Meet the face mites. They're smaller than a grain of sand, are a kind of arachnid, like spiders, and they feast on the oil and cells in your skin. Particularly on your oily nose, cheeks ...

Meet Demodex, the face mite, a microscopic arachnid that lives on human skin. The pore is its humble abode and the waxy sebum we secrete is its meal of choice. It's hard to know for sure ...

This story appears in the February 2015 issue of National Geographic magazine. Currently two species of face mites are known; at least one of them appear to be present on all adult humans.

Demodex mites are tiny eight-legged parasites that mostly live in hair follicles and oil glands on your face, neck, or chest. As alarming as this may sound, they’re generally harmless.

and cheeks – parts that stick out more – it might not be as easy to keep your eyelid area as clean as the rest of your face. This can let more mites live there. You’re more likely to have ...