Millet (whiteheads, milia) – causes, treatment, prevention

What are effective methods for removing millet grass?

Millet grain is an aesthetic problem that can be very embarrassing for the patient, especially when the lesions appear on the genitals. Many young people are ashamed of this disease and for this reason refuse sexual relations. Meanwhile, milia are not contagious and do not affect sexual activity or health.

Milia

Fat deposits are formed as a result of blockage of hair follicles, which is caused by increased activity of the sebaceous glands. According to WHO estimates, up to 20% of men fall ill with millet. The same number of children suffer from this disease. Fortunately, you can get rid of milia quickly and without pain.

Milia can appear either singly or in groups. Most often they occur on:

• nose;
• chin;
• temples;
• centuries.

Some notice them on the forehead or neck, others on the genitals. They do not cause discomfort or pain, do not manifest themselves in any way and become a cause for concern only because they spoil the appearance of patients.

Interestingly, unlike acne, miliary cysts do not consist of sebum mixed with dust and other microparticles, in which microbes and inflammatory processes develop, but of keratin. The milium consists of a membrane built from epithelial cells. Inside it there is a keratin clot interspersed with layered keratinized cells and very small amounts of fat, which acts as a binding agent.

Removing milia - are there effective methods?

In fact, these formations are not dangerous to the human body and do not cause any unpleasant symptoms, such as itching or burning. However, many people suffering from this disease want to get rid of millet as soon as possible. The reason is primarily in the aesthetic aspect.

Methods for removing wen can be divided into options used in aesthetic medicine or cosmetologist offices and home solutions. It is worth noting, however, that the latter are rather aimed at preventing formations.

Most often in dermatology, milia are removed by piercing them with a needle. This is done at a right angle to ensure drainage of the sebum accumulated in the wen. Do not try this method at home, as only an experienced doctor or esthetician will know how to insert the needle to get the desired effect. Additionally, using this method on your own will lead to infection and scarring.

One of the newest methods of getting rid of milia is the so-called electrocoagulation, in which formations are non-invasively removed using high-frequency electric current. A special device dries out the subcutaneous wen, and then the tumors disappear on their own.

Other methods of combating this disease are the use of exfoliating agents, such as microdermabrasion or chemical peels, which not only remove the dead layers of the epidermis, but can also counteract the formation of other fatty deposits.

Microdermabrasion

Sometimes freezing is also used, as with warts, or a procedure using a CO2 laser (a very fast method in which the sebaceous gland is “burned”, which, by the way, ensures that another wen does not appear in the same place.

Home remedies can help prevent milia from forming in the first place. It is important to take care of your skin, especially when it is oily. Avoid greasy creams that clog pores and thick layers of makeup. It is worth regularly applying scrubs and creams containing glycolic acid or tea oil, which exfoliate the skin.

Unfortunately, removing milia does not mean they won't come back. This often happens, therefore, in order to minimize the likelihood of their recurrence, not only effective removal methods are important, but also proper skin care. A dermatologist will tell you exactly what to use after removing the wen.

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How to get rid of milia?

Milia are white pimples. We'll tell you what causes this, whether they are dangerous and how to get rid of them.

Our experts:

• Elena Kunasheva , dermatovenerologist, cosmetologist, trichologist at the LazerJazz clinic
• Alexander Prokofiev , dermatovenerologist, medical expert of the La Roche-Posay brand

Can you be more precise - what is milium?

This is what milia look like
Elena Kunasheva : Milia are dense cystic formations at the mouth of the hair follicles. They look like a small grain with clear boundaries and are white or yellowish in color.

Alexander Prokofiev : If we use medical terminology, this is a retention miliary cyst. In fact, it is a benign skin formation. Milia do not pose a health hazard; it is a purely cosmetic defect.

Where do they appear most often?

Alexander Prokofiev : In newborns (and this is 40-50% of cases) - on the nose, near the eyebrows, on the bridge of the nose and on the cheeks. In adults (both men and women) - on the temples, in the periorbital area and on the eyelids, that is, where the ducts of the sebaceous and sweat glands and the mouths of hair follicles pass. Sometimes milia can appear on the extremities and genitals.

Wen, milium, millet, “whiteheads” - are they the same thing?

Alexander Prokofiev : Yes, milia are often called millet grass, wen, and “whiteheads.” Millet is a popular definition, due to its external similarity to a grain of millet. If you look at the name of “millet” in Latin - Panicum miliaceum, you can guess where the term “milium” came from.

How to distinguish milia from pimple?

