Hygiene? And next steps?

[Teary824]

What is everyone's hygiene routine like: How often do you wash pillowcases? Towels? etc.

I've been losing eyebrow/eyelash hairs since mid-Jan everyday, so I thought maybe it was demodex. My ophthalmologist didn't think so since she didn't see any collarettes or movement - she didn't have the tools to check me anyway. Since I couldn't find any eye clinics that checked for demodex in my area, I decided to buy a toy microscope (40x) to check myself.

When I scrape at my eyelash follicles, these little white flakes (?) in the shape of a round dot or slim grain comes out. Same goes for my eyebrow hairs but the size is a little bigger. The eyelash debris is too small but I managed to put the ones from my brows on the microscope. My skin looks normal unless you look right up-close and scratch the surface, then these little dot-like flakes show up in the pores.

http://i.imgur.com/LgdoPT5.gif
http://i.imgur.com/qpjUrNK.gif

Doesn't seem like demodex, I think... What does this look like..? Seborrhea? Since my eye infection and dry eye issues, I've had immense anxiety and stress so it could've affected my immune system. I also wasn't sleeping or eating too well but I'm fixing all of that now.

I had my blood tested for thyroid issues and the results came back normal. I should have a derm appointment set up in a week or two but doctors have been so dismissive ("it's normal to lose eyelashes with age" ..I'm 26!) and I'm tired of waiting in confusion :/ Using Cliradex wipes definitely helped.. I even put a few drops of 100% TTO in my cleanser, shampoo, and conditioner. Also started using Erythromycin ointment last night as my ophthalmologist says it'll help with eye bacteria/redness. Going to try going without makeup for a bit, too.

Other than that I'm just sticking to fish oil supplements, Refresh artificial tears, and warm compresses. Should I ask my doctor about taking doxycycline? Any other recommended next steps? When I first went to my ophthalmologist she only suggested Lipiflow and Restasis - she didn't even tell me about warm compresses, which is disappointingly shady.

Thanks, everyone. Hope you're all well.

[meibomian]

Demodex usually isn't found on the lid margin surface and scrapping "skin" will not produce any mites. The mites are found in the lash root and you have to pull out a lash to find the mites. You can try twirling the lash in a circular fashion while tugging on the lash without completely pulling out the lash to extract the mites, but this takes a bit of practice and dexterity.

[savino]

What is everyone's hygiene routine like: How often do you wash pillowcases? Towels? etc.

I've been losing eyebrow/eyelash hairs since mid-Jan everyday, so I thought maybe it was demodex. My ophthalmologist didn't think so since she didn't see any collarettes or movement - she didn't have the tools to check me anyway. Since I couldn't find any eye clinics that checked for demodex in my area, I decided to buy a toy microscope (40x) to check myself.

When I scrape at my eyelash follicles, these little white flakes (?) in the shape of a round dot or slim grain comes out. Same goes for my eyebrow hairs but the size is a little bigger. The eyelash debris is too small but I managed to put the ones from my brows on the microscope. My skin looks normal unless you look right up-close and scratch the surface, then these little dot-like flakes show up in the pores.

http://i.imgur.com/LgdoPT5.gif
http://i.imgur.com/qpjUrNK.gif

Doesn't seem like demodex, I think... What does this look like..? Seborrhea? Since my eye infection and dry eye issues, I've had immense anxiety and stress so it could've affected my immune system. I also wasn't sleeping or eating too well but I'm fixing all of that now.

I had my blood tested for thyroid issues and the results came back normal. I should have a derm appointment set up in a week or two but doctors have been so dismissive ("it's normal to lose eyelashes with age" ..I'm 26!) and I'm tired of waiting in confusion :/ Using Cliradex wipes definitely helped.. I even put a few drops of 100% TTO in my cleanser, shampoo, and conditioner. Also started using Erythromycin ointment last night as my ophthalmologist says it'll help with eye bacteria/redness. Going to try going without makeup for a bit, too.

Other than that I'm just sticking to fish oil supplements, Refresh artificial tears, and warm compresses. Should I ask my doctor about taking doxycycline? Any other recommended next steps? When I first went to my ophthalmologist she only suggested Lipiflow and Restasis - she didn't even tell me about warm compresses, which is disappointingly shady.

Thanks, everyone. Hope you're all well.

[Teary824]

My advice to you would be:

- educate yourself about Malassezia and seborrheic dermatitis
- use a climbazole based product to wash your face and hair everyday
- try 50% Selsun for 3min on your eyelids to see if you get any relief (use it every 2-3 days)
- change your pillowcase every two days (flip the pillow every night)
- ditch the erythomycin ointment
- stay away from oil based creams except the ones that contain caprylic triglycerids

Hi Savino, thanks so much for writing back and for all the helpful information! I read through the links you gave me and many seemed to think this is an internal issue. I have read that SD is often triggered by stress/poor diet, so I don't know if simply just building up my immune system can fix all of this. I don't have any redness or even much itching since it's mostly hair loss and flakes. Sometimes a few flakes make their way to the middle or tip of my hairs but mainly it resides in the pores, so I have to scrape or brush the hair back and forth for it to show up.

I've only recently put 100% TTO (in place of bleach) with detergent in my laundry for towels and pillowcases. And here are the ingredients for what I'm currently using:

Cleanser:

Water, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycereth-7, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, Glycol Stearate, Cocamide MEA, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance

Shampoo: Aqua (Water), Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Parfum, Glycol Distearate, Dimethicone Copolyol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocamide DEA, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-11, DMDM Hydantoin, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids, Organic Cherry Blossom Extract, Organic Ginseng Extract, Albumen, Bamboo Extract (Oil), Hydrolyzed Rice Milk, Protein, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Coumarin

Can I still use these or should I throw them out for new ones since the TTO won't mix? The other TTO product I use are the Cliradex wipes after I do my hot compresses. I'll ditch the erythomycin since it seemed to make my eyes redder and the upper margins more swollen. The only oil-based product I can think of that I use is for removing makeup, which I tried not wearing for the past few days.

