to all you beauty geeks my friend has tiny hard white spots on her face around the bottom eye area and on her cheeks she`s tried to squeeze them out but they won`t move. i was told that they`re a calcium build up is that true ? if not what are they and how do you remove them.
thanks in advance x

Its milia or whiteheads. They are a build up of sebum that is trapped under the skin. Usually a sign of dehydrated skin. They are incredibly difficult to remove and it need a form of skin piercing to free it (i.e electrolysis or a microlance ). If you pick or squeeze you risk damaging/scarring the skin as they are located in the most delicate and thin areas of the skin which is around the eyes.

it sounds like theyre milia which is sebum in the pore thats turned white the way to remove them is to steam the area and pierce slightly with a sterile needle and then squeeze out, some salons do this , it can be a sign of dryness in the area i had one just under my eye it was a right old pain but i got it out this way, if removed properly they dont leave any marks behind
hth

As everyone says they are miia (keratin and solidified sebum filled spots) and do need lancing as mentioned above, they come out as hard lumps, they cannot be squeezed without lancing as they are solid balls. I have found them to occur in clients that are using a cream that is too rich for their skin or just too clogging for anyones skin. This is why they can mainly be found around the eyes-when the person is not using a separate eye cream but just putting their normal moisturiser there or using too rich an eye cream. After lancing if the client changes their creams to something more suitable and exfoliates on a regular basis they do not return

thanks all for your help i`ll pass on to my friend

I have found milia most common in people who have little or no exfoliation regime. Tell your friend to try an exfoliation system before trying any 'lancing', as this will be far more gentle on her skin. Manual and chemical exfoliation combined (as in use both once or twice a week on separate occasions) is usually best, softening the skin with a light oil then manually buffing with a warm face cloth will suffice for the manual exfoliation, and using something like Decleor's Phytopeel will cover chemical exfoliation.

hth

I do appreciate that the exfoliation process is a longer one than that of lancing, but I have never been a fan of invasive techniques, especially when it comes to facial skin. If undertaken regularly, exfoliation will eradicate all existing milia (the skin's natural processes will help....it wants the milia there just as much as you do!) and prevent them from forming in the future.

I forgot to mention that microdermabrasion is especially helpful with the treatment of milia, but be careful if the skin is particularly sensitive.

hth

Weezie, please try to understand that everyone is bound to have different views....these are personal views and you do not have to attempt to make everyone agree that your view is 'right'.

When people ask for help and advice, I'm sure they're looking for a few different opinions, these opinions do not have to match.

Please re-read my above posts and you will see that I am not trying to discredit your lancing approach, merely suggesting a gentler, simpler exfoliation approach first. For all we know, jo-anne's friend's milia may respond very well to a few weeks of regular exfoliation and then she has no need for her skin to be lanced, and has also set herself up with her regular exfoliation regime to prevent future milia.

Now, now ladies play nicely!

My hubby has a couple of these Milia spots and it makes sense when you say, dehydrated skin (he never drinks water!), no exfoliation (he has no form of skin care routine, soap and water man!).
Can I pop them with a sterilised needle and squeeze out? btw I don't do beauty only nails.

Weezie, I am not upset, but I have PMed you, as geeky rules state that when the message you are sending is only really aimed at one person, it is better sense to send it in a PM, and we were going slightly off the subject of helping jo-anne's friend.

Pickle - men have the best spots and blackheads don't they?! I would try getting him to exfoliate first, but if that's a no-go, I'd say you could very carefully try what you suggested! Not after you've just had an argument or anything though! Do it when you're calm and no gouging!

He, he! I would be lucky to get near his face with a needle when I am in a good mood let alone after an argument.........but I will tell him you gave me permission and he might just let me........if I promise to do something he likes after!!!!

Thanks hun
x

I had milia right up until i started using Dermalogica Multi Vitamin eye cream then it just dissapeared, So my advice would be get a sample of this to try

i will thank you both for your advice both is good, the last thing i want is geeks comming to blows now i hope you`ve kissed and made up i will pass all advice on to my friend and hopefully all her milia will go away

Thanks a lot for the advice i'm going to try Dermalogica Multi Vitiman eye cream and see what happens.