Research has revealed that tiny, microscopic spider-like creatures were present on 100% of the faces of people that participated in a study.
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The many creatures found on our faces
The Demodex arachnids were found to live inside the hair follicles and glands of people's faces as the creatures are merely 0.3 mm in length perfectly small enough to fit inside human pores.
And that's not all that is commonly found inside people's faces. As it turns out, the test—that aimed to look for parasites on the human body—also revealed that there is about one D. folliculorummite in each of our hair follicles. As if that wasn't enough to gross you out, the parasite known as D. brevis can easily enter your sebaceous glands—so easily that multiple of them can claim one single gland as their home.
According to scientists, these creatures feed off of people's sebum (the oil that is emitted by the skin) so you can expect to find them most near your T-zone as that is where, typically, people produce the most of it.
If you thought that was gross, wait til you hear this: not only are they impossible to get rid of through washing, since they are deep inside your skin, they also come out of your pores to mate on your skin and lay their eggs! But, fear not, as these little guys are reportedly harmless and only live for about 2-3 weeks at a time.
More common than you would think!
Entomologist the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Michelle Trautwein, explained about her experience studying these arachnids that:
They tell a story of your own ancestry and also a story of more ancient human history and migration.I actually put glue on a glass microscope slide and stick it onto a person's forehead. Then I slowly peel it off. I look under a microscope for mites that are stuck in the follicles that stick up from the thin layer of skin that got peeled off.
And added:
It can be pretty addictive and exciting. It's sort of a meditative process of looking through this microforest of follicles and hairs and looking for just the right potential movement or shape.
