Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1495571
New member benefit! Get the ASCP SkinPro app at ascpskincare.com/skinpro 35 SKIN PHYSIOLOGY What's Happening Under the Surface? How milia form and how to safely prevent them by Lisa VanBockern CURIOUS ABOUT THOSE CRYSTALIZED WHITE BALLS under the surface of the skin that just won't extract? They're milia. Once you learn what milia are and realize they're not acne, you may start to recognize them on yourself as well as your clients. You might poke and prod to get those little, hard, white balls to extract, but they won't budge. If you work in a state where lancets are allowed, you theoretically could break the skin and carefully work them out. However, if there are dozens of them, that's quite a feat to attempt to remove so many in a normally scheduled facial. Generally, you'll see milia near the eyes, on the eyelids, and around the periorbital bone; however, you can see them all over the face. So, is exfoliation the answer to remove milia? In the past, I have tried harsh microdermabrasion, medical-grade chemical peels, and light laser resurfacing. Nothing budged the milia. No matter how aggressive a treatment, exfoliation was not the answer. That said, we can rule out a case of acne. If it were in the pore, we could extract it. But here's the thing: It's not in the pore; it's under the skin. Let's start thinking about the root cause of milia and the stratum germinativum, where our cells are born. Our cells have a phospholipid membrane made of water-loving heads and oil-loving tails. It takes plenty of water and essential fatty acids (EFAs) to make up these fresh new cells. EFAs are polyunsaturated