until after your audition and give your skin some time to heal. Was anything working for you before? Maybe you should stick with it until at least after your singing.

[gerald]

I am clear before this with very very minor white heads which don't bother me much but now after 8 days with the cream, I am getting a big bump which has white pus on my left cheeks and on my right jaw...I also noticed some red spots which i dunno as pimples or not nearby my cheekbones which has been totally clear for as long as i remember...I hate to think but how come i am getting more spots with the cream? i use only cetaphil to clean up everyday so maybe it is not cleansing the zhong zhou enough? I think it's a lil bit sicky and perhaps comedogeinic? The Zhong Zhou I mean. my audition is next tuesday....S**t and these spots appears. Damn...i gues i am gonna wear some nice two way cake for that day...but imagine the journey to the venue could been hellish...

I dunnno what o expect on my skin until tuesday...But i am kinda worried...some of the spots are disappearing but hey of course spots disappear yeah...it's just whether my body system is healing it or the creams...Arrrrr I feel like crying.

U mean it's 2 months before u see definite clarity misfits? Whatabout the others?

[misfitz]

I once read every message on the demodex solutions board, and it seemed the lucky ones had it work immediately, but on average, it takes about 1 month for the breakouts to die down a lot, and longer to become totally clear. at 1.5 months, My skin is pretty good- almost free from breakouts.

I'm interested in yur treatment history because from what I've read, the creams seem to work well in cases where all other standards forms of therapy (accutane, b5, diet, etc..) have not worked. If you havent tried those other things, then I'm not sure if your acne is the right "type" for this treatment. You might find success with those other options. My history included periods where I would feel this really itchy spot on my face followed by a red inflammatory mark (almost like an insect bite), which went away in a couple of hours. have you ever had this?

Its been a long process for me but I feel like I've found my holy grail. =b

[zigzag]