Curing The Blistering Skin Condition Known As Milia: Treating Adult Onset Milia

It was good to hear that there is something for milia. I've been to many skin doctors and have been put on many topical medications for my very bad case of milia. I've had it for about 7 years. It never gets better if anything I keep getting more. There very embarrassing. I hate them.

There very deep so they don't come out easily even at a doctors office.

If this dmso works as you stated that would be like a miracle because no one and I mean no medical practice knows how to get rid of these. There is no cure at this time.
I'm a little bit afraid to try this DMSO BUT THEN I'm very DESPERATE. I know to be very careful and dilute it and keep it away from the eyes. It's just hard to believe it can get that deep in the skin and rid of the milia.

How long do you have to use this before I'll notice them gone. These milia are on my forehead and both of my cheeks. I probably could count 70 of them. I'm really frustrated and tired of these ugly things.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Kathie

Hey Kathie;

Are you certain that your condition is milia? It sounds like you have a particularly bad case, so you may want to try and verify with photos online, if you haven't already done so.

There are no guarantees that DMSO will cure your milia, but I would definitely give it a try. It has helped a lot of milia-sufferers to eliminate their condition. People tend to notice a difference within a couple of days. Be sure to get back to us and let us know how it goes. We rarely get much feedback.

Take care.

I haven't wrote back about my milia because I haven't tried
the dmso yet. I finally ordered it so we'll see. I'm the bad case of 70 or more. I keep getting more all the time.
It's definately milia. I been diagnosised by many dermatologist. I got this condition after I went through
my change and moved to ARIZONA. I just had 3 or 4 in the beginning and then I started to get some on the other side
of my face and now after 8 years there all over my face - checks and chin. I always had beautiful skin so this is really hard for me. I ordered the dmso that's 70/30 in a glass bottle. It's not the industrial
dmso. I plan to use it 50/50. I'll dilute it with distilled water. I have a feeling it's not going to work.
My milia are very deep. But I'm desperate so I'll try it.
I'll let ya know.

To: Kathie,
I have been in skin care for over 25 years, and it sounds like to me that you may have a couple of things going on here. One question I have for you is if you take anti-depressants. I have found with some of my clients who have this condition that it has been related to the use of certin medications. Not that you can stop taking the one you are using (if you are), but maybe switch to something else. Another possibility is an inability of the body to absorb Vitamin A. Sometime using Retin A helps.
If you try the dmso and it doesn't work, I have treated my clients by lancing the milia and then doing microdermabrasion because there are so many of the milia, it takes 3 or 4 of these treatments, but helps greatly!
The problem is you want to find the source so they don't come back, so hopefully my other suggestions also help.
Blessings,
Jo Ann

Thanks Jo Ann. We have been continuing our research since this article was written, and we have noticed a similar pattern. Both depression and milia are often caused by a deficiency of niacin. Thus, the evidence is beginning to point to niacin deficiency as the root cause.

However, people can stop taking anti-depressants (sometimes gradually due to intentional addictive properties), and they definitely should stop taking them, as soon as possible. Switching from one poison that supposedly merely treats a symptom to another that works exactly the same way is the very pinnacle of bad medicine. It really should not be considered medicine, and it merely makes your doctor your drug dealer.

If you happen to be one of those people swallowing one of those time bombs on a regular basis, then we ask that you read our article,Antidepressants Produce Plenty of Side-Effects, But Don't Reduce Depression, as well as all of the related reports at the bottom of it.

OMG!!! I couldn't believe you were telling people to get off their anti depressants!! For skin care....give me a break. Your a quack!! There are people out there that if they go off the anti depressants then all hell breaks loose. My cousin comitted suicide last year because he stopped his meds. Do you want to be the cause of that happening because someone actually listened to your UNprofessional advice

That whole "OMG" (using God's name in vain) is usually enough to get comments stricken, and get you permanently banned from our site. Consider this as your only warning.

It's true that some people kill themselves when quitting anti-depressants. That's because suicidal tendencies are a known side effect of anti-depressant drug withdrawal. Look up "Discontinuation Syndrome" (suicidally painful drug withdrawals) for yourself in the medical literature, which by the way, exists for every anti-depressant (coincidentally, of course).

