Milia, Clogged Pores

Milia is caused by clogged pores. Milia are small, whitehead like in appearance, and appear on the face on the cheeks, under the eyes and elsewhere on the skin. No matter how much you pick and prod at them, they will not go away. Rough treatments will only lead to scarring of the face, which should be avoided at all costs. There are several remedies one can try at home to relieve themselves of milia. Consider trying any of the following options to rid your skin of milia once and for all.

Keep the face clean. This means washing skin twice a day with warm water and a gentle cleanser. Splash the face with warm water, apply your cleanser, rub in circular motions across the face, then rinse well with warm water. After cleansing, pat face gently with a clean towel. You may also wish to apply a toner to remove all traces of dirt or cleanser that might reside on the face after washing.

Exfoliate the skin. Do this a minimum of three to four times a week. Use a gentle exfoliant. This will slough away all the dirt and debris that will clog the pores, leaving fresher and cleaner skin. There are many wonderful exfoliants on the market, or one can make their own. Consider combining white sugar with your normal face wash. Brown sugar may also be used. Or one could even try baking soda and water. Make a simple paste, apply to skin and rub in in circular motions, then rinse well with warm water.

Always wear a sunscreen of at least SPF 15. Thickening of the skin will happen when the skin is exposed to daily sun. This will lead to oil and other dirt clogging the pores. When skin is too thick, it is hard to “drain” the milia, which will make it look worse on the skin.

Use retinol on the face. Retinol will help to exfoliate the skin, which will leave it soft and smooth. Apply to a clean face. It is recommended that you wait at least half an hour after you wash your skin to apply retinol. Use only a small amount on the skin, and avoid the eye area as it is damaging to the eyes if placed in contact with them.

Switch your makeup. Opt to wear makeup that allows the face to breath. Heavy foundations, moisturisers, and creams will only lead to the pores clogging themselves. Mineral makeup is an excellent makeup as it is light, but still provides a full coverage.

Contact your dermatologist if at home remedies are not working. In many cases, the milia is deeper into the skin then home remedies can cure. A dermatologist may have to extract the milia with methods in the office. Micro-dermabrasion is a treatment that can be used on the skin. A wand will be used to spray the face with a fine sand like material that will smooth the face, and remove the milia. Air is shot out of the wand to move the fine sand like material around the face, which will scrub away the dead skin and clean out the pores. A once a month treatment can successfully remove milia that is embedded on the face.

Milia is often caused by heredity. They are not painful and are most certainly not harmful, but are an annoyance to the person suffering from this skin condition. It can happen at any age, and is often caused when the skin is not exfoliated properly.   Follow the home remedies list above or contact your dermatologist to get your milia under control to reveal a smoother face.

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