We all have a beauty regime, often featuring a twice-daily face wash and application of various creams and serums for that radiant glow.
While the need to scrub off the day's makeup and dirt after hitting the gym or braving the tube might seem obvious, skipping the morning cleanse might not seem like such a big deal.
But a trending social media post has recently revealed a rather stomach-turning reason for keeping up with your morning face-washing ritual.
The startling revelation originated on Reddit, where a user posed the question, "What is a disturbing medical fact that not many people know?"
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The thread quickly filled with users sharing spine-chilling details about health conditions and human anatomy that would give anyone the creeps. One response, in particular, caught the eye of many people.
They wrote: "The eyelash mite lives mainly on the human eyelash and is an eight legged parasite that eats skin and oil. They stay hidden in the hair follicles during the day and emerge at night to eat, lay eggs, and excrete waste. And that is why you should wash your face in the morning."
Disturbed by this detail, one user responded, "Thanks... I hate this..." While another commented: "I'm itching now, you've made me itch!"
Eyelash mites, also known as Demodex mites, are tiny arachnids living close to hair follicles on the face and eyes. They're part of our natural microbiome and are typically harmless. However, an overgrowth can lead to skin and eye issues.
The conversation about these microscopic critters took off on Reddit and subsequently jumped to TikTok, where the eyelash mite trivia gained fresh notoriety. A disturbed TikTok user expressed: "I did not need to know about eyelash mites now I'm terrified." Another chimed in with discomfort: "I knew about the mites but reading about it again makes me squirm bleh."
If the thought of minuscule mites feeding, excreting waste, and laying eggs strikes fear into you, it's important to remember they're a standard feature of human anatomy and in small quantities help to rid us of dead skin cells that would otherwise leave us looking like a zombie.
But when there are too many, problems like dermatitis, inflammatory acne, rosacea, and alopecia can manifest. Mites can spread from one person to another, hence the advice against sharing any makeup that comes in contact with lashes, including mascara and eyelash brushes.
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