Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Milia?TypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Are Milia?
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Most of the time milia have no clear cause, but sometimes they can occur after injury to the skin or because of a condition that causes blistering. Milia usually go away on their own in a few weeks, but if they last for months or years, you could choose to treat them conservatively at home or see a healthcare provider to have them removed.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoReproduced with permission from © DermNet and © Raimo Suhonen dermnetnz.org 2023
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from © DermNet and © Raimo Suhonen dermnetnz.org 2023
Milia are hard, raised cysts that form under the outer layer of skin. About 40% of newborns in the U.S. have milia, but adults can also have milia.
Milia form whenkeratinand dead skin cells become trapped under the skin. This debris hardens over time and clumps together to form small, hard cysts.
Milia are often confused with acne, but they are not the same.Acnecomedones, or blemishes, form when pores are blocked. Milia don’t form within pores. They form just under the top layer of skin and they’re not red and inflamed like acne.
Types of Milia
Milia are categorized as either primary or secondary. Secondary milia occur after an injury, burn, or other condition clogs the ducts under the skin. Primary milia develop on their own, without a secondary cause.
Milia affects both children and adults. Some of the types of milia include:
How to Spot and Take Care of Your Newborn’s Rash
Milia are very small bumps on the skin that are white to yellowish in color. They can look like a grain of sand or a hard, milky capsule.
Milia are usually small, around 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter.Some can grow larger. Milia won’t pop and can take a long time to go away.
Milia can show up anywhere, but they are most common on the face. They may appear around the eyes and cheeks, nose, and forehead. Milia don’t hurt or itch.
Milia usually last longer than pimples. Pimples heal within a few days, but milia can last for weeks or months.
White Bumps on Face: Milia and 7 Other Causes
Keratin is the protein that gives skin its structure. It can become trapped when the skin doesn’t exfoliate, or shed dead cells. When this happens, milia can form.
Healthcare providers think multiple eruptive milia are genetic. People with rare genetic skin disorders likeGardner syndromeoften have eruptive milia.
Some treatments can cause milia, especially:
Neonatal milia has no clear cause.
If you have acne and blackheads, you may be more prone to getting milia, but it can form even if your skin is clear.
Basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, can also look like a pearly white bump. If you have a bump that does not go away and you aren’t sure what it is, call your healthcare provider.
Milia may go away on their own. However, sometimes it can take months or years. You can choose to treat them conservatively at home or see your healthcare provider to have them removed.
Medical Treatments
If you don’t want to wait for milia to clear up on its own, talk to your healthcare provider. Treatments are available that can remove milia and prevent them from returning, such as:
Your healthcare provider or dermatologist can help you decide the best way to treat your milia.
How to Treat Milia
Can Milia Be Prevented?
These products are less likely to clog your pores and trigger keratin overgrowth.
What Are Skin Types?
Summary
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Pediatrics.Newborn rashes and birthmarks.Medscape.Milia.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are milia?Gallardo Avila PP, Mendez MD.Milia. [Updated 2023 Jan 31]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.Kutlubay Z, Tanakol A, Engýn B, et al.Newborn skin: common skin problems.Maedica (Buchar). 2017;12(1):42-7.Chau T, Amini N, Eisen DB, Fung MA.Recurrent retroauricular cystic nodules: lichen planus follicularis tumidus.Dermatol Online J. 2018;15;24(10):13030/qt9hz4n3gxYahya H.Idiopathic multiple eruptive milia: Report of a case in a Nigerian woman.Niger J Clin Pract. 2018;21(3):395-6. doi:10.4103/njcp.njcp_43_17Patsatsi A, Uy CDC, Murrell DF.Multiple milia formation in blistering diseases.Int J Womens Dermatol.2020;6(3):199-202. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.03.045Jung YS, Cho SH, Lee JD, Kim HS.Multiple eruptive milia coexisting with milia en plaque.J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2016;4(4):1.Ghosh S, Sangal S.Congenital milia en plaque on scalp.Indian J Dermatol. 2015;60(1):105. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.147871Ramsdell WM.Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing Complications. Semin Plast Surg. 2012 Aug;26(3):137-40. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1329415Hinen HB, Gathings RM, Shuler M, Wine lee L.Successful treatment of facial milia in an infant with orofaciodigital syndrome type 1.Pediatr Dermatol. 2018;35(1):e88-e89. doi:10.1111/pde.13350