Suicides don't mean that the drugs were saving them before they were "discontinued", because they would have never been at the (Discontinuation Syndrome) risk without the drugs, and without their extremely dangerous addictive properties. So, for some people, stopping the drugs does indeed kill them, and it one of the best business things to have ever happened to the pharmaceutical industry. It's hardly accidental that whenever you stop paying the drug cartel that you put your life in danger. The unlicensed drug dealers around the world ought to be envious.

People on, and especially "discontinuing" anti-depressants tend to kill themselves at higher rates than those who are not taking the dangerous drugs. Thus, the best solution is never to take the drugs in the first place.

Your cousin would be alive today if he had been one of our readers, so don't blame it on us. Put the blame where it belongs -- on an evil drug industry that profits from keeping people perpetually sick to create its own repeat business.

So, how does it feel to be schooled by a "quack"?

Kathie-

Did this work for your milia? I have been dealing with the same issue over the past year, but in the last 40 days or so it has become INTOLERABLE. Probably 70-80 bumps total across chin, lower cheeks, and forehead. I just started Accutane for cytstic acne, so helpfully it will help with the milia too.

I have been getting weekly extractions at a dermatologist office & she uses a sterile disposable needle and always keeps the environment sterile before and after. I also have tried to spot treat with tea tree oil, which seems to dry SOME of them up, but more and more continue to appear.

I have read that milia can be related to high cholesterol, which is interesting since I just had bloodwork done and both my good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol were high?! Very strange as my triglycerides were low and I eat very healthy and exercise regularly...

Anyone else tried DMSO or other natural solutions?

Tired and depressed,

Katie

We broke from the usual pattern in this article by primarily discussing symptom treatments. We usually like to focus on the root cause(s) so a permanent cure can be obtained; and frankly, this is how all medicine ought to work. We had to treat this subject differently because nobody credible is really certain about the cause(s), which makes this an unusual illness.

When it is a couple of bumps, which by the way, I have experienced myself, then this subject can be treated fairly lightly. This is obviously not the case for some people, unfortunately. Apparently this disorder can become a rather serious condition for some people who have particularly bad cases.

For some of these really bad cases (like the one I am responding to), I have to wonder if the condition is really milia, or some other unidentified condition. Milia does not normally occur on such a massive scale. Not having pictures, or being unable to physically see it, makes it difficult to even guesstimate. The doctors may have been right, but we can't be sure.

The real issue here is finding the cause of whatever it happens to be; because just fighting the symptoms of such a massive outbreak is a fool's errand that will only lead to further frustration.

As is the case for acne suffers, we know that major skin problems can be caused by hormone imbalances, which are, of course, caused by yet other things. Pinning down the core cause is the challenge, but it is worth the investigation.

Horomone irregularities come from many sources these days, but there are two to concentrate upon overall. The first is overall toxicity of the body, and some of our readers likely need a serious detox. The foot pads and baths are frauds, by the way. Always concentrate on cleaning the liver first, because it needs to be fully functional to get the rest of the body cleansed during subsequent cleansings. For hormone problems, we also need to check the tyroid. Hypothyroidism is rampant amoung the population; especially for women.

Next, the second thing to check on would be the health of the liver. As mentioned above, there are going to be serious skin problems if it is toxic. It is important to review the fact that the liver works with the rest of the body to somehow remove cholesterol from the skin, and then convert it into usable vitamin D. Remember that milia and other skin conditions are related to the amount of cholesterol in the skin. Since it is likely that there is a cholesterol build-up in these extreme cases, I would have to recommend discontinuing all sources of vitamin D supplementation (except sunlight), so that the body will have a reason to extract its cholesterol reserves from the skin again. A liver detox would be a wise choice too.

If you cannot make it outside, then you can purchase a UVB light bulb to give yourself some artificial sunlight every day. You really can get a sunburn from them, so use them wisely. (Don't ask me how I know that.)

For now, that's the best we can do without further information. I hope this helps. Please let us know about your progress, or lack of.

Oral contraceptives are known for causing hormonal imbalances (in fact, that is how they work), so they cause acne outbreaks among other symptoms. If you're using them and experiencing this, then it would be very wise to stop and observe any changes.

