What are these hard white spots under my eye area?

MiliaYou may have noticed hard small white bumps on your skin around your eyes and assumed that you are dealing with whiteheads.

They are in fact called Milia and are a type of cyst filled with the substance Keratin.

You’ll know them, as unlike a whitehead that can be popped – these unsightly little things can’t.

How to recognise Milia

Milia are formed when dead skin doesn’t slough off naturally but is trapped in pockets under the surface of the skin.   Over time, it becomes a firm ball that when pressed can be a little bit painful. If you have had one you will know the distinctive feel.

They can be on their lonesome or in clusters under the skin. Usually if you have them around your eye area or your upper cheek bone area and where you would tend to put eye cream.

When in clusters they make the skin look bumpy and uneven and are white or yellowish in colour. They can range in size from 1-2 millimetres. They may look as if they are sitting just below the surface of the skin, but although in the outer layers of the skin they are actually located deeper in the tissue of the eye area.

Who is most likely to get Milia?

Anyone can get Milia. Men, women of any ages and any ethnicity. But although rather cute on a baby they don’t look so good on an adult, making the skin appear uncared for. They can appear around the eyes, cheeks, nose, and forehead and as the saying goes “in your face” and sadly hard to hide from.

If you have recently had professional dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, chronic sun damage, burns or if you have used steroid creams for a long period of time, all of these can result in Milia too.