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Pediatrics.Newborn rashes and birthmarks.Medscape.Milia.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are milia?Gallardo Avila PP, Mendez MD.Milia. [Updated 2023 Jan 31]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.Kutlubay Z, Tanakol A, Engýn B, et al.Newborn skin: common skin problems.Maedica (Buchar). 2017;12(1):42-7.Chau T, Amini N, Eisen DB, Fung MA.Recurrent retroauricular cystic nodules: lichen planus follicularis tumidus.Dermatol Online J. 2018;15;24(10):13030/qt9hz4n3gxYahya H.Idiopathic multiple eruptive milia: Report of a case in a Nigerian woman.Niger J Clin Pract. 2018;21(3):395-6. doi:10.4103/njcp.njcp_43_17Patsatsi A, Uy CDC, Murrell DF.Multiple milia formation in blistering diseases.Int J Womens Dermatol.2020;6(3):199-202. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.03.045Jung YS, Cho SH, Lee JD, Kim HS.Multiple eruptive milia coexisting with milia en plaque.J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2016;4(4):1.Ghosh S, Sangal S.Congenital milia en plaque on scalp.Indian J Dermatol. 2015;60(1):105. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.147871Ramsdell WM.Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing Complications. Semin Plast Surg. 2012 Aug;26(3):137-40. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1329415Hinen HB, Gathings RM, Shuler M, Wine lee L.Successful treatment of facial milia in an infant with orofaciodigital syndrome type 1.Pediatr Dermatol. 2018;35(1):e88-e89. doi:10.1111/pde.13350
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Newborn rashes and birthmarks.Medscape.Milia.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are milia?Gallardo Avila PP, Mendez MD.Milia. [Updated 2023 Jan 31]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.Kutlubay Z, Tanakol A, Engýn B, et al.Newborn skin: common skin problems.Maedica (Buchar). 2017;12(1):42-7.Chau T, Amini N, Eisen DB, Fung MA.Recurrent retroauricular cystic nodules: lichen planus follicularis tumidus.Dermatol Online J. 2018;15;24(10):13030/qt9hz4n3gxYahya H.Idiopathic multiple eruptive milia: Report of a case in a Nigerian woman.Niger J Clin Pract. 2018;21(3):395-6. doi:10.4103/njcp.njcp_43_17Patsatsi A, Uy CDC, Murrell DF.Multiple milia formation in blistering diseases.Int J Womens Dermatol.2020;6(3):199-202. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.03.045Jung YS, Cho SH, Lee JD, Kim HS.Multiple eruptive milia coexisting with milia en plaque.J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2016;4(4):1.Ghosh S, Sangal S.Congenital milia en plaque on scalp.Indian J Dermatol. 2015;60(1):105. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.147871Ramsdell WM.Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing Complications. Semin Plast Surg. 2012 Aug;26(3):137-40. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1329415Hinen HB, Gathings RM, Shuler M, Wine lee L.Successful treatment of facial milia in an infant with orofaciodigital syndrome type 1.Pediatr Dermatol. 2018;35(1):e88-e89. doi:10.1111/pde.13350
American Academy of Pediatrics.Newborn rashes and birthmarks.
Medscape.Milia.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are milia?
Gallardo Avila PP, Mendez MD.Milia. [Updated 2023 Jan 31]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.
Kutlubay Z, Tanakol A, Engýn B, et al.Newborn skin: common skin problems.Maedica (Buchar). 2017;12(1):42-7.
Chau T, Amini N, Eisen DB, Fung MA.Recurrent retroauricular cystic nodules: lichen planus follicularis tumidus.Dermatol Online J. 2018;15;24(10):13030/qt9hz4n3gx
Yahya H.Idiopathic multiple eruptive milia: Report of a case in a Nigerian woman.Niger J Clin Pract. 2018;21(3):395-6. doi:10.4103/njcp.njcp_43_17
Patsatsi A, Uy CDC, Murrell DF.Multiple milia formation in blistering diseases.Int J Womens Dermatol.2020;6(3):199-202. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.03.045
Jung YS, Cho SH, Lee JD, Kim HS.Multiple eruptive milia coexisting with milia en plaque.J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2016;4(4):1.
Ghosh S, Sangal S.Congenital milia en plaque on scalp.Indian J Dermatol. 2015;60(1):105. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.147871
Ramsdell WM.Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing Complications. Semin Plast Surg. 2012 Aug;26(3):137-40. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1329415
Hinen HB, Gathings RM, Shuler M, Wine lee L.Successful treatment of facial milia in an infant with orofaciodigital syndrome type 1.Pediatr Dermatol. 2018;35(1):e88-e89. doi:10.1111/pde.13350
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