Alexander Prokofiev : A pimple is an inflammatory element, it is always colored red. In addition, a pimple is essentially an abscess, so its contents are soft. Milium is located on unchanged (without redness) skin and has a dense consistency.

How and why is milia formed?

Alexander Prokofiev : These are features of keratinization of the skin due to genetics. Excess keratin forms into a clot, the clot turns into a cyst. Milium generally looks like a sac, the main contents of which are dense protein keratin (sometimes with a small amount of fat).

Elena Kunasheva : In most cases, milia appear as a result of the development of hyperkeratosis. In the epidermis (upper layer of skin), cell division accelerates, and old, already keratinized cells do not have time to exfoliate. Thus, the stratum corneum thickens significantly. As a result, sebum, keratin and dead cells clog the mouth of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

Is it true that only those with oily skin develop milia?

Alexander Prokofiev : No, milia can occur in any skin type. This misconception is due to the fact that milia are similar in appearance to closed comedones. And comedones are actually more common in those with oily skin.

On the left are closed comedones, on the right are milia. They look similar. But, unlike comedones, it is impossible to squeeze out milium on your own.

How to prevent milia?

Elena Kunasheva : There is no specific prevention of milia. The advice is very general: monitor your health (especially hormonal levels, gastrointestinal and liver disorders), get checked for hypovitaminosis (lack of vitamins A, C, zinc, iodine, iron and calcium can cause the appearance of milia), eat right (less spicy, salty, smoked , fatty, floury, alcoholic and carbonated).

Don't forget about SPF: ultraviolet radiation disrupts the natural process of exfoliation of dead cells.

Among the procedures for preventing keratinization of the skin (and therefore the appearance of milia), I can recommend microdermabrasion, chemical and laser peeling.

Can milia go away on their own?

Alexander Prokofiev : Depends on age. In newborns, they almost always disappear on their own during the first month of life. In adults - unlikely.

What to do if milia has already appeared? Do pharmaceutical products help? What about salon techniques?

Alexander Prokofiev : Milium is not an acne or a comedone, so squeezing it out is useless: it is impossible to destroy the capsule with pressure. But as a result of strong compression of the surrounding tissues, a scar can be obtained.

Elena Kunasheva : The main method of treatment is removal. How exactly and what to remove depends on the location, size, and number of milia. Single milia are removed mechanically using a sterile needle or glass burette tube. Small wounds at the removal site heal without a trace. For multiple milia, lasers, radio wave method and electrocoagulation are used.

Is it possible to remove milia once and for all?

Alexander Prokofiev : With proper removal, new milia do not appear in the old place. But they can arise on a new one. Then you will have to repeat the procedure.

Our experts:

Elena Kunasheva

cosmetologist

Certified specialist in laser technologies at the LazerJazz clinic.

Alexander Prokofiev

dermatovenerologist

Alexander Prokofiev, a medical expert of the LaRoche-Posay brand, has advised us on various issues more than once: he helped us create a guide to atopic dermatitis, taught us to understand thermal water and the skin microbiome, and suggested how to deal with acne on the back.

Removal/treatment methods

• Laser removal of milia is when a laser beam evaporates the capsule and fatty contents of the milia. The advantage of laser removal of milia is that the beam can be precisely directed to the capsule area without affecting the adjacent healthy skin. After laser removal, a barely noticeable crust remains, which heals very quickly.
• Radio wave removal of milia (surgitron) - removal of milia using radio wave devices, the most famous of which is Surgitron. Ultra-high frequency radio waves instantly open the milia capsule and its contents freely emerge to the surface. Almost invisible wounds remain, which heal in a matter of days.
• Removing milia with nitrogen - using exposure to low temperatures - is ineffective, since there are no blood vessels or living cells in the milia capsule. Exposure to cold can only damage the healthy skin around it, causing an increase or the appearance of an abscess around the milia.
• Removing milia at home - opening the milia capsule yourself. Not recommended due to the risk of infection, damage to the surrounding skin and the risk of misdiagnosis. Using medications from the pharmacy will not remove milia, but you can achieve the appearance of rough scars.

Reasons for appearance

The main reason for the appearance of pimples on the face

- This is the excessive formation of keratin by cells. Presumably, many new cells appear in the skin, secreting keratin, and the exfoliation of old ones occurs less and less. The excess keratin forms into a clot, which then becomes a cyst.

