What Is Milia?

If you get tiny white bumps around the eye area that look like acne, but are not acne because they don’t surface to a head, chances are those are milia. Milia are caused by debris pooling in the tiny pores around the thin eye area, and the build up does not surface as the cellular turn over rate around the eyes is slow, as compared to the rest of the face. Since we don’t exfoliate the eye area, it’s difficult to rid of milia by scrubbing or using alpha hydroxy acids, so if you have milia we recommend that you have your dermatologist extract them for you. Your dermatologist (and in some states, aestheticians) will use a medical lancet to remove the milia from under your skin, this is a fairly painless and a very quick procedure. To prevent milia, we recommend that you use eye-appropriate products. Oftentimes milia will occur if your eye cream is too thick or heavy, or if you’re using a face cream around the eyes (this is why there are eye creams made just for the eye area). Always remove your make-up before you go to sleep, the filler particles in your make-up can cause milia as well.