How To Get Rid Of Milia At Home With Tretinoin

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Get Rid Of Milia At Home

Suffering from pesky little white bumps around your eye area? Those are likely milia and as I’m sure you’ve noticed, they aren’t easy to get rid of. Because they are deeper under the skin than a pimple, popping them doesn’t work. So how do you get rid of milia at home?

Also check out: Beauty tips for your face at home

What Is Milia?

Milia is a build up of dead skin that’s clogged your pores, deep down. It’s not a pimple. There are several different causes including skin care products and genetics. You likely can’t really prevent milia and although they usually clear up on their own, sometimes they stick around.

There are some ways to get rid of stubborn milia at home! Be sure to check with your doctor before using tretinoin or any retinoids. And never pick or pop your milia, doing so can cause skin damage and scarring. If you’re concerned about your milia, visit a dermatologist.

How To Get Rid Of My Milia At Home

One way to treat milia at home is by using Tretinoin. Tretinoin works by speeding up your skin cell turnover, increasing the exfoliation process. This works to get rid of milia at home because it helps bring the little white dot, up to the surface. This can take a few weeks, and depends on how deep down the milia is. It doesn’t always work, especially if the milia is really deep down. But I recently tried it and it cleared up several spots of mine in just a few weeks.

How To Use Tretinoin For Milia

Always talk to your doctor or dermatologist before using tretinoin, as it is a prescription drug. But, I get it online without a prescription for $20 from Reticshop.com. I have used it to get rid of several milia spots and continue using it for anti aging. I used to get it prescribed by my doctor, but with the pandemic I recently started ordering it online and find it cheaper too!

Shop Tretinoin 0.025%

How to use tretinoin for milia:

Talk to your doctor before you start using tretinoin.
Start with the lowest strength 0.025%.
Apply to clean, dry skin (it’s usually best to wait at least 20 minutes after you wash your face).
Use only a tiny dot and apply directly to the milia.
Avoid using on your eyelids.
Only use as often as your skin can handle. Usually, when just starting retinol, it’s recommended to use two/three times a week.
Only apply at night.
Always wear sunscreen during the day when using tretinoin.
Use moisturizer as tretinoin can be very drying. Apply your moisturizer about 20 minutes after the tretinoin to ensure it is fully absorbed.
The area may get dry. Very dry. This is normal and happened to me especially right before the milia reached the top and came out.

I’m not a doctor, but this product has worked for me and is recommended by many skin care professionals for the treatment of milia at home.

Tretinoin helps bring the tiny white bump up and out, by increasing your skin’s cell turnout. Your skin begins exfoliating faster, and your milia will come up and out!

How To Get Rid Of Stubborn Eye Milia At Home

Experts recommend using a combination of over the counter exfoliation and topical retinol to get rid of milia at home (Source). Never try to squeeze it out, this won’t work because it’s not a ‘pimple’ and you could do more damage to your skin.

I don’t suffer from severe milia, but I recently had a few small spots pop up around my eyes and on the side of my nose. So, of course I spent some time searching Google for some remedies, but not before I took a pair of tweezers and tried to pluck them out. BIG MISTAKE. Milia is not like a pimple- you can pop it! I realized this after I had to walk around with red marks under my eyes for the afternoon. So again, NEVER pick at your milia.

I Used Tretinoin To Get Rid Of My Milia

So how did I finally get rid of my milia at home? I used a product I already had on hand – tretinoin! Now, if you know me you know I’m a HUGE FAN of tretinoin already. You can read all about the benefits of retin a and how I use tretinoin for wrinkles! But, I had no idea it could also be used to get rid of milia at home. It does make sense though, since it helps exfoliate the skin and milia is a build up of keratin under the skin.

Before I noticed the milia, I decided to take a bit of a break from tretinoin because I had read somewhere that your skin can get used to it when you use it for years, making it less effective. I’m not sure how true that is though.

The milia popped up during the break- a few spots under my eyes and one bigger one on the side of my nose. At first, I thought they were little whiteheads, but after they seemed to stick around for months it was clear they were milia- something I’ve never dealt with before!

So, after much research (thanks Google) I decided to simply apply the tretinoin I had at home to the milia at night. I started applying it a few times a week, but keep in mind that I have been using tretinoin for over 10 years now. I started using it for acne a long time ago and just continue to use it for its anti-aging properties.

Gentle Exfoliation For Milia

I also used a gentle exfoliator a few times a week to encourage that cell turnover. I use this rice exfoliator because it’s so fine and gentle. BE EXTRA EXTRA gentle when exfoliating near your delicate eye area!

Within a few weeks, the small milia around my eye was starting to push up to the top layer of my skin. I could see it coming up! And, soon after that it was exfoliating right off.

I would say it took about a month to clear most of it, except for the larger one at the bridge of my nose… that one took an additional month. So keep with it, especially if you’ve had milia for a while or have large milia.

Stop using it if your skin gets irritated or you develop a rash. ONLY USE tretinoin at night. And, ALWAYS use a high SPF during the day when using tretinoin.