Spots but not spots

[AliFlump]

Hi, Just wondered if anyone could help on this. Ive got little tiny spots under my eyes and on my cheeks that are under the skin. they are white and you can clearly see them but they arent the usual spot with a head on (eugh i know). ive been told they are milk spots and have tried exfoliating to get them off but to no avail. ive cut down on the fat that i eat and drink loads of water. i just really want rid of em!!! Thanks

[spudqueen]

I've got them aswell, and never knew what they were!!! They can last for years, maybe no one else notices them, but I do! What I do is squeeze them with tweezers every few days and eventually they squeeze out - it looks just like the usual spot stuff. Obviously I don't do that with the ones near my eyes, I just leave them and after a couple of years they do disappear!

Funnily enough I never had any until after I'd had my second baby.

[JulieEve]

AliFlump - do you wear glasses?  I get something similar which I was told was due to wearing gigs

[CarolG]

sounds to me like you have skin tags, they are harmless but one way of getting rid of them is to tie a bit of cotton round them tighten it and then they fall off. Alternatively, if you see your GP he/she may be able to freeze them off. I wouldn�t worry too much, they do go eventually.

Best to make sure they are skin tags first before trying to get rid of them!

[AliFlump]

ive only just started wearing glasses but ive had these for years

[Solarjunkie]

Beauty therapists can remove these, but my tried & tested method is to damage the surface, yes, scratch, squeeze, pinch or prick! until it scabs.

Three days later, pick off the scab - sometimes the little white bit comes out with it, other times it can then be easily squeezed out as there is now an "access" to the outside. My feeling is that the body is trying to get rid of some rubbish, it's just that the skin is so tough it can't get out, so do what you need to to get rid of them!

[angelknowsal]

up until about two years ago I have never seen them, but then me and my partner both have them now our our faces. It must be related to diet. They do not squeeze like a pimple but if you break the skin surface (I have used a pin..... very very carefully!!) it will usually come out that way, normally not like puss from a pimple but a bit harder and white. After healing it goes away as if it was never there.

[john91]

if you put milia into google there a lots of sites like www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_doctor/milia.shtml

[nicola_red]

These are milia and not skin tags or regular spots.  They could be related to the products you use on your face.  Be careful to avoid heavy cleansers and moisturisers, especially on the undereye area which is very delicate.  Stick with light products.  A google search as suggested by john91 will help more.

[fay2]

these are white heads and yes if you break the skin the white "bump" comes out, i get them all the time, they are just like blackheads just clogged pores, cleansing your skin helps but you could also get a facial, they can do extractions for you/

[xxlizziexx]

i hav them, you cant exfoliate them away or anything like that, you have to pop them, thats the only way i can get rid of mine, sounds silly but true you pop them. : ) hope they go soon 4 you x x

[peababypea]

Hi AliFlump,

The spots on your skin are 'Milk Spots'. I have them also, on my cheeks.

'Milk spots' are relatively common and are actually small cysts in the skin, which is why you cannot squeeze them like normal spots as there is no pore to push them through.
If they are very small, then it is best to leave them alone as you can easily damage the skin and make them appear worse or leave a scare.

If there is a particularly large one, then it can be carefully pierced with a sterile needle and the contents of the cyst will come out as a small hard white lump. But go carefull when the cysts are near or around the eyes, for obvious reasons.

They will often disappear by themselves over a period of time.

There is no specific treatment to prevent them.

I hope this helps you.