There could be many reasons for this. So, milia can be caused by:

• hormonal imbalance;
• metabolic disorders;
• hyperkeratosis;
• pathologies of the thyroid gland;
• negative long-term exposure to sunlight;
• diseases of the digestive organs;
• poor nutrition, regular consumption of fatty and fried foods in large quantities, almost complete absence of fiber in the diet, lack of important vitamins, etc.;
• diseases of the pancreas and adrenal glands, leading to hormonal imbalances.

By the way, hormonal imbalance is a common cause of the appearance of millet not only in adults, but also in children, in particular, in newborns. During childbirth, the child's body experiences a hormonal crisis, as a result of which milia appear. But if in adults they do not go away without removal, then in babies they disappear about a month after birth.

Skin cleansing

Use soft foams or gels without aggressive detergent components to cleanse your skin. In the morning, a light cleanser will suffice. For evening hygiene procedures, you will need milk or lotion to remove makeup and a basic cleanser (foam or gel).

It is important to choose the right cleanser. If it is not suitable, it can dry out the skin or stimulate sebum production. For skin prone to the formation of pimples, acne, subcutaneous acne, delicate products with beta hydroxy acids and 2% salicylic acid are suitable. They effectively remove the stratum corneum without irritating or dehydrating the skin. Once a week, it is recommended to apply this drug to the T-zone for 5 minutes as a mask to reduce oiliness and reduce the risk of whiteheads. If after washing your face there is a feeling of tightness, it means that you are using too aggressive a product that destroys the hydrolipid film, thanks to which the skin retains moisture. Such drugs reduce sebum production only for a short time, but then the sebaceous glands begin to produce it in an enhanced mode. Keep in mind: the more you degrease your skin, the more intensely it produces sebum, becoming more problematic.

It is recommended to exfoliate once a week to remove dead cells. The best option for oily skin is gommages, enzyme peels, film masks or homemade cleansing masks. Intensive cleansing professional procedures can be done no more than once a month.

Ways to eliminate milia

Depending on the number of formations, various procedures have been developed with which you can get rid of wen and milia.

1. The most popular method of removing wen and milia is laser ablation , during which the tumors are exposed to a focused beam of light.
2. Sometimes experienced cosmetologists pierce them with a sterile needle and then completely scrape out their contents.
3. A method such as electrocoagulation is also used.
4. Milia and fatty tissues are quickly destroyed using diathermy.
5. To remove wen and milia, a surgical procedure is used, such as curettage, which involves complete scraping of the contents of the formations and their subsequent cauterization.
6. Cryotherapy and chemical peeling are also used to cleanse the face and body of white pimples.
7. Some people benefit from topical retinoids, creams high in vitamin A, and azelaic acid and urea products.

Advantages of the laser procedure for removing wen and milia:

• After laser procedures there are no scars , from a cosmetology point of view this is an ideal option, especially when it comes to the face;
• The procedure lasts no more than 10-20 minutes and does not require rehabilitation
• Laser procedures are painless
• The procedures are carried out bloodlessly , due to the simultaneous coagulation of tissues and vessel walls;
• Laser procedures are characterized by complete sterility and precision , which contributes to maximum preservation of healthy tissue .

Clinical picture

If nodular formations of yellow or white color are observed on the surface of the skin, these are most likely the first symptoms of milia. The diameter of these formations can reach a couple of millimeters.

Most often, millet is localized on the cheeks, eyelids, lips, eyes and neck. Mostly white nodules are located in separate groups and never merge. It is worth noting that the further development and formation of milia is not influenced by a person’s age. Pimples can appear on the skin even in infants.

Prevention

To avoid the appearance of white spots, cosmetologists give the following recommendations:

• Cleanse your skin regularly using homemade exfoliators;
• do not use cosmetics that clog pores; instead of foundation, apply mineral powder to your face;
• give up bad habits - alcohol and smoking;
• apply sunscreen when going outside in sunny weather;
• follow a diet, especially if you have diseases of the digestive system.

White millet grass, or milia, is not hazardous to health. If the aesthetic side doesn't bother you, you don't have to do anything with them.

How much does it cost to remove milia?

Can milia cause complications?

Milia extremely rarely fester; in this case, they can enlarge, become inflamed, and become painful. When you try to squeeze it out, the skin around it is injured, but the milia remains in place due to a dense capsule without an excretory duct. With constant attempts to remove milia at home, scars can form. More serious complications are caused by diseases similar to milia if the diagnosis is incorrect. In the initial stages, flesh-colored basal cell carcinoma (a slow-growing skin cancer) may resemble milia. Basal cell carcinoma is dangerous due to its ability to spread widely and inconspicuously, with frequent relapses after treatment.

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