What Causes Milia?
These pesky little white bumps are suprisingly common and sometimes tough to get rid of, that is of course if you haven’t yet discovered diathermy and me! Often intially misdiagnosed as a whitehead you soon discover this is not the case.
Whether you have suddenly discovered one of these hard little lumps or have lived with them a while and have more than a few you will no doubt be wondering how to remove them.
They don’t feel like your typical white head and thats because they are not, these small white spots are pockets of dead skin i.e keratin
Milia tend to develop around the eyes, however they can also be found on cheeks and nose area and even on the chin.
How do we get them?
Your skin will exfoliate itself naturally and within this process some of the skin cells can become trapped and then harden and therefore it is at this point it becomes Milia. In addition Milia can be cause by sun damage and also the use of incorrect products on the skin, maybe that are too heavy or too oil based as such.
Sometimes these blemises are referred to as benign cysts and also milk spots and are actually extremely common in babies who are very often born with them although they can also show up at any age.
What can you do at home to help?
Firstly do not try to remove Milia yourself. You can risk damaging the skin. Start by using a gentle cleanser and a mild exfoliator. Avoid the manual exfoliators which are grainy and although feel like your skin is getting a good clean, it’s far better to use one that has either Glycolic or lactic acid to exfoliate. When drying the skin, pat it dry and try to go make up free as often as you can, allowing the skin to breathe. Retinol creams can also help with Milia due to their speed up of the skin cell renewal process and of course always wear sunscreen.
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