nasty white spotty thing on face but not a whitehead it seems

[eyelevelgrill]

yuck! I am 46 and recently got several "spots" that look and feel like whiteheads but which just sort of stay put and don't go away.

One is in the middle my cheek and has a blackhead in the middle. I went to the Dr who said "nothing to worry about" and sent me home.

The other is right next to my new permanent smile line (aka deep wrinkle) and sticks out horribly as it is next to a patch of darker/more pigmented skin.

Does anyone know what these are and how to get rid of them? My children have confirmed that the one by the mouth especially is very visible.

TIA.

Do you have a picture? Could it be milia?

If it looks like it is, they are really easy to get rid of, lots of info on Google.

Sounds like milia. I have had them for years. Not sure that they are that easy to remove! Successfully removed a few small ones myself at the weekend with a sterilised needle but I have a couple of bigger ones that I think I may ask an expert to remove. I have recently changed my skin care regime in a bid to prevent getting more and I think it is working but only time will tell!

Beauty salons can take them out, you'll need to ring around to find one qualified.

YouTube has lots of clips of people removing them. They are often 'softened' with apple cider vinegar first (soak a very small ball of cotton wool with Apple cider vinegar and fix to skin with surgical tape or plaster overnight for a few nights). I have done this and then removed one with a sterilised pin - by poking the pin round the milia and picking it out.

Sounds like milia - I get them. In the past I have had them removed at beauty salons ( but not all of them offer this service). I've also removed them myself but be careful because it can leave a scar.

wow! thank you!

I was going to go to a cosmetic procedures place miles away!

you are starsxxx

how do you prevent new ones?

I think people say exfoliating breaks them up / prevents new ones forming.

I get milia from products that are too rich for my skin type and mineral makeup. I had one on the bridge of my nose but after daily dabbing with an acid pad (Nip+Fab glycolic) for a week or two it burst spontaneously and fell off. No scar.

Tried to take a pic but they don't show as much in the flash....

You need this kit and then look on youtube for videos on how to use blackhead/whitehead removal tools.

Be warned - some of the videos are hard core!