Marina Ivakhnenko Demodex Specialist

Marina Ivakhnenko Demodex Specialist My life's work and focus is bringing Demodex awareness through educational initiatives. Demodex.net Blog resource coming soon!

06/19/2026

If your “rosacea” comes with itching, oily flakes, eyebrow/scalp irritation, or stubborn texture… it may not be rosacea alone.

Many people have an overlap of rosacea + seborrheic dermatitis — two conditions that can look similar but need very different approaches.

✨ Seb Derm signs:
• Greasy flakes
• Itching
• Around nose, brows, scalp, ears
• Often linked to Malassezia imbalance

✨ Rosacea signs:
• Flushing + burning
• Persistent redness
• Bumps/pustules
• Often linked with inflammation + Demodex imbalance

The mistake? Treating your entire face like it has one problem.

Heavy creams can calm rosacea but may worsen Malassezia-prone areas. Harsh antifungal routines can reduce flakes but destroy an already fragile rosacea barrier.

Map your skin:
✔️ Flaking + itchy zones → target seb derm
✔️ Burning + flushing zones → support rosacea barrier

Your skin may not be “resistant”… you may just be treating the wrong trigger.

Not sure what’s actually driving your skin? My Skin Decode helps uncover your pattern → link in bio
🤍

05/31/2026

Most people with Demodex, blepharitis, or ocular rosacea never think to check their mascara ingredients.

Some mascaras contain waxes and oils that can create a more favorable environment around the lash line.

Common ingredients to watch for:
• Beeswax
• Carnauba wax
• Jojoba oil
• Mineral oil

On the other hand, water-based formulas and tubing mascaras are generally less likely to contribute.

If you’re struggling with itchy eyelids, lash debris, irritation, or recurring eye symptoms, your makeup routine may be worth reviewing.

✔ Replace mascara every 8 weeks
✔ Never share eye makeup
✔ Remove it completely every night
✔ Keep the lash line clean

What mascara brand are you currently using? Leave it in the comments and I’ll take a look at the ingredients.

05/26/2026

If your demodex, rosacea, blepharitis, or facial folliculitis keeps returning no matter what you try, this may be the missing piece.

Certain medications can suppress the skin’s natural immune defenses against demodex mites — allowing populations to increase even during treatment.

Some of the most common include topical steroids, tacrolimus, inhaled corticosteroids, methotrexate, biologics like Humira, and other immunosuppressive medications.

This is one of the most overlooked reasons I see behind chronic, treatment-resistant skin inflammation.

Do NOT stop medications abruptly or without medical supervision. But understanding how these drugs affect the skin and immune system can completely change how treatment needs to be approached.

Comment your medication below and I’ll let you know if it has documented demodex or rosacea associations.

05/25/2026

Most people with demodex rosacea only hear about ivermectin.

But in many countries, it’s difficult to access without a prescription - and almost nobody talks about the main alternative.

Permethrin 5% works through a completely different mechanism: disruption of demodex nerve sodium channels → paralysis → death.

Critical distinction:
Permethrin 1% lice formulas are NOT sufficient for facial demodex. The studies and protocols use 5%.

Question for you:
Have you ever actually been tested for demodex - or were you just told it was “sensitive skin” or “acne”?

Comment your country below - I’ll tell you what’s actually accessible there.

05/24/2026

If your rosacea exploded after stopping a steroid cream, you are NOT ‘addicted.’ You have a specificphysiological rebound - and there’s a protocol.
• Topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) causes rebound erythema, burning, oozing, pustulation.• Mechanism: chronic vasoconstriction from steroids ®️ withdrawal vasodilation cascade.• The demodex population ALSO explodes during TSW - steroids had been suppressing them.• Recovery timeline: 6–12 months for full skin reset.• Critical: do NOT restart steroid. Manage symptomatically and rebuild the barrier.
TSW protocol: oral doxycycline 40mg daily, twice-daily medical-grade jojoba moisturizer (avoid petroleum), topical
ivermectin every other night, ice compresses 4× daily during burning phase, ZERO active ingredients until barrier
rebuilds at month 3. Hydroxyzine 25mg at night for sleep.
Steroid withdrawal stories - drop your timeline below. Others need to see they’re not alone.

05/24/2026

Those bumps along your hairline are not pimples. Treating them like acne is often making them worse.

Hairline folliculitis can be bacterial or fungal, but itchy non-scarring bumps that worsen with sweat, hats, oily scalps, or sleeping with wet hair are commonly caused by malassezia.

Big triggers: pomades, heavy oils, silicones, synthetic headwear, and even coconut oil in some people.

