Milia, Milia treatment, Milia symptoms, Causes of Milia.

Milia

Milia also known as whiteheads are very common white pimples that can occur in persons of all ages, but common in newborn infants. They appear mostly on the upper cheeks, nose and chin of infants. Trauma patients are more prone to developing milia. This occurs when dead skin cells and sebaceous matter gets trapped near the skin surface rather than exfoliate naturally.

Causes of milia -

Heavy cosmetics - thick and heavy cosmetics or poor quality products which are not suitable for the skin prevent the sloughing of dead cells.
Excessive sun exposure makes the skin thick which is unable to exfoliate naturally.
Use of rough clothing or rough bed linen can cause irritation to the infant's skin leading to milia.

In an infant, milia usually disappears within the first few weeks of life. But in adults the problem may take time to go or may also persist indefinitely. You can go in for treatment just to improve your facial appearance. There are no complications since it is a benign condition.

Symptoms:

Milia are whitish, pearly bumps/pimples on the skin, usually across cheeks, nose, chin or gums. It can occur anywhere on the body.

Treatment -

Milia does not require any medical treatment in children as the lesions disappear automatically within a few weeks without leaving any scar.
In adults, the white bumps may be removed through extraction, but it is usually not required. People go in for treatments just for cosmetic improvements.
If you are prone to developing milia, then using an exfoliating scrub on a regular basis might help avoid the problem.
Peeling (done in beauty salons ) also helps remove unwanted dead cells and clean the pores.

How to prevent milia?

The best way to prevent milia is to avoid treating your skin with excessively harsh chemicals and to limit sun exposure.
To reduce creating milia around the eyes, use eye creams with the least amount of ingredients possible to avoid irritating the delicate thin eye area. Also, gently touch the eyes and avoid rubbing the eyes vigorously so as not to damage the skin.
When brushing your teeth, try to keep the pasty foam from staying around your mouth too long. This limits possible fluoride irritation to the skin.
Use a sunscreen with the least amount of ingredients. Extraneous ingredients like fragrances may irritate your skin. Purchase sunscreens that offer physical sun blockage ie. contain active ingredients like titanium oxide or zinc oxide.

Self Treatment -

Before trying your hands, first ensure that these whiteheads are not symptoms of some underlying disease or illness. You can try extracting the milia yourself, but may have trouble completely pulling out the cysts, as the removable process may be painful. Just follow these steps -