Best milia treatment?

I'm a 16 year old girl that has been diagnosed with milia. What do you recommend for treatment? I have very small pores and they get clogged quickly, making bumps on my face that I can only get rid of by getting them extracted. 

2 answers to “Best milia treatment?”

A: Retinoid and extraction

Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD

 Milia ( sing. milium from Latin Millet seed) are small cysts, filled with keratin. They can be extracted quite easily by poking a hole in them, expressing the contents with either a comedone extractor or forceps and then trying to squeeze the whole thing out of the skin.    To prevent them, you... more

A: Milia or blackheads?

Felix Kuo, MD

It sounds like you are describing closed comedones and blackheads or "open" comedones, which are associated with acne.  I would start with a form of prescription topical retinoid, matching its strength with your skin type.  A secondary option would be monthly salicylic acid... more

Comments

awalk
465 posts
12 Apr 2009

mild vinager soaks (a capful to 16ounces of water) is very helpful to pevent milia and fungal/bacterial infections after resurfacing... I'm not a doctor but suffered from this after Fraxel... Depending on how bad it is I found tazorac works better for hyperkeratosis ect Google vinegar granulation dermatology to see studies ect Ther is also a recent study from the JAAD P3814 Use of vinegar (acetic acid) to promote wound healing complicated by hypergranulation tissue Edward Prodanovic, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, United States; Scott Fosko, MD, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, United States The regeneration of dermal and epidermal tissue typically produces a scar in a predictable manner, but the process of wound healing is susceptible to disarray or disruption. A wound complicated by overabundance of granulation tissue (ie, hypergranulation or proud flesh), is one example. Traditional treatment methods have included the use of caustic substances or topical steroids that can, in fact, prolong wound closure. We present 19 cases from January 2007 through August 2007 with hypergranulation tissue after Mohs surgery that were treated with vinegar (acetic acid) soaks in an outpatient setting to aid wound healing by secondary intent. Patients were given specific instructions how to make the appropriate vinegar/acetic acid solution at home instead of buying more costly medical-grade acetic acid. The soaks were continued for 1 to 2 weeks, and all 19 patients had successful wound healing by secondary intent.

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