What helps:
Ketoconazole 2% or selenium sulfide shampoo massaged into the scalp and hairline for 5 minutes before rinsing. Use every other day for 4 weeks and avoid heavy hair products during treatment.

Painful or scarring bumps should be evaluated by a dermatologist.

Are your hairline bumps itchy or painful? That distinction matters.

05/24/2026

HOCl is one of the most misunderstood tools in rosacea and Demodex care.

Your immune system already produces hypochlorous acid naturally to fight pathogens. The problem is most people either:
• use the wrong concentration
• rinse it off
• or apply it in the wrong order

What HOCl may help with:
• Demodex-associated bacteria
• surface inflammation
• staph overgrowth
• microbial imbalance
• reactive rosacea skin

Best concentrations for facial use are typically around 0.01–0.02%.

Examples:
• Ovante Hypochlorous Acid Spray (0.02%)
• Briotech (0.014%)
• Tower 28 SOS Spray (0.008% - milder)
• SkinSmart HOCL (0.018%)

Most important step:
Cleanse → HOCl → let fully dry → THEN apply treatment.

Do not rinse it off.

HOCl is not usually enough alone for true Demodex overgrowth, but it can help reduce the inflammatory environment surrounding it.

Have you tried HOCl yet?

05/21/2026

A huge number of rosacea patients may actually have hypochlorhydria - LOW stomach acid.

And this changes everything downstream.

Low stomach acid can lead to:
• Poor protein digestion
• Bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
• Bloating after meals
• Reflux from fermentation/gas pressure
• Poor absorption of zinc, B12, magnesium & iron — all critical for skin health

Signs I look for as an FSP:
• Bloating within 1 hour of eating
• Burping after meals
• Feeling heavy/tired after protein
• Undigested food in stool
• Reflux that gets worse with large meals

One simple at-home clue:
Try 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar in water before a large protein meal.

If bloating improves → low stomach acid may be part of the picture.
If it burns → you may already have adequate acid.

In some cases, Betaine HCl + pepsin can be helpful under practitioner guidance.

⚠️ Avoid Betaine HCl if you have ulcers or take NSAIDs/corticosteroids.

This is one of the most overlooked gut-skin connections in rosacea.

05/21/2026

Low stomach acid is massively underdiagnosed in rosacea patients. And fixing it changes everything downstream.

Rosacea is associated with significantly higher rates of hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) - several studies confirm this, as does the SIBO connection (low acid → bacterial overgrowth migrates proximally)

Low stomach acid means: inadequate protein digestion → peptides entering the gut intact → triggering immune responses. Also: poor absorption of zinc, B12, magnesium, and iron - all of which are relevant to skin health

Signs of low stomach acid: bloating within 1 hour of eating, burping, undigested food in stool, feeling full quickly, reflux (counterintuitively -
low acid causes bacterial fermentation and gas, creating upward pressure)

Betaine HCl + pepsin: supplemental stomach acid. Typical starting dose: 650mg with each protein-containing meal. Increase by 650mg per meal until a warmth or slight burning sensation is felt, then drop back one increment -
this is your optimal dose
As gut health and vagal tone improve, HCl requirement typically decreases

IMPORTANT: Do not take Betaine HCl if taking NSAIDs, corticosteroids, or if you have active gastric ulcer

Do the at-home test: drink 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar in water before your largest meal. If it relieves your bloating/reflux - you likely have low stomach acid. If it burns - you have adequate or excess acid. If relieved, consider Betaine HCl under practitioner guidance.

Does eating a large protein meal make you bloated and tired? This is the connection people miss.

05/21/2026

Rosacea skin reacts very differently to sunscreen filters.

Chemical filters like octinoxate, octocrylene, avobenzone, oxybenzone, and homosalate absorb UV by converting it into heat at the skin surface. In heat-sensitive rosacea skin, that alone can trigger flushing, burning, and inflammation.

Mineral filters like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide work differently — they reflect/scatter UV instead of generating heat, making them far better tolerated for many rosacea patients.

Another detail most people miss: tinted mineral sunscreens with iron oxides can also help block visible light, which is a major flushing trigger in rosacea and post-inflammatory redness.

If your rosacea worsens every summer despite “doing everything right,” your sunscreen itself may be contributing. Try switching to a 15%+ zinc oxide mineral SPF for 6 weeks and track your flushing patterns carefully.

Drop your sunscreen below and I’ll help decode the filters 👇

Address

Miami, FL
33180

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 2pm
Sunday 8am - 6pm

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Marina Ivakhnenko Demodex Specialist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Marina Ivakhnenko Demodex Specialist:

Shortcuts

Share