Mini Mites on Your Face
Don’t worry — it’s (mostly) normal!
Right now, there are thousands of “bugs” crawling all over your face. These critters, known as face mites or demodex mites, are transparent in color and microscopic in size, making them invisible to the naked eye.
But, just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean that they don’t exist!
With the help of a microscope, scientists can confirm the presence of face mite populations and see what they look like up close. Microscopic images show that face mites have long, scaly bodies paired with four sets of pudgy legs, reminiscent of their distant cousin, the spider.
Fittingly, face mites belong to the arachnid family, in spite of their name suggesting otherwise. According to its Greek origins, the name “demodex” actually translates to “fat woodworm.” This is likely tied to their stringy appearance, although face mites are not literal worms.
However, face mites do share one notable trait with the common earthworm:
Both earthworms and face mites exhibit nocturnal behaviors. For the face mite, this is because bright lights scare them away. During the day time, both creatures take refuge in hidden bunkers — earthworms wriggle underground while face mites bury themselves in facial pores.
