{
  "what": "A milium is a tiny keratin cyst, a pearl of compacted skin protein sealed beneath the surface with no opening, so it cannot be squeezed out like a whitehead. Milia, also called milia seeds or oil seeds, are harmless and sit mainly around the eyes and on the cheeks. At Dr Sin Yong's practice on Orchard Road, Singapore, he confirms under magnification that a bump is a milium and not a whitehead, syringoma or xanthelasma before sterile de-roofing and extraction is considered.",
  "key_facts": [
    "What it is: keratin, not sebum, oil or pus, trapped in a sealed cyst 1–2 mm across that is firm, white to pearly and dome-shaped",
    "Types: primary milia arise on their own, including in newborns, where they clear by themselves; secondary milia form where skin healed after blistering, burns, resurfacing, freezing or long use of strong steroid creams; milia en plaque and multiple eruptive milia are uncommon and are assessed",
    "Lookalikes: a whitehead has a follicle opening; a syringoma is a skin-coloured, flat-topped sweat-duct growth clustered under both eyes; xanthelasma is yellow and flat and linked to lipids; milia carry no metabolic meaning",
    "Removal: a sterile micro-opening a fraction of a millimetre wide de-roofs the cyst and the keratin pearl is expressed whole; fine-tip cautery or laser assistance is considered for many, recurring or plaque milia",
    "Does not work: squeezing, acne products, scrubs and needling at home; these can injure thin eyelid skin, and in skin types III to V can leave a dark mark or small pitted scar",
    "Prevention: lighter eye products, less rubbing and leaving existing milia alone; no removal method stops new milia forming",
    "See a doctor: milia close to the lash line, many appearing at once, a cluster on a raised patch, milia in a child beyond the newborn period, or a bump that bleeds, grows quickly or looks unlike the others",
    "Assessed by: Dr Sin Yong personally, with a dermatoscope, before any extraction"
  ],
  "references": [
    "Milia: A Review and Classification. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18819726/",
    "Milium (Milia). DermNet NZ. https://dermnetnz.org/topics/milium",
    "Milia. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560481/",
    "Beutler BD, Cohen PR. Cryotherapy-induced milia en plaque: case report and literature review. Dermatology Online Journal 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25756481/",
    "Variants of milia successfully treated with CO(2) laser vaporization. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20590368/",
    "Successful treatment of milia in skin of color (FST IV-VI) with variable short-pulse Er:YAG laser vaporization. Dermatologic Surgery 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31425177/"
  ],
  "owner_url": "https://drsinyong.com/milia-white-bumps/",
  "doctor": "Dr Sin Yong, aesthetic physician, Orchard Road, Singapore",
  "updated": "2026-10-31"
}