Does anyone have a miracle cure for milia?

[jennymac]

Apart from getting them removed by a beauty therapist - don't see the point in this as they are bound to come back anyway. What on earth causes them and can anyone recommend a good beauty routine which would help prevent them? I have pretty nice skin otherwise but these are starting to get me down.

Urea creams (Eucerin and LRP have them). The higher the urea content, the faster they wither. And switch to a less thick/rich/greasy moisturizer /makeup product. I get milia from Bourjois foundations and UD eye primer.

Hot flannel and a sterilised needle.

Have fun

Will try the urea creams. I currently use a BB cream instead of foundation and a vitamin E moisturiser at night and a Simple day moisturiser so I don't think any of these or particularly heavy or rich.

BTW Valium - have you tried the sterilised needle thing yourself?? Does it leave much scarring?!

Yes, I have always done it. You need to dip the flannel in boiling water and hold it the the area for as long as you can to really soften it up, then just nick the top off with the needle and it pops out like a tiny pearl.

I have the most sensitive skin ever and I am fine with it, I do it at night as my skin has all night to recover.

Right - going to try it tonight! Thanks!

Go easy - if they don't pop out really easily then leave well alone. Oh yes and use a scrub before hand to make things easier.

A few years ago I stopped using eye creams at night and switched to elemis eye serum, took a month or two but my milia disappeared on their own. They were all under my eyes. I've varied serums in the meantime but don't use eye cream at night and have had precisely one milium (?) since then. I do use eye cream in the morning, and clarins F30 SPF which is the only eye sunscreen I've found so far that doesn't sting.

You really should get them removed by a beauty therapist - they use hollow needles specially designed for the job.

I tried doing it myself at home with a sterilised needle - bad idea, my face swelled right up and I won't be doing that again!

There was a thread on this last year and inspired by it I risked the hot flannel and a sterilised needle -- it does really work and all but one of mine are gone with no scarring. They did bleed a bit when I first did it but no issues afterwards.

Now I just have one left that's a bit closer to my eye than I felt comfortable going with a needle last year. But I've been giving it some speculative glances in the mirror recently so its days may be numbered.

I don't really have any close to my eyes. They are mostly on my cheeks. Just wish I could identify what causes them so I could prevent getting them in the first place.

Oily eye make-up remover can cause milia. Simple Kind To Eyes, and La Roche Posay are both effective at removing eye make-up and oil free.

OP it's worth really taking a look at what products you are using on your face. Anything very rich or oily can sometimes cause milia.Try switching to products that are non comedogenic.

Thanks F - do you happen to know any good products that you can buy in Boots etc?

Crossparsley...Elemis eye serum you say. Going to give that a go as I have some on my eyelids I won't go near with a needle obviously ( I did the couple on my cheek though with no ill effects). I think the sun can bring them on can't it?

French pharmacy brands such as Avene, Vichy, and La Roche Posay are sold in the larger Boots stores. They make really good quality, effective skin care ranges that don't break the bank price wise.

Avene particularly have a really good range of non comedogenic products. Their Extremely Gentle Cleanser is lovely and so are their moisturisers.

As for removal of the milia you already have (they are harmless but tend not to just go away on their own) I would recommend ideally having them removed by a professional. Or you can try DIY like others have suggested... if you can stomach it! A trip to the dermalogists is expensive, I know.

If they are mainly on your cheeks it is probably acne cosmetica caused by blusher. The only way to stop if it is that is use a mineral blush.

Best not to remove them yourself get it done properly as some arnt always ripe and ready to pop

dermatologists sorry.