I managed to set up an appointment with a derm this Wednesday, so I will update you if I manage to find anything. Take care.

[savino]

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[savino]

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[Cindedilly]

Hello, does anyone know where you can get lacrisert in the UK eg: any doctors known?

[Teary824]

You mentioned white discharge on the outer corners of your eyes. Is it foamy like white bubbles?

I assumed the white discharge was mucus from eye irritation. It only shows up on the outer corner of my right eye when my eyes are inflamed and acting up. It doesn't look foamy like bubbles - it looks more like a bit of white glue or paint.

Do you not need to use hot compresses for your MGD (anterior or posterior?), savino? Are you currently using all of these products just for maintenance? I was told I just had posterior MGD so wearing eye makeup was OK. If what I actually have is an issue with bacteria, then I hope after calming the SD down that I can eventually go back to wearing eye makeup.

What do you use to dilute the Selsun Blue to 50%?

[savino]

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[Teary824]

The discharge looks like if someone squeezed a tiny drop of whitish glue on the right eye's outer corner. The "tiny drop" never gets really big but if I wipe it away, it comes back. Kind of "dry" looking, not wet or soapy. There are other users that seemed to have this sometimes, too when I ran a forum search - for example: http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...-corner-of-eye

My derm thinks my skin looks normal. I haven't worn makeup for a week now, using Cliradex over the whole face, and the flaking has gone down but hair loss persists. (Paying closer attention I realized the artificial tears leave residue on lashes.) I had my blood drawn again, this time to test for autoimmune although my derm thinks in the end it's just stress.

Regardless, thank you for all of your help, savino. I'll pick up some Selsun Blue, maybe a few other things, anyway since it's inexpensive and sometimes I do have a bit of dandruff on the scalp. I'll continue skipping makeup - eventually slowly reintroducing things one at a time and using disposable applicators to closely monitor everything.

[KarenRB53]

Hi...did you find the Cliradex helped your eyes at all? I was just at opthamologist and told to use Cliradex daily. Was told I have blepharitis, MGD and occular rosacea. The Cliradex isn't helping at all. Stings terribly.

[Teary824]

Hi Karen. I started using Cliradex mid-February (2016) and in the beginning it stung terribly. At that time I used it only on my eyelids - a small pimple-like bump appeared twice on my skin and went away, which I have no idea if that was "demodex die off symptoms." At one point in Early March, my eyes managed to feel almost normal so I thought Cliradex helped. Then I somehow relapsed and now I'm trying to figure out what's going on. I went back to read the Cliradex reviews on Amazon more closely and people used it over their entire face and twice a day. I've been using it over my entire face but twice a day is rather harsh for me.

Do you suspect demodex mites, Karen? People with rosacea tend to have higher population of demodex mites. Unfortunately the only doctors I know that test for demodex is in Miami (Dr. Tseng).

An update on my thread is that my blood test came back normal, so I'm going to schedule another derm appointment just to be sure. From my research though, demodex is awfully difficult to kill.

[unicorn]

I also have this whitish, slightly foamy discharge in the corners of my eyes from time to time. More noticeable after a warm compress or when using lots of flaxseed. I think it's saponified oil. Will be interested to hear from others who have this to try and work out the best treatment!

[KarenRB53]

It

Hi Karen. I started using Cliradex mid-February (2016) and in the beginning it stung terribly. At that time I used it only on my eyelids - a small pimple-like bump appeared twice on my skin and went away, which I have no idea if that was "demodex die off symptoms." At one point in Early March, my eyes managed to feel almost normal so I thought Cliradex helped. Then I somehow relapsed and now I'm trying to figure out


what's going on. I went back to read the Cliradex reviews on Amazon more closely and people used it over their entire face and twice a day. I've been using it over my entire face but twice a day is rather harsh for me.






Do you suspect demodex mites, Karen? People with rosacea tend to have higher population of demodex mites. Unfortunately the only doctors I know that test for demodex is in Miami (Dr. Tseng).

An update on my thread is that my blood test came back normal, so I'm going to schedule another derm appointment just to be sure. From my research though, demodex is awfully difficult to kill.

liradex




Certainly could be dermodex....can't use the Cliradex anymore....stings so badly and irritating eyelids so now they're so sore. Don't know what to try now. If it is dermodex .....any suggestions on what to use?

[Teary824]

Certainly could be dermodex....can't use the Cliradex anymore....stings so badly and irritating eyelids so now they're so sore. Don't know what to try now. If it is dermodex .....any suggestions on what to use?

How long have you been using Cliradex? It stings very badly in the beginning, as if your lids are on fire, but after a while it won't hurt anymore. I would recommend to keep trying to use them, if you can. Sterilid is another eyelid product with TTO that you can try: http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Tears-St...dp_o_pd_nS_ttl

If it could be demodex, then I also recommend washing your towels, pillowcase, and bedsheets in HOT water - adding bleach or TTO can help. There's also the option of ironing your stuff since the heat will kill them. Savino recommended Selsun Blue shampoo, which makes hair really clean and the sulfur kills them too but I've seen others use TTO shampoo/face wash. Demodex has a life cycle of ~3 weeks. Supposedly we all have them but it's only a problem when there's an overpopulation. So the goal wouldn't be to get rid of them completely, just reduce. Overpopulation is an issue when the immune system is too weak to fight them, so make sure you eat well, exercise, get some sleep and sunlight. Hope you feel better~