A milium is a keratin-filled cyst sitting under the epidermis with a complete epithelial lining and no opening to the surface.
Book an assessment →Milia are tiny white keratin cysts, 1–2 mm across, sitting just under the skin with no opening to the surface. Because there is no channel, squeezing and acne products rarely clear them. A doctor makes a minute opening with a sterile fine needle or blade and lifts the contents out, usually in one short visit. See milia removal in Singapore.
Histologically identical to an epidermoid cyst, only far smaller — 1 to 2 mm, most often periorbital. Primary milia arise spontaneously; secondary milia follow burns, blistering, procedures or topical steroids.
Milia are not whiteheads. A closed comedone is a plugged follicle with a channel to the surface. A milium has no channel — which is why extraction and acne treatments do nothing.
Primary versus secondary, distribution, any recent procedure or topical steroid use, and whether the pattern suggests an underlying cause.
De-roofing with a sterile blade or fine needle, then expression. Electrodesiccation, curettage and ablative laser are alternatives. All work by creating the opening the anatomy does not provide.
Squeezing causes trauma, and trauma is a documented cause of secondary milia. Forcing them can produce more.
The skin is cleaned, each milium is opened with a sterile instrument, and the keratin is gently expressed. Most people need no anaesthetic for a few lesions; numbing cream can be used for larger numbers around the eyes.
Expect small red marks that usually settle within a few days. Make-up can usually be applied once the tiny openings have closed.
New milia can form, especially in people prone to them. Gentle exfoliation, lighter eye products and avoiding forced extraction at home help. If milia appeared after a procedure or a new cream, identifying that trigger matters more than repeated removal.
“Milia have no exit. Removal works because it makes one; squeezing works against the skin and can cause more.”
A milium is a keratin-filled cyst sitting under the epidermis with a complete epithelial lining and no opening to the surface.
Milia are not whiteheads. A closed comedone is a plugged follicle with a channel to the surface. A milium has no channel — which is why extraction and acne treatments do nothing.
Primary versus secondary, distribution, any recent procedure or topical steroid use, and whether the pattern suggests an underlying cause.
Squeezing causes trauma, and trauma is a documented cause of secondary milia. Forcing them can produce more.
Some do, especially in babies and after a minor injury, but milia in adults often persist for months. Removal is quick when they do not clear.
Yes, when done with a sterile fine instrument by a doctor. The thin eyelid skin is the reason home extraction is discouraged.
These sources describe mechanisms and general evidence. They are not a promise of any individual result; suitability is decided at an in-person assessment.
Every assessment at IN Eternity Clinic is carried out personally by Medical Director Dr Sin Yong at 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza. If the honest answer is that treatment should wait, you will be told that.
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