Subject: The Microscopic Mites that Live in Your Face
From: Alex Kemp
Date: Sunday, 10 May 2015 03:49:39 +0100
To: Oliver Kemp, Micaela Kemp, Liisa Kemp, Davin Kemp
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http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150508-these-mites-live-on-your-face
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demodex_folliculorum

I’ve heard of the existence of these mites on odd occasions for decades, but have only just got some hard information on them. If you are of a nervous disposition, look away now!

Below is a classic model of our skin. You can see a hair follicle on the left & 2 sebaceous glands (vertical yellow tubes) which produce sebum (the oily stuff that keeps our skin moist). The surface of the skin is at top:-

A model of what lies underneath the human skin surface (Science Picture Co./SPL)

What they never told me at school is that there are little--in fact, almost microscopic (0.3–0.4mm (0.012–0.016 in) long)--mites that live within those follicles & glands. Here is a photograph of the ones that live within the hair follicles:-