Horrifying mites have sex on face and nipples of almost EVERY person – and even feast on skin

THEY'VE got eight legs, feast on your skin cells and come out at night to mate on your face.

Thousands of teeny, tiny face mites live around the face, eyelashes and even NIPPLES of almost every person on Earth, and scientists have finally unravelled their genetic secrets.

In a study published Tuesday, researchers at the University of Reading described how they sequenced the genome of the Demodex folliculorum, also known as the skin mite, for the first time.

They found that the microscopic critters are becoming so dependent on their hosts that they may soon "become one with humans."

And they also confirmed that the creatures – thousands of which can live on any one person – have anuses, contrary to previous claims.

Just about every adult alive has a population of face mites passed on during birth, and they're nearly impossible to get rid of.

They burrow into your pores, eat your natural skin oils and climb back out to mate while you're asleep.

But they don't stop there.

After having their wicked way with one another, the bugs crawl back into your pores to lay their eggs – paving the way for the next generation of bugs.

As grim as it sounds, and while it might send a shiver down your spine, the good news is the mites are relatively harmless.

The first genome sequencing study of the critters found that their isolated existence and resulting inbreeding is changing their DNA.

D. folliculorum is shedding unnecessary genes and cells and is moving towards a transition from external parasites to so-called "symbionts".

That means they'll soon effectively live as one with humans.

Uni of Reading biologist Dr Alejandra Perotti, who co-led the research, said, "We found these mites have a different arrangement of body part genes to other similar species due to them adapting to a sheltered life inside pores.