How do fibers get under the skin?

Fibers in Morgellons people are often described as being “under the skin”, or “in the skin”. They are also described as “coming out of the skin” when various liquids are applied.

However, the “under the skin” usually seems to refer to being “from a lesion”, or “under a scab”. Scabs form over several days, and it’s quite possible the fibers might simply become mixed in with the normal lesion seepage, and become encased in the scab.

The skin’s integrity has been compromised – there is a hole in it, so any kind of contaminant can get in it.

Likely sources of fibers:
– clothes
– tissues
– bedding
– pets
– airborne fibers from any number of sources

Another thing that might be mistaken for a fiber is a “vellus hair”. This is a tiny hair, less than 30 microns in diameter, found all over the body, but almost invisible to the naked eye.

If some fibers are vellus hairs, then they are already in the skin. Ingrown hairs are possible explanation.

What about the application of liquid causing the fibers to come out?
– for fibers that are nearly invisible, getting them wet can change the refractive index, causing them to be more visible.
– coating fibers or hairs with a liquid increases their effective diameter, making them more noticeable.
– application of liquid can cause “goose-bumps”, causing hairs (including vellus hairs) to stand on end, and become more noticeable. The bump in the skin may be interpreted as the fiber “pushing” itself out of the skin.
– wet skin will attract airborne fibers, which will then stick to the skin.
– applying the liquid will cause some hairs to stick to the skin, as the liquid dries they will gradually pop up, making it look like they are coming out of the skin.
– some liquids may make hairs and fibers actually less noticeable (depending on both the liquid and the fiber). Again, as the liquid dries, the hairs will become noticeable.
– some liquids contain salts. As they dry, they deposit the salts on the surface of vellus hairs, leading to increased visibility.