In general, the development or exacerbation of common skin and hair complications causes individuals to consider taking dermatology medications to treat their symptoms. However, whether over-the-counter or prescription medications, chemical drugs seem to have unexpected side effects that may adversely affect people’s skin and hair.
In this article, we introduce three of these drugs and briefly enumerate their mechanism of action as well as their common side effects.
Roaccutane
Roaccutane is a prescription medication to treat common skin concerns like acne breakouts. It is a brand name for isotretinoin and is known by other brand names such as Accutane, Hexal Isotretinoin, Soft Skin and A-Cnotren. The word “retinoid” means Accutane, which is essentially a derivative of vitamin A. This drug is one of the most potent remedies for treating acne because it reduces the activity and size of sebaceous glands.
This acne drug usually helps many people around the world to get rid of their stubborn pimples.
Mechanism of Action
Roaccutane reduces the production of sebum in the skin. As a result, the skin’s pores do not clog, and oil accumulation and subsequent inflammation, which leads to pimple forming, are prevented. Roaccutane also kills the bacteria that cause acne.
Side Effects
Although Roaccutane has undeniable positive effects in treating acne, its side effects are also numerous and probably severe:
- Temporary hair loss
- Impaired liver function
- Severe sensitivity to sunlight
- Digestive problems
- Hair thinning
- Mild headache
- Bleeding due to dryness of the nasal mucosa
- visual disturbances, vomiting, muscle and joint pain
- Severe headaches provoked by increased intracranial pressure
- Excessive skin dryness, especially around the mouth and lips
- Psychological effects and mood swings, aggression and even depression
- Abortion and mental retardation of the baby if used during pregnancy
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a synthetic drug used both systematically (oral tablets) in case of high blood pressure and topically (2% or 5% solution) for treating male pattern baldness and androgenic hair loss in men and women.
The medicine lowers blood pressure by dilating peripheral arteries, which carry more blood and provide more food to the follicles. Consequently, well-nourished follicles change from the resting stage to active growth, which results in less hair fall and more growth of new hair.
Minoxidil Side effects
Topical application of minoxidil may cause skin allergies, redness, and inflammation. This sensitivity is usually accompanied by itching and burning.
On the other hand, due to the vasodilatory effect of minoxidil, you should not apply it to other parts of your body. Absorption into the body may affect the blood vessels to dilute and grow unwanted hairs.
Furthermore, minoxidil may cause headaches by dilating peripheral arteries under the scalp.
Minoxidil is one of the drugs that have no lasting effects. It does not matter if you have been using it for a long time or not. However, hair loss will start again sometime after stopping it. This makes this drug expensive in the long run.
Ivermectin
Ivermectin is a medication used to treat parasitic infections such as Demodex mite, head lice, whipworm infections, and ascariasis. It is marketed under the brand name Stromectol and Soolantra creams and is considered a dermatological medication.
People with weakened immune systems or those taking immunosuppressive drugs are more likely to develop parasitic diseases. If left untreated, these concerns may lead to life-threatening complications. Ivermectin belongs to a group of drugs known as anthelmintics, the mechanism of which is to paralyze and kill parasites.
It is administered either orally or topically and should not come in contact with the eyes.
Ivermectin Mechanism of Action:
Ivermectin causes paralysis and death by changes in the parasite cell membrane. Also, this drug disrupts the synaptic neurotransmission of the central nervous system of the parasite and causes its death. Another mechanism may be to inhibit the growth of worm larvae and prevent their release from the female worm’s abdomen.
Side Effects of Ivermectin
Possible side effects of ivermectin include:
- Headache
- Vertigo
- Muscular pain
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
If you suffer from onchocerciasis, you may experience some parasites die-off symptoms during the first days of taking the drug. The symptoms include:
- Swelling of lymph nodes.
- Joint pain
- Eye-related issues such as redness, inflammation, and itchiness.
- Weakness
- Visual issues
- Itching
- Rash
- Fever
You should inform your doctor if these symptoms persist or become more severe.
Different Signs, The Same Reason
As you can see, dermatology medications are usually the first option in treating skin and hair issues. However, their side effects are not negligible. Also, various skin disorders may have these medications as their root cause.