Also, homogenized milk causes cholesterol to spike, in order to fight the inflammatory damage that it does to the body. Thus, avoiding homogenized milk would be a good idea, and you should always avoid r-BGH milk.

i noticed that whenever i eat nuts, all kinds of nuts and even sesame, my face will itch and few more small milias will pop up on the t-zone. i've done some research which further confirms this and the doctors i have seen dont even know about the connection between milia and nuts. Nuts might not be the cause but it will definitely aggravate the condition.

i had shingles in the summer of 2009--i had in my cupboard a bottle of dmso. my daughter started putting the dmso on my back and side, it just stopped the rash and blistering in its place-she applied it a couple more times---i never had to experience the awful suffering from itching and pain of the blistering. i sure had to suffer with the rest of the pain of shingles to 3 visits to the emergency room in 1 week! hope this helps someone---i told my dr. a couple months later, and he just had nothing to say!

If DMSO is used on milia do you rinse it off after a certain amount of time? If ok to apply moisturizer after, how long after? Over past year I suddenly had these pop up all over beginning with side of nose. Then temples, forehead, chin and cheeks. I got most areas calmed down and clear except for area on both sides of cheek @ laughline area. They won't go away! I tried everything but glycolic acid 70% seems to be working the best. When small ones start to pop up on chin I dap GA on they go away fast. Weird little frustrating things. I never had any complexion problem in my life (now 52) but now I know how awful it is. I don't want to go anywhere!

When using DMSO, a very small amount is used. It is not washed off. Your experience with glycolic acid sounds interesting, and is something that we will definitely be looking into. Thanks.

I developed a case of milia myself, and the one thing that actually worked was niacin supplementation. Please read the referenced article about niacin before using it, because of its strange side effects.

Hi Thomas,
Just wondering how long it took for the niacin to work and reduce or eliminate your milia? (Did it reduce or eliminate them?)

Also, do you have to feel the flush for it to work? I am taking 2, 100 gm capsules - when I take them at the same time, I get the flush (which feels very strange), but if I take them at different times, I am fine.

Thanks for any further feedback on these questions and your experiences.

Thomas is tied up at the moment, so I am replying on his behalf.

Flushing isn't required to get the benefits of niacin, although anybody who is using it for the first time is probably going to experience some flushing. Spreading out two 100mg capsules during the day is probably an ideal dosage for most adults. While the niacin did help Thomas a great deal, it still was not able to eliminate it 100%. Part of Thomas' problem is that he simply doesn't get enough sunlight, because he spends so much of his time in front of his computer doing research or working on the movie.

Milia is a topic that we are still researching, and we discovered that milia is more difficult to eliminate than we believed when we first wrote this article. This is actually one of the most popular articles on this site, because we have found that milia tends to only strike really healthy people.

We don't have time to research this in-depth because we are too busy working on our documentary, but I will tell you that the missing link could be a lack of beef in the diets of health-conscience people. So, when we return to this topic again to do more research, we expect for this problem to be effecting vegetarians at a much greater frequency than other people.

The real irony in the health-conscious diets is that they either exclude meats or they concentrate on chicken and eggs, which actually leaves people deficient in the long-run. There is simply no substitute for the essential nutrients that are found in fish and beef. The problem for those who do eat beef is that really high quality beef is so hard to find now.

It's not just the beef. Has anyone paid attention to the fine print on the fish boxes in normal retailers? Nearly all of the fish being sold is factory farmed in China! Anyone want to make a bet with me about how pure and nutritious that fish is? It's not like the U.S. is lacking lakes and oceans. Something is terribly wrong, and yes, the N.W.O. has actually found yet another way to poison us with our best foods.

Anyone who wants to have a healthy family needs to spend some time locating local sources of organic, range-fed beef, and wild-caught fish. If the healthy benefits will not win you over, then the dramatically improved taste of organic foods ought to. Most Americans nowadays have never had an organic steak, and tasting one would likely cause them to curl their toes, and cause their eyes to roll back in their heads.

The mild milia case that I have had more-or-less comes and goes; depending on how well I manage myself. I really have too much going on at the moment to really worry about it. I'm not here to look beautiful.

