Milia Condition, Treatments and Pictures for Adults (2024)

FAQs

How do you treat adult milia? ›

What is the best product to remove milia? There are a few over-the-counter gel options, including adapalene gel. You may also try an exfoliation treatment to get rid of the dead skin cells. Tretinoin cream or minocycline may also help, but they require a prescription.

Milia don't need treatment because they're not harmful. If you don't like how milia look on your skin, talk to your healthcare provider about removing them. Treatment to remove milia could include: Application of over-the-counter adapalene gel or prescription tretinoin cream.

Disease-associated milia may occur with blistering skin diseases, such as porphyria cutanea tarda or epidermolysis bullosa. Milia also happen secondary to chronic topical steroid use with underlying atrophy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.

Your dead skin cells begin to stiffen and form cysts around your nose, cheeks, trunk, limbs, and chest area. Milia could also emerge due to other factors, including: An injury or prolonged exposure to the sun, causing skin damage. Consumption of steroid creams or ointments for an extended period.

As with acne, milia can be eradicated in a number of different ways, including with chemical peels, topical retinoids, and skin-care products like toners that contain exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids (such as glycolic acid) or cleansers with salicylic acid.

Oral antibiotics – Typically prescribed in combination with topical tretinoin for the treatment of milia en plaque.

If you're looking for a product that does it all—both treatment and prevention—get yourself a retinoid. Dr. Allawh explains that topical retinoids, whether prescription or OTC, are helpful for preventing small milia and also treating the bumps by softening the firm, small keratin plugs inside.

Clean and exfoliate the skin.

Milia occur under the eyes due to an excess of keratin. Gently exfoliating the area with a warm washcloth may get rid of dead skin cells and help bring trapped keratin to the surface.

The same goes for exfoliation and chemical peels. In fact, these could make milia worse. There's some evidence to suggest that vitamin-A-derived drugs called retinoids may help. “If many milia are present, your doctor may recommend a topical retinoid to reduce the number and to make removal easier,” Dr.

What happens if you pop milia? ›

Milia are filled with excess keratin, a protein that occurs naturally in the skin. Most importantly, they have no opening. Squeezing them doesn't help, but it can cause inflammation, or worse, scarring.

Milia are usually very small, white or flesh-coloured bumps which are firm to the touch. They have a different appearance to a pimple or spot as they don't have a head and cannot be squeezed.

Most cases of milia also have no clear cause, but some do. In both children and adults, milia can occur after injury to the skin or because of a condition that causes blistering.5 In rare cases, milia can be caused by a genetic condition.

Milia occur when keratin becomes trapped beneath the surface of the skin. Keratin is a strong protein that's typically found in skin tissues, hair, and nail cells. Milia can occur in people of all ethnicities or ages. However, they're most common in newborns.

Can stress cause milia? Internal stress can certainly impact how your skin acts and behaves but it won't cause milia per se. Stress to the skin could though.

Milia in adults tend to be long-lasting, but they may go away on their own. Although milia are found in the outer layers of skin, they are difficult to remove without the proper tools.

Milia—the small, white bumps that form on the face when dead skin cells get trapped under the skin—often go away on their own in a few weeks or months. 1 Treatment isn't necessary, but a few milia removal strategies can help if you don't like how they look: Manual extraction by a dermatologist.

Applying a prescription retinoid or over-the-counter retinol product once a day can help treat and prevent milia by speeding up cell turnover. Finally, don't forget to use sunscreen to protect your skin from burns and other sun damage that can lead to secondary milia.

To actually remove milia, you need to have them extracted from your skin. “This means when a dermatologist physically creates an opening with a needle or a scalpel blade,” says Dr. Zeichner. “Never do this yourself.