Milia - what to do?

~*Plushroom*~

Okay, pretty simple one this - I have milia on one of my eyelids (It's only two little bumps that aren't that visible but it's enough to annoy me) and wanted to know if anyone else has had this and what they did about it. I've been researching it and mainly come up with the advice of going to a dermatologist...nearest one being at least an hour away and very expensive.

Any other ideas? I've read that gentle exfoliation and AHA's are good for getting rid of them but wanted to see what others may have been advised to do. Very tired of researching as every page I'm finding is from the US!

aliasojo

I had 2...one under my right eye and one to the side of my left.

The one under my eye was there for months. I thought it was there to stay for good and was contemplating mentioning it the next time I was at the Doc. However, one day it felt itchy, I rubbed it and it came away in my hand..... must just have been ready.

The other one wasn't allowed to stay for months....I attacked it with a needle (yes, I know :rolleyes:).

~*Plushroom*~

aliasojo wrote: »

I had 2...one under my right eye and one to the side of my left.

The one under my eye was there for months. I thought it was there to stay for good and was contemplating mentioning it the next time I was at the Doc. However, one day it felt itchy, I rubbed it and it came away in my hand..... must just have been ready.

The other one wasn't allowed to stay for months....I attacked it with a needle (yes, I know :rolleyes:).

They're bloody annoying aren't they - I know it's harmless but every time I look in the mirror seeing them just bugs me. Sounds like enough layers of skin had sloughed away so your one came out - essentially the same as what the exfoliation is meant to do.

I was thinking about doing that needle thing myself - it is what the dermatologist does. It's bad I know but as mine aren't actually on the eyelid but are just under the browbone I'm sorely tempted. Might try the exfoliation thing for a couple of weeks to get rid of the old skin and see what happens. It'll take that long to get an appointment with my favourite doctor anyway :rotfl:

Thank god I'm not alone, and they aren't there to stay!

lostinrates

I get them too, mine are along the tops of chhek bones, two or three of them. I did go to a dermatologist, it was very expensive and no less painful or ''skilled'' than I am at home, albeit the needles they use are very very fine.

What I would say is its worth seeing someone the first time to make sure these are milia and not something else. Its also worth pointing them out if at any time you have a professional facial (I found a beautician to be better at dealing with these than me or the dermatologist, possibly because it was towards the end of a facial).

I hae found exfoliating more than normal to be aggravating rather than helpful, they get a litle irritated and red, so if exfoliating is in your normal routing be aware not to oer do it.

red

try gently massaging...over a few days it should soften and disperse. be patient and good luck!

venus_in_furs

I used to have a few and my friend suffers from them terribly, they keep coming back and she gets really upset about them. She can cover them up with make-up quite well though. She uses a really good eyelid primer that smooths the appearance of the skin (most important bit i think), then foundation/concealer and then powder/eyeshadow and you can hardly tell. I think the only really effective way of getting rid of them is by needle, or that's what the doctor says. My friend gets hers removed at a dermatoligists as apparently doing it yourself can cause scarring.

Be careful though i've heard dermabrasion and things like that can cause/encourage them as i got warned off it as a solution.

~*Plushroom*~

Thanks guys, now I have a few ideas I can try at home at least that'll keep me busy until I can go to the doctor and ask for more help.

They've been there a couple of months but I've only just got sick to death of seeing the two little bumps, so I shall wait and see what happens are use the ideas on here.

~*Plushroom*~

Just a quick update with some good news, so far one gone!

I've been steaming my face as per the guidelines here http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/milia.shtml every evening for the last 10 days and been gently massaging a free sample of a pro sebum gel that I got from the freebies section about a month back in - it's for blackheads and whiteheads and has helped considerably. Going to keep doing this until the other milia comes out and then I'll be happy!