Ive just been reading up on this article regarding Milia. Seems like a bit of a breakthrough i might have found here. Ive been googling Milia and treatments for so long and nothing covers getting rid of it, atleast my condition of it which is on the body. Ive suffered Milia for 5 years now on my chest and nothing would budge in getting rid of it. Ive had a history of acne and thought that was apart of it until i tried nearly everything possible to get rid of my skin problem. Accutane worked but im still left with my Milia. The thing is though i dont get new ones i just have the same that has always been there small white bumps under the skin that are like white heads under the skin or pores that are trapped.

Anyway i would just really like to know where you can get this DMSO youse have been talking about. I would love to give it ago and maybe tackle this once and for all because its depressing and daunting! Thanks.

You can find almost anything on e-bay. Google too is your friend.

Hi Pearl... after reading your post I realized we have the exact same problem. I have been suffering with milia on my chest for about 6 years now. I tried a lot of different products and my dermatologist recommended Retina-A which did not work as well. I used to suffer a great deal from acne but once I started birth control pills it cleared right up, although Im left with scars and milia on my chest. I was wondering if anything you have tried as worked at all for you, such as with the DMSO or anything else?

Anyway I hope to hear from you soon. I know your pain and suffering with this depressing issue, hopefully we will finally find a cure.

Hope to hear back from you soon!

I never knew what this was called until I read this article and found some images online. My daughter had this when she was an infant. One doctor said not to worry about it, that it would go away. Well, it didn't go away. It became worse. Three weeks later I spoke to another, older doctor in the same office. He told me to wash her face with Dove soap. Lo and behold. I washed her face a total of four times that day and it reduced each time. After the fourth time it was gone. I don't know if this has any affect on adults but it definitely helps with babies.

How many mg of niacin do you suggest? I have been taking 125 mg the past three nights. Is this enough to see results for milia. Also how long should I take the niacin.

The dosage for people varies greatly with niacin. Are you flushing on that dosage (turning really red, and itching)?

I do flush when I take the niacin. I've been taking it at night so that no one sees me flushing, I get the redness and the itching. It lasts for 10 to 15 minutes.

I have about 20 of these horrible bumps. I've had one for years and more have suddenly started to pop up. I am trying everything mentioned here. Niacin, liver detox and DMSO. It is not a painless fix for sure. The DMSO is almost too itchy and painful to handle. I think I will try a few bumps a day instead of all of them at once. The niacin made me break out with red splotches probably because I accidentally bought the 1,000 mg. I need to start off with a lower dosage. And the liver detox is causing stomach issues. But I am determined to press on and try to get rid of these disgusting bumps. I am eating healthier as well and trying to lower my cholesterol. I hope something works!

I have had milia since i was like 5 or something and i am 16. It is around my eyes only. It used to be on my cheeks a little too and even found one in my nose once (wierd). But they have decreased to small ones around my eye(about 30 or more small not very noticable on each eye). I cant try many products around my eyes, but if you have any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. I dont have any problems with acne at all but i do with exzema, if that helps... After this long you dont realize it much but there are days when you look in the mirror and it drives me insane. like today.

p.s I have gone to the dermatologist and a doctor. They have perscribed so many different things like exfoliation and like this expensive cream for old people to gets rid of wrinkles. Ive stoped all of them because they didn't help and the only thing that helps is washing my face 2 or 3 times a day.

Thank you all for the great info on this horrible thing to have. I have been diagnosed with Milia or some have called Epidermal cysts. No skin problems in my younger years at all. I started getting Milia on my face at the age of approx. 30-31. I am now 43 and they have spread not only on my cheeks and under eyes, but to the inside and tops of both arms and legs, as well as the tops of my hands. I don't want to scare anyone who has milia. My case is VERY unusual. I have been to MANY dermatologists. I have also been through a Grand Rounds at University of Florida, and recently a Grand Rounds at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tn. My social life has diminished as this has caused me great embarassment and very low self esteem. I have such low self esteem that I don't go anywhere. I would love to have a relationship with a man, but I feel so horrible about myself. I have tried many things. Two months of antibiotics, Accutane, Trazadone, laser, Retin-A, and currently trying acid peels on myself. Nothing is working. There are so many milia that if I had each one lanced, it would take forever, let alone too much $$$ as insurance does not cover this. I am willing to try ANYTHING! If there is someone here that might have any further advice on my severe case, I would GREATLY appreciate it! I will try the niacin and DMSO in the meantime. I can send a pic as well. PLEASE HELP! I don't want to continue living like this...

