Waitaminute.

[Dirge 1]

Okay. So I thought I had a (mild) problem with blackheads on my cheeks but now I'm wondering if these are blackheads at all. (That shows you how much I know about acne, for a girl who's been dealing with it for over five years now. xP)

They're not visible, but they're very mild "bumps" that really only show if I pull the skin taut, like with my tongue behind my cheek. They kinda have a little pus in them...all this time I was calling these blackheads.

Are these...comedones? Or something? xD -feels stupid-

Thanks to anyone who can help! =D

[Listener 6]

Sounds like milia.

[Moonface 0]

Actually, it sounds more like whiteheads or closed comedones.

[Dirge 1]

Actually, it sounds more like whiteheads or closed comedones.

[pedophile 0]

Actually, it sounds more like whiteheads or closed comedones.

[beentheredonethat 6]

I really wish people would learn what milia actually is.

What you describe sounds like closed comedones - whiteheads (what most people call whiteheads are actually pustules).

[Dirge 1]

Wow. I guess I thought they were blackheads because they seemed flush with the surface of my skin. Are they common?

Thanks for all the replies. ^^

[beentheredonethat 6]

Whiteheads and blackheads are really very similar. A blackhead is an open comedone - that means that air can reach the top surface of the plug, and the resulting oxidation makes the top of the plug darken. A whitehead is the same thing except that the opening to the air is closed off (whiteheads are closed comedones) and so oxidation of the top of the plug doesn't occur.

[acne_battle 6]

Actually, it sounds more like whiteheads or closed comedones.

Even as tiny as they are? I can only see them when I stretch the skin.

Wow, I'm really dumb when it comes to acne. o.o

[Dirge 1]

Whiteheads and blackheads are really very similar. A blackhead is an open comedone - that means that air can reach the top surface of the plug, and the resulting oxidation makes the top of the plug darken. A whitehead is the same thing except that the opening to the air is closed off (whiteheads are closed comedones) and so oxidation of the top of the plug doesn't occur.

[Dirge 1]

Oh! Another thing. Almost forgot.

So blackheads...if you leave them alone, they take eons to go away and heal, right?

What about whiteheads? If I ignore them, will they go away quickly? I'd hate to have them on my face for months. =/

Thanks!

[xagatax 0]

Oh! Another thing. Almost forgot.

So blackheads...if you leave them alone, they take eons to go away and heal, right?

What about whiteheads? If I ignore them, will they go away quickly? I'd hate to have them on my face for months. =/

Thanks!

[beentheredonethat 6]

In addition to manual extraction, there are topicals that can get rid of them over time - mandelic acid comes to mind. But if you do nothing they pretty much just sit there.

[Dirge 1]

Thanks! Now this advice you're giving me...that works for those tiny little whiteheads, right? They're not just going to vanish on their own? =/

[brneyes22 0]

millia can go away, if your not touching them. also try to extract the correct way so that scarring doesn't occur.

[brneyes22 0]

millia is open comedones, or whiteheads. blackheads ae closed comedones

[beentheredonethat 6]

Milia are NOT comedones. Milia are tiny epidermal cysts that occur under the skin, not in a pore, and they must be surgically extracted.

Thanks! Now this advice you're giving me...that works for those tiny little whiteheads, right? They're not just going to vanish on their own? =/

[LionQueen 39]

See my pinned thread in the Mild/Moderate forum.

[Dirge 1]

Thank you, everyone. =D

LionQueen, I'm going to read that thread now. Hopefully, I'll learn something there. ^^

[Rachel S 0]

In my experience, the Biore patches work great for the kind of small, mild whiteheads you're talking about. I've had those things pull easily over 100 plugs off my face in one application (some blackheads, mostly whiteheads -- it takes several patches to do my whole face.) They do leave behind all the worse ones -- that is, the ones that are easily visible. This was pretty similar results to what I once got having one of those people who does facials spend more than 1/2 hour doing extractions on my face. They couldn't get the worst ones out, either. But it seems to me that the patches do soften even the bad ones and make them easier to extract. And if I let them grow large before extracting them, they become harder to get out, and leave a scar.

However, I think LionQueen's regimen looks great. I'm seriously think of going over to that.

[itsnever4ever 0]

or maybe they are clogged pores?

[obsessedwskin 0]

Whiteheads are millia. Millia is a follicle blocked with sebum (oil) that are more difficult to extract because a couple of layers of skin are on top of the blockage. In order to remove (best to remove after a shower since pores will be dialated), you must take a lancet at a 45 degree angle, puncture the skin, then extract with kleenex on fingertips. You need to puncture the skin in order to have an opening for the blockage to come out. After extracting make sure to use an antiseptic (like witchazel or tea tree oil) to kill any bacteria and constrict the dialated pore. Blackheads or comadones are follicles blocked with sebum that is exposed to the air (oxidizes) and turns the top of the blockage a black color. You do not need to puncture the skin to remove. Pimples that have visible fluid or puss in them are called pustules. It is okay to pop as long as they have come to a head. Just make sure to use an antiseptic afterwards. And pimples without fluid are called papules. Never try to extract papules. Wait until they become a pustule or go away. Hope this helps!