Are you making these mistakes each time you spot a little white
little bump on your face? Fixing those little white bumps starts with a
small dose of education and ends with a big dose of prevention. After
understanding the five reasons below, your little bumps should give way
to clearer skin.
Reason #1: You have no clue what those little white bumps are anyway.
Little
white bumps, or milia, are keratin-filled cysts, or simply little globs
of protein under the skin. There are generally two types of milia.
Primary milia may result from oil glands that have not fully or
properly developed. Secondary milia result from trauma to the skin.
Reason #2: You think all little white bumps are acne, and treat them that way.
Just
because you have little white bumps on your face does not necessarily
mean that you have acne. Milia, are little balls of protein beneath the
skin that do not have a pore, or hole in the skin through which to
escape.
Comedones or whiteheads are excess fats and wastes that
are trapped in a hair follicle and so they clog up the pore. In short,
milia are proteins trapped within the skin, while comedones are fats
and skin debris trapped within the pore.
Exfoliating the skin, or
removing the dead skin cells from your skin with an abrasive product or
chemical, is beneficial. But brutally scrubbing your face with soaps
and chemicals too frequently may actually create milia. To avoid this,
remember that gentle exfoliation helps prevent excess dead skin cell
build-up that could clog your pores and cause whiteheads, not milia.
This
gentle exfoliation helps make eventual removal of the milia easier
because the skin layer around the milia becomes thinner, with frequent,
yet gentle exfoliation. In short, Exfoliate your skin to prevent milia,
not to cure them.
Reason # 3 You have no idea what causes those little white bumps anyway.
When
you were a baby, you were probably covered with milia that disappear
after a few days. Or, you may have inherited milia from your parents.
On
the other hand, you may develop milia after excessive exposure to the
sun. The reasons for developing milia after sun exposure are debatable.
According to some studies, the active ingredients sunscreens like
Parsol 1789 may cause sun allergies and later lead to a milia breakout.
Other studies blame the sun itself for “damaging" the skin can thus
causing little white bumps.
Some people experience milia around the mouth. This could be the result of fluoride irritation from toothpaste.
Reason # 4: No one ever told you how to prevent milia.
The best way to prevent milia is to avoid treating your skin with excessively harsh chemicals and to limit sun exposure.
To
reduce creating milia around the eyes, use eye creams with the least
amount of ingredients possible to avoid irritating the delicately thin
eye area. Also, gently touch the eyes and avoid rubbing the eyes
vigorously so as not to damage the skin.
When brushing you teeth,
try to keep the pasty foam from staying around your mouth too long.
This limits possible fluoride irritation to the skin.
Use a
sunscreen with the least amount of ingredients. Extraneous ingredients
like fragrances may irritate your skin. Additionally, purchase
sunscreens that offer physical sun blockage that contain active
ingredients like titanium oxide or zinc oxide.
Reason #5: You still want to know what you can do right now to get rid of milia.
The
key to getting rid of milia is realizing that they have no escape
route, those little bumps are trapped under the skin. So, to get them
out, you’ll need to have a professional like a dermatologist or
aesthetician extract them. You can extract the milia yourself, but this
involves risks.
Precautions
You need to ensure that you milia are not symptoms of some underlying
disease or illness. Also, if you extract the milia yourself, you may
have trouble completely pulling out the cysts, as the removable process
may prove too painful.
Otherwise,
if you are confident with your health and courage, you can cleanse your
hands and face. Then wet a cloth with warm water and apply it to your
face for a few minutes. Gently apply a sterile needle to the center of
the little white bump to create a tiny opening in the skin.
Wrap
your thumbs in a clean tissue and, using your thumbs, proceed to gently
squeeze the contents of the little white bump out. Finally, cleanse the
area of the extracted little white bump with an astringent.
Now,
you have no reason to walk around with little white bumps on your face.
If you still think you do, please consider the possibility that you’re
just telling yourself little white bumpy lies.
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