I just wrote but i dont know if it will end up showing underneath you. I'm the one who wrote above you and i will pray for you and that you will meet someone and be happy and maybe even have the millia go away.

I know what you mean, anytime i meet someone i feel like thats all they look at, and around guys i just feel... not pretty. One thing that works for covering it up since you can wear makeup is clinques oil-free 25 spf tinted face sunscreen. its the only make up i can put around my eyes. I am so sorry and i wish it was non exsistant. The only thing thats put things in perspective for me is thinking how it could be so much worse. Also clingues face powder doesnt bother it. everything else seems to irritate it. I wish i could help more but im still in the experimenting part. Ill pray it goes away for both of us ^^^^ and everyone else who is struggling with it... (i'm the one who wrote above you.)

HI ALL BIOTIN THE VITAMIN WORKS FOR ME HOWEVER, WHEN I STOP TAKING IT THE BUIMPS RETURN. I TRY TO CLEAN MY FACE BETTER ONCE THE BUMPS ARE GONE

Hi - I am so happy to find your website and this discussion.

I would love to hear feedback as to how long it is taking for milia to go away, for the different options discussed here. Also, what amounts are you using/taking and what time of day seems best for each one.

This includes the niacin, DMSO, Biotin and Glycolic Acid, liver flush, etc.

Thanks for any feedback.

There aren't exact amounts for anything. Big Pharma gives precise dosages for their chemicals, as if the human body could be "fixed" using exacting mathematical formulas. Needless to say, it never works, and the human body isn't so simple.

If fact, what causes milia in a person could be completely different than what causes milia in another person. Thus, effective treatments and dosages could vary hugely amongst different people.

Here's my advice. Stop thinking of us as alternative doctors. Instead, you need to become your own doctor. Almost all ailments are self-inflicted, so only you can save you from yourself. We encourage you to carefully discover what works for you in a cautious and scientific manner.

We are investigators, and we shall continue striving to provide the health information that you need. Use it wyzely.

Just found out that what I have is called millia. I have always been a picker, and now that I have had millia its horrible. Mine got really bad 4 years ago after a surgery, and 6 months of the adkins diet. Now, I am left with scars because I will do anything to not let the bumps stare at me in the mirror. I need to carry a needle with me if I go anywhere overnight. Im getting ahold of the picking. And my millia on my back, chest and scalp are getting better. My face...not yet. I changed my diet 3 and a half months ago. I read a book called CLEAN by Aljahandro Junger. Wow! A prayer answered. I have suffered with many problems pointing to low thyroid.However no blood test ever came out positive. My doctor kept offering antidepressants. I said NO!! I suffer from low blood pressure. My doctor wanted to give me antidepressants. Crazy! Instead of getting to the root of the problem! But... CLEAN has helped me. I didn't buy his cleanse, I did it myself by blending ORGANIC fruits and vegetables, along with almond milk. I feel so much better. And like I said, my back, chest, and scalp are better! My face was the worst off and the first thing that suffered from millia. So I think it will be the last to get better. I am trying to be patient. Recently, I met a woman who thought all my problems might be linked to Celiac disease. I think she might be right. My body has not been absorbing the nutrients it needed, Including niacin, gosh, I think since I was born. I am now 36. During the cleanse, I didn't have much wheat. I was detoxing and I was flushing my liver. So it makes sense, that I would see results. I have not yet had my blood work done for celiac disease, besides I hear the only way to really find out, is to have a bioposy of the intestine. I think it will take sometime for me to see all the benefits. Im just happy I see some results. I recommend you all read clean, and check out the celiac website. (I too used all kinds of chemicals, antibotics, retin a, and what ever else the dermatologist would give me!-all with a bunch of other side effects!)-Good Luck and God Bless-

Tobi, thank you for your post! have you noticed any results in your face since your last post? and to those of you who have tried the DMSO or any other treatments listed here, have you noticed any improvements? If so, what routines do you think led to these improvements?

Vasculyse is the only thing that I know of that works to remove milia. Extractions are time consuming, painful and I always get infections after their removal. And they leave my face red and in a mess for a couple of weeks. Google vasculyse and you can read more about the process - many spas offer this service. It is not an extraction process. It also works to remove tiny broken capillaries, skin tags and ruby points.
I have had milia for years and years and it keeps coming back. I have recently gone dairy and gluten free, but it seems to be just as bad. I am just starting a regemin of daily light exfoliation and also Niacin (and I am stopping the Vitamen D) which I have never done before to prevent new ones. We'll see how that goes! Best of luck ya'll.