To be more precise, the causes of acne, hair loss, thinning hair, blepharitis, and rosacea may be identical. Although specialist evaluation is required for each case, studies show that numerous skin and hair concerns are related to Demodex mite overgrowth.
What Are Demodex Mites?
These mites (as long as they are few in number) are not considered parasites and are the typical inhabitants of our skin. However, they may increase in number, become aggravated and can even cause a variety of skin problems. Rosacea, acne, hair loss, androgenic alopecia, blepharitis, enlarged pores, baldness, itching and inflammation are some concerns that may arise due to Demodex mites.
Demodex mites, like other human skin microflora, multiply and colonize our skin under favourable conditions. A weak immune system is one of the most important reasons why these mites proliferate.
Many people worldwide grapple with a variety of long-lasting or recurrent dermatological issues. They may take different dermatological medicines without getting permanent results. Worst of all are the side effects, which sometimes interfere with a person’s day to day activities.
Although Demodex mite is beginning to get accepted as a predisposing factor for skin and hair issues in recent years, many experts still underestimate it. They rely on traditional medications to treat hair loss, acne and other issues and think less about newly found underlying factors.
When it comes to Demodex mite-related skin issues, standard treatments are usually not helpful. In this case, the most logical way to go forward is to diagnose and treat Demodex mites.
Is Demodex Mite Responsible for All This?
Although the diagnosis of Demodex mite is slightly confusing, it’s not impossible.
The mites are too tiny to be observable to the naked eye. So, you can not see them in the mirror and explain the cause of all your troubles to your physician.
However, there are solutions to estimate the Demodex mites population on your skin. If you find a few of them, then all is good. However, you need to address the issue at the earliest if they go out of control.
Demodex Mite Density Determinations By Standardized Skin Surface Biopsy
In this method, the specialist removes a thin layer of your skin and observes it under a microscope. If the Demodex number exceeds five per square centimetre of your skin, they may be responsible for your skin and hair issues.
This method seems tough, and it is not always accurate enough. The results obtained from the procedure depend mainly on the operator skill, environmental/ weather conditions, and the amount of oil in your skin.
For example, if you were exposed to the sun while travelling to the doctor’s office, your Demodex mites might have escaped deeper than you can access. Also, if you have dry skin, they may have gone deeper in search of oil. Also, microscopic examinations during the day probably show more of them compared to night.
Having said that, is there a safer and cheaper way to detect your Demodex density?
Yes. The solution is an ONLINE DEMODEX TEST.
Online Demodex Mite Density Test
Our experience in dealing with Demodex over the years shows that online testing provides much more accurate and reliable results. Online Demodex Mite Density Test includes multiple-choice questions that examine various aspects of your life related to the Demodex outbreak. Demodex mites may escape the microscope, but your symptoms do not lie.
So you can safely take the five-minute online Demodex diagnostic test. If the results reveal a significant number of Demodex mites, it’s time to treat them to get rid of your symptoms instead of trying different dermatological medicines.
Ungex Helps to Treat All Issues Related to Demodex Mites
At Ungex, we have developed novel products that mark a great revolution in the anti-Demodex industry. However, our products are not medicines. Rather, they are herbal and natural-based mixtures that target Demodex and gradually reduce their population to relieve you from their side effects. Rosacea, stubborn acne, blepharitis, androgenic alopecia, hair loss, baldness, itching and seborrheic dermatitis are some of the side effects that our solution is capable of addressing.
Ungex products comprehensively soothe all Demodex mites symptoms. As such, you don’t have to have to buy different products to target your various skin problems.
As mentioned earlier, ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug used to kill Demodex mites and may cause unwanted side effects. In contrast, Ungex products do not have any significant side effects and are completely safe. They are suitable for any age and gender.
Beyond targeting Demodex mites, Ungex products may remove other skin parasites, such as head lice. In addition, many creepy crawlies such as spiders, mites, mosquitoes and flies can be affected by our products.
You can even use some of our products on surfaces to prevent parasites from returning to your skin and hair.
Ungex products are made in Australia and are available all over the world.
In addition to what’s mentioned above, our products also eliminate bacteria and viruses that leak out of the mites’ dead bodies. In contrast, Ivermectin doesn’t have such adverse side effects sides. Bacteria and viruses can aggravate or cause many skin and hair conditions. This is where Ungex products step in to eliminate these impurities and restore the health of your skin and hair.
