Funding sources: None. Conflicts of interest: None declared. Madam, We thank Lacey et al.1 for their interesting and very welcome thoughts concerning our article on the usefulness of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in the quantification of Demodex mites, and for their excellent pictures of Demodex mites, seen under the light microscope after extraction using the standardized skin surface biopsy (SSSB) method. As a centre specialized in acne and rosacea we are also using SSSB routinely as the standard method for Demodex quantification and have gathered ample experience within the past decades. We agree that mainly Demodex folliculorum is detected with SSSB and especially with CLSM (with a penetration depth limited to about 200–300 μm), as D. folliculorum is usually located at the upper part of the infundibulum of the hair follicle, while Demodex brevis is usually seen at the lower portion close to the sebaceous glands. Thus D. brevis may be more frequently identified by SSSB, as well as the different life stages. This may be important in understanding the role of Demodex mites in human skin, but in our experience the main question in daily practice is: ‘Is the number of Demodex mites normal or are there too many?’ Our data suggest that CLSM offers a noninvasive and quick method to answer this question in vivo.2