milium

noun

mil·​i·​um ˈmi-lē-əm 

plural milia ˈmi-lē-ə 

1

: a very small whitish to yellowish firm noninflammatory cyst of the skin (as of the face) that forms due to retention of keratin below the skin's surface

Milia are surface cysts that resemble buried rice kernels. They contain keratin, a skin protein. The face is a favored milia location, often around the eyes or on lids.

—Paul Donohue

2

: whitehead

Basically there are blackheads (the black ones) and there are milia (aka whiteheads).

—Shannon Buettow

Examples of milium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jump to: What are milia? —Lisa Bain, Good Housekeeping, 31 Mar. 2023

To be clear, milia aren't dangerous or harmful, but some people might choose to get rid of them. —Amanda Chan, Teen Vogue, 8 Oct. 2017

The good doctor uses a needle or small scalpel to create an opening in each milium, followed by tweezers to squeeze each one out — but that's not always enough. —Marci Robin, Good Housekeeping, 19 Oct. 2017

While milia do indeed look like whiteheads, that's where most of the comparisons come to a halt. —Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 19 Oct. 2017

Those are caused by cell overgrowth from the sweat glands — and not milia, like originally expected. —Amanda Chan, Teen Vogue, 8 Oct. 2017

In older children and adults, milia can clear within a few months. —Meredith Cohn, baltimoresun.com, 4 May 2017

In older children and adults, milia are typically associated with skin damage, including blistering, burns, skin resurfacing procedures, long-term use of steroidal creams/ointments and long-term sun damage. —Meredith Cohn, baltimoresun.com, 4 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, millet — more at millet

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

milium

noun

mil·​i·​um ˈmil-ē-əm 

plural milia -ē-ə 

1

: a very small whitish to yellowish firm noninflammatory cyst of the skin (as of the face) that forms due to retention of keratin below the skin's surface

2

: whitehead sense 1