Question
Hi there!
I have milia under my eyes and small bumps like milia on my nose are. Do you have any suggestions on how to treat them?
Thank you!
Answer
Hey,
Thanks for your email! Below you’ll find my thoughts and suggestions:
Milia can be removed by a dermatologist, but for an at-home treatment, the best advice is: consistent, GENTLE exfoliation. I stress GENTLE exfoliation because harsh exfoliation can actually cause an outbreak of milia. You may want to try one of my products with pineapple enzymes, as it provides exfoliation inside the pore without the abrasion. The two products I have that contains pineapple enzymes are my Green Tea & Pineapple Liquid Facial Cleanser and my Pineapple Facial Scrub (the Pineapple Facial Scrub will provide two types of gentle exfoliation).
My suggestion as far as a routine would be to…
- AM & PM Exfoliation+Cleansing: use the Green Tea & Pineapple Liquid Facial Cleanser in the AM and the Pineapple Facial Scrub in the PM (note that all my facial scrubs are made with whipped soap so you don’t need to use another cleanser or soap along with them – they cleanse and exfoliate at the same time). The clays in the Green Tea & Pineapple Liquid Facial Cleanser will also help draw out impurities that could be blocking the pores.
- PM Treatment: For the milia on your nose, after exfoliating, apply my Acne & Oil Balancing Mask on the problem areas (in a fairly thick layer) before going to bed. This thick layer won’t completely absorb into your skin and will dry hard so you’ll need to wash it off in the morning. The ingredients in this mask will help hydrate the area (which helps skin cells slough off easier), kill bacteria, reduce inflammation, and if some of those bumps are acne, help clear those up as well.
- PM Treatment: For the milia under your eyes, do the same thing as mentioned above (apply a thick layer before bed) except with my Soothing Eye Gel (after exfoliating the area). When applying the Soothing Eye Gel, don’t worry about trying to rub it in, just gently pat it on.
- AM Treatment: Apply a super thin layer of Soothing Eye Gel under your eyes followed up with your moisturizer*. I would also suggest applying my Hydra Healing Skin Rescue Gel to the bumps on your nose is a very thin layer followed up by your moisturizer. (Note that when using the Soothing Eye Gel, Cystic Acne Mask, or Hydra Healing Gel during the day, they should always be applied in a super thin layer and followed up with a layer of moisturizer or serum).* – be sure your moisturizer doesn’t contain pore-clogging ingredients (all my facial moisturizers & serums are free of pore-clogging ingredients – for more help on making sure the products you’re using aren’t contributing to the problem, see below).
- Be sure to avoid pore-clogging ingredients that could be causing the milia in the first place (milia develops because either sloughed-off skin gets caught in the pore, or when something clogs the ducts leading to the skin surface). Also, watch for coconut oil – it only clogs pores in less than half of the people who use it, so it’s often overlooked as an ingredient that could be causing the problem. Your skin may not have a problem with coconut oil but it is worth mentioning.
- It’s also been suggested that milia develop after excessive exposure to the sun – although there’s a debate about whether it’s the sun that’s actually causing the outbreak, or whether it’s the active ingredients in chemical sunscreens. So stay out of the sun as much as possible and use natural sun-blocking ingredients when you’ll be in the sun for long periods of time (like titanium dioxide and zinc – some of my products contain these ingredients but won’t provide enough protection for long periods of time spent out in the sun. If you’d like to know which natural sunscreen I use on my face when I’ll be working in the garden for several hours or going to the beach, just let me know and I’ll pass along the info).
I hope that helps! Please let me know if there’s anything I can clarify or help with further
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