A tick that breeds on your face at night (9 photos + 1 video)

If you are afraid that you will not be able to sleep later or you are just a very impressionable person, then it is better not to read further and do not watch the video at the end of the article... I warned you, in case that happens!





A person is not at all as lonely as he sometimes seems. After all, not only do our bodies contain from one and a half to three kilograms of bacteria, plus various viruses, archaea, fungi and protists, but also some animals have found a wonderful refuge right in our skin. Although, what kind of shelter is there? A complete home!

I don’t know whether this will calm you down or, on the contrary, upset you, but a microscopic arachnid called the acne gland (Demodex folliculorum) is found in 90% of the world's population, regardless of gender or skin color.



Acne iron. This image has been colored to improve perception. In fact, the body of the iron woman is almost transparent.

And while young children may not yet have these mites, then with age the likelihood that they live on your face (less often on other parts of the body) is constantly growing. And people over 70 definitely have these cohabitants!

During the day, the acne gland hides in the hair follicles, because ultraviolet radiation is harmful to it. In this case, the front part of the body with its paws and mouth is directed deep into our skin, and the long “tail” sticks out. By the way, one follicle can be inhabited by several individuals.





Can you imagine? You go to work, eat, drink, communicate with friends and colleagues, and at this time several “tails” stick out and move from your follicles on your forehead, nose, cheeks, eyebrows near each of your hairs.

Something like this:



The "tails" of acne glands protrude from the follicle.

But then night comes, and THEIR time comes. As you fall asleep, tiny arachnids crawl out of their hiding places and the feast begins.

Although, of course, their menu is not very diverse - it only has two dishes: dead skin cells and sebum, which is secreted by our sebaceous glands.



Acne iron.

Having thoroughly nourished themselves, ticks begin to reproduce. What did you think? They have all the organs necessary for copulation! The penis of males, however, is small - only about 24 microns. But for their tiny size, apparently, it’s just right.☺

Mating happens right here - on your face. Why go far and look for a more suitable place? Moreover, iron women move very slowly - 1-1.5 cm per hour. By the time you go back and forth, the night will be over.



The eel ironfish is a female. a - genitals, b - legs, c - mouth.

After mating, females lay eggs about 0.1 mm long in the lumens of our sebaceous glands. That's right! Where else?

Blackheads do not live long. The entire development cycle (egg - larva - nymph - adult tick) lasts no more than 20 days.



I have already used epithets several times in relation to acne glands: microscopic, tiny, insignificant. Are they really that small?

The length of males is on average 280 microns, with 70% being the tail. And females are even larger - their maximum size is about 430 microns. Just think about it! After all, it’s almost half a millimeter! The thickness of the mites is 30-40 microns. It is slightly thinner than a human hair. Wow! They are not so microscopic!



Acne iron. Still from a video by James Weiss.

If you are very worried about the information you received, then let me try to calm you down a little.☺ After all, despite their terrible appearance, acne glands are practically harmless to humans. Moreover, they say that these arthropods even benefit us.

You remember what they eat, right? They eat away dead cells and sebum from our skin and thus cleanse the pores on the face, preventing the appearance of blackheads and pimples.



Acne iron.

And only when the skin on the face is too oily and mites begin to multiply uncontrollably, eat a lot and, accordingly, poop a lot, a disease called demodicosis can develop from the excess of their waste products.

I hope I was able to reassure you enough that you will risk watching the video announced in the title.