I think ill have to try some of these things. I have them around my eyes and i hope these work.
-thanks

Thanks for the info on millia. You have the only site that offers ideas for treatments other than derm cutting and removing... I started the dmso and niacin 2 days ago. Already see the bumps are flatter. I will also try adding beef back as I am one of those chicken diet people.
I do have high cholesterol and finally gave in to a statin when Red Yeast Rice no longer worked.
In terms of other ideas about the cause, I wondered about this:
two professionals suggest that they are caused by excess calcium. I have hyper-calcium/ parathyroid issues. Interesting enough, taking calcium (new chapter from food source-algae) with vitamin D has brought the calcium levels back into high normal range. I do find food source vitamins help other issues more.

Products like moisturizers... are these or are these not causing an increased number of millia. Some say isn't NOT a blocked pore but the build up of dead skin cells and to exfoliate more.
I'm 60+ and need some moisturizers. I've even tried making my own with organic oils and seed oils. I use devita moisturizer with sunscreen. Yes, no? Trade off of millia vs age spots?
I also wear mineral powder makeup which is very light and natural.
Any advice on makeup.
Thank you again for some real info on millia issues.

Do you suggest limiting facial creams? If this condition is blocked excess skin and not blocked pores, does use of oil matter. I'm in my 60's and need moisturizers and sunscreen to stop age spots.

Do you suggest washing your face more often?
What about use of light makeup like mineral makeup?

Thanks for all you great info.

From what we have read, washing regularly does help, as does exfoliation. Unfortunately, that's obviously not a complete solution, but it does help. That would suggest that oils on the skin could make the condition worse.

Thank you for the information. Could I please see a picture of Milia so that I can compare it to the bumps I have.

Certainly. It's at the top of the article now. We have Wiki Media to thank for the photo. When we wrote this article, we could not find any photos that were not copyrighted.

Hi

It's so interesting this thread lasted for so long. But my family's history of milia's even longer.

My paternal grandma has it, my dad has it, my sister and me - we all have it. And they are all under our eyes, and on our eyelids as well.

We have all, except for granny, have, at some stage gone to remove them - sis and dad through some beautician who did derm cuts, me to a dermatologist who burnt them off. But we were all told they will return, and sure enough they have.

What you posted as causes of milia interestingly have all been mentioned to my family by different people. Dads' has been attributed to high cholestrol. Mines' over-active sweat glands. Both sis and I have been told to stay off the sun or they'll return faster and we have also been told that they multiply and then join up into big lumps, which they have. And finally, definitely a case of genetics.

I am one of your vegetarian people. Sis was for a while and still rarely takes beef. Dad doesn't take beef at all. So yes, we as a collective family have proven all the theories right, it seems.

I hope to prove your cures right too.

i have had milia around my eyes for years but recently i have tried bare minerials. I bought the starter kit and in there was this thing called viel. I think it is for people with oily skin or something... It may be a coincidence but they have been getting smaller and less of them. Also the foundation powder covers them up really well!

I am new to this site and think the information provided is great. I recently developed milia. I went to the dermotologist to get Retin-A for pitted acne scars. I asked about the milia and if sunscreen or cosmetic were causing it. I didn't really get any suggestions from my dermo except to try Retin-A. I am going to try spot treating it with Tea Tree Oil. It may be connected to high cholesterol. I am eating oatmeal for breakfast to help lower it. As far as a liver cleanse, can someone recommend a product or website to get information from. Thanks.

Hope I don't repeat (I'm in a hurry!)any above - did not read all posts. I can trace almost all my problems to alcohol abuse and lead toxicity. I eat whole organic foods, exercise regularly, live in a very small town in Alaska surrounded by fresh clean air and have for years. So I can remove a number of variables. I have Milia on forehead near nose cheeks and chin.
A niacin deficiency sounds like a reasonable conclusion for me (alcohol strips it). Also vit D deficiency, however I had these before I moved to Alaska 10 years ago, but perhaps it exacerbates it further.