Skincare for Milia

"Milia are small, raised, pearly-white or yellowish bumps on the skin. They are most often seen on the skin around the cheeks, nose, eyes and eyelids, forehead and chest but they can occur anywhere on the body. Milia are very common in newborn babies but can affect people of any age. In babies, milia clear by themselves and no treatment is needed. In other people, they may take longer to clear and, in persistent cases, treatment may be suggested." Oh joy.

As you may have guessed on occasion I suffer from Milia only unlike the above description my unsightly bumps are fleshed toned and reside on my forehead. In a sense I guess I'm fairly lucky as my outbreaks tend to be rather small and having a fringe does hide the pesky spots but none the less I do like to take action against them when needed.

Milia technically form when keratin becomes clogged within a pore which is why some suffers go to their doctor or dermatologist and have them removed by lancing them with a needle. As my skin scars fairly easily I was told bluntly by my doctor that to only consider it as a last resort and as the general believe is that Milia forms from under exfoliation I decided to up my game and do you know what it actually works.

I must stress that out of the trio of products featured I only use the toner daily, the other two items are reserved for when my condition flairs up otherwise my skin would be completely dried out. All three products contain Salicylic Acid which I believe has been key and not only removing the exisiting Milia but also preventing any new spots from forming - even if you don't have Milila I'd also recommend the trio for those with blemish prone skin. What is Salicylic Acid? It is a “keratolytic” (keratin-dissolving) which is the technical term for exfoliating ingredient. It actually can penetrate into the pore to dissolve dead skin cell build up and encourages the shedding of the top layer of skin which prevents the pores from becoming congested. Though it does not have any effect on the acne bacteria in the pores or the excess production of sebum that cause acne, .5% -2% concentrations of salicylic acid are effective at clearing mild to moderate acne effectively without over drying the skin.

It was by sheer accident that I discovered Image Skincare as it was sent to me in a care package from www.ry.com.au months and months ago. It was only after reading the ingredients that I decided to give it a whirl. Image Skin Care Salicylic Acid Gel Cleanser is a light gel cleanser that gently cleanses the face as well as exfoliating without the need of a gritty scrub texture. It doesn't dry my skin out in the slightest and works really well with the likes of a Clarisonic for a deep cleanse. When required I will follow this up with a facial scrub and have found A.S.A.P Daily Exfoliating Scrub (find it here - link) to be the only one that has made a difference to those pesky bumps on my forehead. I kid you not after using this daily for two weeks I was all but clear of Milia as well as noticing that my acne scarring was gradually fading too. I don't normally using a facial scrub but for me this is now a staple product. Lastly and daily (without fail even if I don't have Milia) I gently wipe Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner (find it here - link) all over my face. Unsurprisingly this doesn't just tone the skin but exfoliates too but I promise it is so gentle that you won't even notice. What you will become aware of is softer and brighter skin as well as a reduction in discolouration from old acne scarring. I swear by it!

If you have found anything else that works wonders for Milia please let me know.