Let's Talk: Milia

Milium

/ˈmilēəm/noun [medicine]

small, hard, pale keratinous nodules formed on the skin, typically caused by a clogged sebaceous gland

So, milia (plural for milium) are tiny, white-ish bumps that can develop on the face. Specifically, around or under the eyes. Dr. Cynthia Bailey wrote, in response to a question that was sent to her, an informative article on milia, what can cause it, plus gave a lot of scientific information about clinical aspects of it.

Until recently, I wasn't aware of the term milia. However, I've always been aware of the build-up of bumps under my own eyes. Last fall, while doing some reading on different eye creams, I came across an article that attributed an eye cream I used to the appearance of milia on the writer's skin.

Promptly, I trashed the eye cream (YES! to blueberries) and began research on how to get rid of the bumps. The first step was clear: stop use of the products that you think are causing the issue. Check, moving on. The following steps left me nauseous, scared and beginning to accept that I would always have these minuscule nodes under my eyes. Including, but not limited to, articles suggested using extreme heat, cryo-freezing, and clean needles/tweezers to puncture the skin and alleviate the affected area. In my research, I've always been advised to leave the physical extraction of blemishes to the professionals. Having suffered from scarring brought on by acne (and the popping/poking of pimples and zits), I'm cautious and rarely use physical instruments to get rid of blemishes. 

Now, I am happy to say those annoying bumps are starting to go away. While this isn't recommended (it's actually advised against by most), I've started using chemical exfoliators under my eyes to help break down the build up. Slowly, the acids I use (Glow Tonic, Solution, etc.) have started to soften the milia. In conjunction, I don't use eye cream anymore. I'm still deep in my research. Trying to find good eye creams to do the deeds I need them to do while not clogging the pores under my eyes has proven to be a struggle, but I'm hopeful.