Tiny White Bumps Under the Eyes (Milia): What They Are and How to Get Rid of Them Safely

The hard, white or slightly yellow bumps, one or two millimetres across, that sit under the eyes or on the upper cheeks are usually milia. They are tiny cysts of keratin (a skin protein) trapped just beneath the surface. They are not acne and they are harmless. Because they have no opening, squeezing will not get them out; they often clear on their own over weeks to months, and a doctor can remove them safely if you want them gone sooner.

At a glance

• What milia are: small, hard, white bumps of keratin trapped under the skin. Usually no pain or itch.
• Not whiteheads: a whitehead is a pore blocked with oil and dead cells; it is softer and can turn red and inflamed. Milia are firm, pearl-like and do not swell.
• Do not squeeze: the skin under the eyes is very thin. Picking with nails, needles or pins can leave scars, infection and dark marks.
• Heavy eye creams: very rich, greasy creams may be linked to milia in some people; switching to a lighter texture is worth trying.
• Gentle exfoliation: on the cheeks and below the orbital bone, never on the eyelid. It takes patience.
• For faster removal: a dermatologist can extract them in a few minutes with sterile instruments.

What milia actually are

Your skin constantly sheds old cells and makes new ones. Sometimes keratin, instead of rising to the surface and flaking off, gets trapped in a tiny pocket just under it. That is a milium. It looks like a small pearl or a grain of semolina and feels firm to the touch. Milia appear most around the eyes, on the cheeks, nose and forehead, where the skin is thin.

White bumps like these are very common on a newborn's nose and cheeks and usually fade by themselves within a few weeks. Do not apply anything to them or squeeze them. In adults, milia can appear for no clear reason, or they can follow some kind of skin damage: long-term sun damage, burns or blistering, some salon treatments, or prolonged use of steroid creams.

Milia vs whiteheads: how to tell them apart

Many people mistake milia for whiteheads and squeeze them, which is where the trouble starts. The differences:

• What they are made of: a whitehead is a pore closed off by oil and dead cells. A milium is keratin trapped in its own pocket under the skin.
• How they feel: whiteheads are relatively soft. Milia are hard, like a small bead set under the skin.
• Redness: a whitehead can swell and turn into a red pimple. Milia usually stay white and painless.
• Where: whiteheads favour oily zones such as the forehead, nose and chin. Milia favour the under-eye area and upper cheeks.
• How long they last: whiteheads come and go. Milia sit in the same spot, unchanged, for weeks.

Whiteheads and blackheads are covered in detail in the [blackheads and whiteheads guide](/blog/blackheads-whiteheads-dur-korar-upay-bangladesh).

Why you should not squeeze them

Milia have no open pore. A thin layer of skin covers them, so however hard you press, the bump will not come out; you will only bruise the skin around it. The skin under the eyes is among the thinnest on the face. Picking at it with a nail or needle can cause:

• small pitted scars that are hard to get rid of;
• dark marks, especially on deeper skin tones, which end up far more noticeable than the milium was;
• infection, which is risky this close to the eye.

Heating a sewing needle or pin at home after watching a video is not safe. Even at a salon, do not agree to anyone working under your eyes without sterile tools and proper training.

Are heavy eye creams to blame?

Doctors have noticed milia appearing in some people after regular use of very thick, greasy or heavily occlusive creams around the eyes. It does not happen to everyone, and no single cream can be blamed. If bumps showed up a few weeks after you started a new eye cream:

1. Stop that cream for a while.
2. Switch to a gel or light lotion texture.
3. Use a small amount around the eyes and pat it in rather than rubbing.
4. If you are used to leaving a thick layer on overnight, cut back.

For choosing one, see the [which eye cream is best](/blog/eye-cream-konta-valo-bangladesh) guide. Going to bed without fully removing sunscreen or heavy makeup can also slow the skin's natural shedding.

Gentle exfoliation: how much it helps

Exfoliation helps dead cells on the surface shed. That may lower the chance of new milia forming, and some small milia may work their way out over time. It is not a quick fix, though, and firm, long-standing bumps often do not budge with exfoliants alone.

• What to use: a mild lactic or glycolic acid, or a gentle retinol, whichever your skin tolerates. See the [best chemical exfoliants](/blog/best-exfoliant-chemical-bangladesh).
• Where: along the cheeks and below the orbital bone, keeping off the eyelids and the eye's edge.
• How often: start once or twice a week and stop if you get irritation. More detail in [how often you should exfoliate](/blog/how-often-should-you-exfoliate-bangladesh).
• What to avoid: gritty scrubs under the eyes. They will not remove milia, and they irritate thin skin.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your doctor before starting retinol or acids.

Professional extraction

The quickest and safest way to remove milia is extraction by a dermatologist. Typically, a sterile fine needle or blade makes a tiny opening in the thin skin over the bump, and gentle pressure then lifts it out. It takes a few minutes, and when it is done properly the chance of a mark is low. If you have many milia or they keep coming back, your doctor may suggest a prescription retinoid or another procedure. Which method suits you is your doctor's call.

A simple prevention routine

Morning

1. A gentle [cleanser](/categories/cleanser).
2. A light [moisturiser](/categories/moisturizer); only a little around the eyes.
3. [Sunscreen](/categories/sunscreen). Long-term sun damage can be one cause of milia, so do not skip it.

Night

1. Remove sunscreen and makeup thoroughly.
2. On one or two nights a week, a mild chemical exfoliant, keeping off the eyelids.
3. A light moisturiser; go easy on heavy eye cream.

Buying carefully

Putting a fake or expired cream around your eyes carries more risk, because that skin is the most sensitive on your face. At TheSkinProof, every product is matched against the importer's invoice and checked for batch, seal and expiry before it ships, and if it is ever proven counterfeit you get 2× your money back. If you buy elsewhere, check it with our free [product checker](/product-checker). For sensitive skin, browse [this shelf](/products?concern=sensitive).

When to see a doctor

• The bumps are on the eyelid margin or very close to the lashes.
• Many bumps appear at once, or they grow quickly.
• A bump turns red, painful or fills with pus, in which case it may not be milia at all.
• You notice yellowish, flat patches on the eyelids. These may be xanthelasma, which can be linked to blood cholesterol, so it is worth getting checked.
• You have small skin-coloured bumps clustered under both eyes. These may be something else, such as syringomas, which cannot be extracted the way milia can.
• The bumps appeared after a burn, blistering or another skin condition.
• A newborn's bumps last longer than a few months.
• You are not sure whether they are milia.

This article is general information. If a bump worries you, have a dermatologist look at it.