After connecting, if not cleaned and properly cleaned, Demodex mites can penetrate and corrode the eyelash follicles, causing a lot of danger to the eyes.
Eyelash extensions is a popular beauty method today, helping women to have big round eyes, creating attractive effects. However, improper care and cleaning of eyelids can cause immeasurable consequences for the eyes as in the following cases.
Mistake after extensions
According to the Sohu, The patient is Ms. Wang, 50 years old, from Jiang Yin District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. On April 12, she went to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for an examination after suffering itching, losing eyelashes, and dry eyes. Before that, Wang had extensions at a local beauty salon.
Dr. Zhang Gaoming, deputy head of the Department of Ophthalmology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital diagnosed this woman with blepharitis caused by Demodex mites. On closer inspection, this doctor also discovered a series of demodex ticks nesting on the eyelashes of the patient.
The cause of this phenomenon comes from the unhygienic process of eyelash extensions, the patient does not clean the eyes, the eyelids after the extensions. Doctors have washed the eyes and thoroughly cleaned the area where the eyelashes are nested by the mites. However, the patient is forced to remove the entire eyelash and wait for it to regrow.
According to Dr. Zhang, people with blepharitis caused by Demodex mites often have symptoms of dry eyes, itching, redness, feeling of foreign bodies in the eyes, loss of eyelashes. The disease is common in people who do not regularly clean their eyes, keep pets and accidentally get invaded by ticks. Through the above case, Dr. Zhang recommends that women choose a reputable address, ensure hygiene and have to take care of their eyelashes properly, and clean them regularly.
Ashley had to see a doctor after getting the eyelashes on and got blepharitis caused by Demodex mites. Photo: WFTC 9.
This is not the first documented case of Demodex tick attack and disease after eyelash extensions. April 2018, TV channel WFTV 9, report on Ashley (hide age and address), in Florida, USA, suffering from eye irritation and discomfort after using this beauty method.
Doctors at the Dry Eye Support Center, Orlando Eye Institute, Florida, USA, took Ashley’s eyelash and looked it under a microscope. They found only one eyelash but dozens of tiny Demodex mites are hiding.
Dr Keshini Parbhu, Center for Dry Eye Support, Orlando Eye Institute, said the ticks dug deep into the bottom of the hair follicles and ate up the nutrients in each eyelash. Ashley has been dealing with this and has been advised to regularly clean and disinfect the pillowcases. However, this woman shared herself never again.
How dangerous is blepharitis caused by Demodex mites?
According to the Healthline, tick-borne blepharitis is usually caused by two types: Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis. They are all super small in size so they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Demodex is a tick that lives mainly on the hair follicles of the face, eyes, especially the eyelids and eyelashes. At night, Demodex mites appear to feed on dead skin cells, lay eggs, and discharge residue (also known as mites) into the eyelid glands, eyelash follicles.
Normally, Demodex mites that appear naturally on the skin in small amounts are not only harmless but also beneficial. Because they remove dead cells and cause no harm or symptoms.
However, when the number of mites is increased, it can cause significant damage to the skin and eyes such as dry skin, redness, itching or eczema, blepharitis, oil gland damage at the edges of the eyes, meibomian glands, stigmas fungal skin …
Symptoms of Demodex blepharitis are itchy eyelashes and surrounding skin; rough, scaly patches of skin; redness of the eyes and around the eyes; burning sensation inside the eyes …
Worse, the eyelash will dry out, stick to the eye and eventually cause it to grow abnormally. Blepharitis affects up to 45% of the population in the US and can be caused by other causes such as obstruction of the oil glands at the base of the eyelashes.
Demodex tick blepharitis is often not visible to the naked eye, making it difficult to detect it on its own. Photo: Freepik.
The American Ophthalmology Association AOA) says blepharitis is usually not contagious. However, Demodex ticks can jump from sick to healthy people and from animals to humans. If you are in close contact with someone with Demodex blepharitis, your risk of infection is very high.
Therefore, we should not use the same makeup, especially the eyes such as mascara, eyeliner, eye cream, eyeliner … In addition, you should also limit the use of oil-containing products because it is easy to create the environment. for ticks to grow, clogging pores. Every day, we need to maintain the habit of washing face 2 times, gently clean the eye area with water, dry and remove debris, excess oil.
Ticks are very small in size, not visible to the naked eye, so if you have eye problems, you should get checked for early detection and timely treatment.
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