Milium (dermatology)

Milia
Milia on the eyelid of an adult male
Classification and external resources
Specialty	dermatology
ICD-10	L72.8 (ILDS L72.830)
ICD-9-CM	374.84, 704.8, 706.1
DiseasesDB	001367
MedlinePlus	001367
eMedicine	article/1058063
Patient UK	Milium (dermatology)

Milk spots (milia) on the nose of a 1-week old infant

A milium (plural milia), also called a milk spot or an oil seed, is a clog of the eccrine duct the true sweat gland, it is a cholesterol deposit keratin-filled cyst that can appear just under the epidermis or on the roof of the mouth.^[1][2]:780 Milia are commonly associated with newborn babies but can appear on people of all ages.^[3]:680 They are usually found around the nose and eyes, and sometimes on the genitalia, often mistaken by those affected as warts or other sexually transmitted diseases. Milia can also be confused with stubborn whiteheads.

In children, milia often disappear within two to four weeks. For adults, they can be removed by a physician (a dermatologist will have specialist knowledge in this area).

See also

• Seborrheic keratosis
• Eruptive vellus hair cyst
• Sebaceous hyperplasia

References

1. "milium" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
2. Freedberg, et al. (2003). Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-138076-0.
3. James, William D.; Berger, Timothy G.; et al. (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. Saunders Elsevier. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.