We All Have Mites Living On Our Faces (Video)

Epoch Video
9/16/2014
Updated:
9/16/2014

Many different microscopic organisms can be found on the human body, one of those is mites that live on our faces.

These mites were discovered in 1841, and were described in more detail a year later by a dermatologist examining acne spots under a microscope. There are more than 48,000 species of mites, but only two live on the human face.

While most remain unobtrusive, these mites live within our pores and can cause rosacea and blepharitis if there’s an imbalance within the skin. These two types of mites aren’t closely related to each other.

One type is closer to a dog mite, while the other is a human mite. It’s unknown how mites have come to exist on human faces, but coming into contact with domesticated animals such as dogs and goats may offer a clue.

A recent study found that even if mites aren’t present within a sample examined under a microscope, their DNA shows up regardless. Where there’s DNA, there’s mites.

Mites are rarely found on babies, becoming more common on teenagers and by adulthood everyone has them.

From an evolutionary standpoint, mites show that as humanity spread from Africa to other parts of the globe, the mites evolved as well.

Recent samples taken from America and China were found to be genetically different from one another.

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