Are Demodex Mites Contagious?

Demodex mites are contagious.

Often, one of the first questions we get asked is, are Demodex mites contagious in humans? In short, yes they are. They are transferred through either physical contact or the sharing of personal care items such as hairbrushes, bedding, towels, etc. so it’s very common for people who live together to share these uninvited guests.

Mite populations flourish when your immune system is down.

Although Demodex mites are contagious, they do prefer a weakened immune system to really make themselves at home and breed.

In fact, the majority of mildly infested people show little to no signs of mites at all! This is one reason why many partners who regularly sleep with their mates may not have matching symptoms of infestation in the form of hair or skin problems.

So why is it that those exposed to mites and living under the same environmental conditions can react so differently? This may be due to a healthier immune system, which means population density stays low, and another reason these terrifying little parasites manage to stay under our radar relatively unknown.

When not treated you risk their population spreading.

So although it is clear that for those who really are suffering, should likely seek immediate and aggressive treatment and kill Demodex mites, should those people who don’t appear to have any problems seek to eliminate the few mites living on them?

Yes. Eliminating mites is as a preventative measure is totally necessary and I will give you 2 reasons why:

1) Infected people with no visible signs can also transmit the mites to other people unknowingly. This puts those around you with a compromised immune system at a huge risk.

2) If you do only have a low population density of Demodex, and it causes you no trouble now, but bear this in mind: once infected, it can take months or even years before the signs of infection become visible.

It could be that down the track your immune system takes a tumble due to sickness, stress or any other factors and mite populations begin to boom, so do the symptoms.

How can you eliminate the risk of being contagious or reinfesting?

Using including PDT products in your daily/nightly routine and applying to your towel, hairbrush and pillows not only helps to eliminate mites, but also prevents the spread of Demodex mites within the home or salon.

We would love to hear from you in the comments below!