READER, I HAVE a problem. A small one, thankfully – or perhaps it’s more accurate to describe them as several small ones.
Seemingly over night, these tiny, white-head looking lumps formed around my eyes. They weren’t painful, but they looked poppable. And with all my might I tried, but to no avail. They stayed long after I attempted to pick them off, seemingly multiplying after any use of coconut oil on my face. (Two now reside on my actual eyelid – I’ve been gracious enough in not charging rent.)
As it turns out, these pesky feckers – know as milia – are quite common. Milia are small, yellow or white cysts that appear in clusters, usually on the face. While they’re more commonly found in newborns, they can affect people of any age.
How did I get them?
You get milia as a result of sebum and dead skin cells becoming trapped in the outer layers of the skin. After a while, they keratinise, meaning that they gather keratin and then harden.
“They can form quite spontaneously,” Dylan Griffths, medical manager with Eucerin told DailyEdge.ie. “However, they can also develop as a result of skin damage and over exfoliation too. I suffered with milia because I was overusing heavy cream moisturisers.”
“People tend to think they’re whiteheads and attempt to treat them with spot stuff, but they just won’t work.”
Ok, how do I get rid of them so?
Previously, the only option available to people would be chemical peels carried out in skin clinics, electrolysis treatment. Wicklow Street Clinic offers milia removal for €55. Now, however, there are a lot of long-term over-the-counter options for people.
Griffths suggests exfoliating no more than twice a week, and continuing with your cleansing routine.
“A lot of brands in the expert skin territory making great progress in this area,” he says, naming glycolic and lactic acid as two ingredients that work well to break the cysts down.
“Lactic acid works as a natural moisturiser, but it’s also a really good exfoliator, whereas glycolic acid can get a bit deeper into the skin and helps push things out. It has a subtle peeling effect.
“It won’t be instant, but it will slowly peel away the layers.”
He cites Eucerin’s Hyaluron Filler (€26) as being his skin saviour, when it comes to milia. Other options to consider are the Pixi Glow Tonic (€23.99), which contains glyoclic acid. The Ordinary also sell lactic acid for €6.50.
Right, what are the key things I should be taking away from this so?
- Put. The. Exfoliating. Glove. Down.
- Don’t pick them, ever.
- Glycolic and lactic acid are your new best friends if you don’t fancy dropping a pretty penny for treatment in a clinic.
