5 Reasons Little White Bumps Are On Your Face and How to Get Rid Of Them

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.

Naweko San-Joyz is creator of the Acne Messages program, the only acne program to combine the latest scientific research and ancient wisdom to deliver an acne cure as unique as the acne sufferer. As there are millions of people with acne, there are a millions cures, find your unique cure with Acne Messages. ISBN: 0974912204 available at Amazon and Noixia.com, Home of Six Billion Natural Cures for Acne

Latest News

AFP	Condom lubricant popular acne cure for Cambodian women AFP - 13 hours ago PHNOM PENH (AFP) — A condom lubricant designed for sex workers and gay men has become a popular acne cure among female Cambodians, women in the capital and ...

Acnezine Reviews: Acnezine Addresses Acne Caused Corsavoo.com, France - 4 hours ago For those of you who are girls, acne takes on a special meaning once a month. It's not bad enough that you are bloated and cranky, you now need to dab ...

'Free' acne product prompts rash of complaints Vancouver Sun,  Canada - Aug 27, 2008 BC I Consumers say they are continuing to pay for their acne scar treatment even if they opt out of the program. The Better Business Bureau of Mainland BC ...

The psychosocial price of acne: $275 Globe and Mail, Canada - Aug 26, 2008 They surveyed 266 high-school students aged 14 to 18, all with at least some acne, as well as their parents. Questions included, "How much money would you ...

New Product Brings Benefits of Clinical Phototherapy Directly to ... MarketWatch - Aug 25, 2008 based Oregon Aesthetic Technologies (OAT) today announced the availability of ANSR: Acne Care, a next-generation acne treatment featuring clinically proven ...

Oneindia

Acne Drug 'May Cause More Oneindia, India - Aug 26, 2008 By : ANI Roaccutane is used for the treatment of severe, persistent acne, but it has made headlines in recent years for its unproven links with depression ...

How To Get Rid of Acne Scars Easily Corsavoo.com, France - Aug 27, 2008 Acne is considered as one of the most troublesome condition for almost everyone especially for the adolescence and youth. When someone suffers from acne, ...

Learning The Basic Acne Care Corsavoo.com, France - Aug 27, 2008 Usually, acne begins to form and develop from adolescent stage to adult life. The presence of acne can leave a person emotionally and mentally affected. ...

Is eating whey protein causing my acne? Wilson County News, TX - Aug 26, 2008 (TeenGrowth.com) — Q: I'm 18 years old and every time I start having whey protein, I start having acne. Why? A: That's an interesting question. ...

Study Outlines Teens' Preferences And Trade-offs For Freedom From Acne Science Daily (press release) - Aug 20, 2008 20, 2008) — Teens report that they would pay about $275 to have never had acne, and are willing to pay considerably more to be acne-free than to have 50 ...