Have you ever had those white spots that weren’t going away on their own, and you couldn’t squeeze them out no matter what? They aren’t spots – they are milia. Anyone can get them in any age group, from babies to adults. Both men and women. And they are equally annoying to get rid of no matter when or where you get them.
What are milia?
Milia are mini cyst that appears as a result of keratin build-up that gets trapped under the top layer of the skin. We need keratin (skin protein) because it’s what our skin, nails and hair are made up of, but we don’t need it trapped under our skin.
We can mostly find them around the eye area, on the upper parts of the cheeks, and sometimes on the nose.
Milia can be categorized into two groups:
- primary milia
- secondary milia
Primary milia are caused by the excess of keratin that gets trapped under the skin and usually forms in babies and adults.
(picture source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326681)
Secondary milia appear after something clogs the ducts that lead to the surface of the skin. That can be an injury, burn or blisters on the skin.
(picture source: https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-get-rid-of-milia-4768910)
How to recognise it?
Milia are small, white hard bumps in the skin, usually around the eye or upper cheeks. They look very similar to the whiteheads but don’t have red surroundings as whiteheads do.
(picture source: https://www.stropconcept.ro/milia-faciala-sau-puncte-de-grasime-pe-fata-cum-scapam-corect-de-ele/)
They are also often mistaken for acne, especially mild acne that usually appears on the forehead.
Important to note is that there is another skin condition called syringoma. Syringoma looks very similar to milia as they are white, skin-coloured or yellow bumps, but they are deeper in the skin and are harder to treat. They don’t go away on their own and are very stubborn and recurrent. If you are unsure whether you have milia or syringoma, visit your dermatologist or a doctor and check with them.
(picture source: https://theskinnerd.com/blogs/the-skin-nerd-blog/milia-what-they-are-and-how-to-get-rid-of-them?_pos=1&_sid=9c729283e&_ss=r)
What causes milia?
As I said above, milia is a result of blockage under the surface of the skin. It’s usually dead skin cells and sebum that get trapped, and then, after a while, they keratinise. That means that they gather keratin and harden. There is no known reason for this anyone can get them, from infants to adults, and both men and women can get milia.
If you know someone in your family is prone to getting them, you are more likely to get them.
Some say that milia are caused by dry skin, but that’s not necessarily true, as any skin type can get them.
Another theory is that using a lot of makeup and heavy eye cream causes the blockage of pores, and again, that isn’t completely accurate either because milia don’t stem from pores. Nevertheless, using heavy products can contribute to producing more sebum which can then get trapped under the surface of the skin and cause milia.
There is another type of milia. And it is a result of using an eye cream that is too heavy. This type of milia appears under the eyes, where we usually put our eye creams.
(picture source: https://www.getthegloss.com/article/milia-what-you-need-to-know-about-white-bumps-on-your-skin)
If you notice tiny white bumps appearing in that area, change your eye cream for a lighter one, and they should start going away. It is a very slow process, but it does happen.
How to get rid of milia?
There isn’t a way of removing it by yourself. I know some people that do it but please don’t.
Don’t squeeze them because they aren’t like whiteheads. The skin that covers them is thicker than the skin over the regular spot, and you won’t be able to get it out. You will only push it in deeper.
Leave it alone, and after a few weeks, it should disappear on its own. And if it doesn’t, go to a professional. But make sure they know how to extract them properly.
Because removing them includes a needle (or a blade) piercing the skin and extracting the keratin buildup. And as the area in which they appear is usually very thin and delicate, it can be dangerous to do it yourself.
If the person in a salon tells you they can do microdermabrasion or a laser, look further. You need someone with a steady hand who can manually extract them without poking your eye out.
Prevention
There is no known prevention for milia because there is no known reason for it. We can’t predict their appearance, and so we can’t prevent it.
But what we can do is take good care of our under-eye area. That includes using a suitable eye cream for the skin’s needs. If your skin is dry, use a heavier cream but if it’s normal or a combination, go for a lighter one.
Also, if you know you are prone to milia, use an acid-based product. Toners or creams with lactic, glycolic or salicylic acid would be the best option.
And if you have a lot of milia, you should go for a retinoid eye cream.
And as you exfoliate, don’t forget to moisturise as well. Glycerin-based moisturisers would be the best.
My experience with milia
The first time I got milia, I didn’t know what it was. And as I was trying not to touch my face too much, I left it alone. I had a big, nice lump right above my left eyelid for good two or three weeks. And as it wasn’t going away on its own, I started poking around it and trying to squeeze it out. As that didn’t work out at all and I realised it was a stubborn ‘pimple’, I took the needle in my hand and pierced the top of it. Luckily, it was far enough from my eyeball, and I managed not to hurt myself and get it out without causing much damage.
But that’s just it – I was lucky. I didn’t know what I was doing or what it was. But now I do. And now, I have another (smaller) milium (the term for one of the milia) in the inner corner of my eye and one under my eyebrow. This time around, I’m not touching them! They don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. And I will get them professionally extracted when the time comes.
Another time was when I was using a heavy anti-age eye cream on my twenty-something-year-old normal under-eye area. After a couple of weeks, I noticed tiny white dots all over my dark circles. I decided to do some research and found out that they were caused by my heavy eye cream. After switching to a lighter one, a couple of months later, my milia were completely gone. This process would be faster if I used some acid-based eye cream.
TL;DR
Milia are a build-up of sebum and dead skin cells that get trapped under the skin and get keratinised (gather keratin -skin protein, and harden)
They can be only extracted by a professional in a salon or a medical professional.
Don’t do it yourself!!!
If you want to prevent them, use a lighter eye cream and don’t forget to exfoliate.
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