Q: How to tell whether it is milia or whiteheads?
A: Milia are small, white bumps that appear on the skin. They’re caused by keratin that’s trapped underneath the surface of the skin. Unlike whiteheads, the area around the bump usually isn’t raised or inflamed.
Milia occurs when your skin turnover slows down. They are caused by the build up of keratin protein under the surface of the skin while whiteheads are caused by oil and dead skin cells trapped in the pores. Milia don’t necessarily occur within the pore while whiteheads ONLY occur in the pore. Milia often appear around the eyes while whiteheads rarely occur around the eyes. Milia often occur in babies but not whiteheads.
Milia can be caused by using greasy and heavy products, like an eye cream that is too thick, which allows the keratin to keep growing and appear as white humps if there is not enough skin turnover. Milia can also be related to genetics or a history of sunburn.
