Are you making these mistakes every time you see a small white bump on your face? Fixing those little white bumps starts with a small dose of education and ends with a big dose of prevention. After understanding the five reasons below, your small bumps should give way to clearer skin.
Reason #1: You have no idea what those little white bumps are anyway.
Tiny white bumps, or milia, are keratin-filled cysts, or just tiny blobs of protein under the skin. There are generally two types of milia. Primary milia may be the result of sebaceous glands that have not fully or adequately developed. Secondary milia is the result of trauma to the skin.
Reason #2: You think all little white bumps are acne and treat them that way.
Just because you have small white bumps on your face doesn’t necessarily mean you have acne. Milia, are small balls of protein under the skin that do not have a pore or hole in the skin through which to escape.
Comedones or whiteheads are excess oil and debris that get trapped in a hair follicle and clog the pore. In short, milia are proteins trapped within the skin, while comedones are fat and skin debris trapped within the pore.
It is beneficial to exfoliate the skin or remove dead skin cells with an abrasive or chemical product. But brutally scrubbing your face with soaps and chemicals too often can actually create milia. To avoid this, remember that gentle exfoliation helps prevent excessive buildup of dead skin cells that could clog pores and cause whiteheads, not milia.
This gentle exfoliation helps make the final removal of the milia easier because the layer of skin around the milia becomes thinner, with frequent but gentle exfoliation. In short, exfoliate your skin to prevent milia, not to cure it.
Reason #3 You have no idea what causes those little white bumps anyway.
When you were a baby, you were probably covered in milia that disappear after a few days. Or, you may have inherited milia from your parents.
On the other hand, you can develop milia after excessive sun exposure. The reasons for developing milia after sun exposure are debatable. According to some studies, the active ingredients in sunscreens like Parsol 1789 can cause sun allergies and then lead to a milia outbreak. Other studies blame the sun itself for “damaging” the skin and causing small white bumps.
Some people experience milia around the mouth. This could be the result of irritation from the fluoride in the toothpaste.
Reason #4: No one ever told you how to prevent milia.
The best way to prevent milia is to avoid treating the skin with overly harsh chemicals and to limit sun exposure.
To reduce the creation of milia around the eyes, use eye creams with as few ingredients as possible to avoid irritating the delicately thin eye area. Also, gently touch the eyes and avoid rubbing them vigorously so as not to damage the skin.
When you brush your teeth, try to avoid letting the pasty foam stay around your mouth for too long. This limits the potential irritation of fluoride to the skin.
Use a sunscreen with the fewest ingredients. Foreign ingredients like fragrances can irritate the skin. Also, buy sunscreens that offer physical sun blocking that contain active ingredients like titanium oxide or zinc oxide.
Reason #5: You still want to know what you can do right now to get rid of the milia.
The key to getting rid of milia is to realize that they don’t have an escape route, those little lumps are trapped under the skin. So to get them out, you’ll need to have them removed by a professional like a dermatologist or esthetician. You can remove the milia yourself, but there are risks involved.
Precautions
You need to make sure that your milia is not a symptom of some underlying illness or disease. Also, if you remove the milia yourself, you may have trouble removing the cysts completely, as the removal process can be too painful.
Otherwise, if you are sure of your health and courage, you can wipe your hands and face. Then moisten a cloth with lukewarm water and apply it to your face for a few minutes. Gently apply a sterile needle to the center of the small white bump to create a small opening in the skin.
Wrap your thumbs in a clean tissue, and using your thumbs, proceed to gently squeeze out the contents of the little white nub. Finally, clean the area of the extracted white bump with an astringent.
Now, you don’t have to walk around with little white bumps on your face. If you still think you do, consider the possibility that you’re just telling yourself bumpy little white lies.