Looks Like Acne, But It's Not.

I have the same problem. I have been to a Derm for it in the past and the only thing Iv'e had any real success with is Tazerac. It's like a light chemical peal and seemed to help clear me up.

The symtoms you describe are the very same down to the letter.

I'll post here and if you learning anything, Please post and I'll do likewise.

I think mine is related to stress, and I also get standard acne, but some of the sores/lesion I get never manifest an infection and produce no material when squeezed etc.

It's very frustrating trying to deal with this as it's left me with some scarring and of course the annoying sores.

Good luck and finding an answer.

It's called MILIA. Milia formed usually close to the eyes. I have my esthetician removes it for me. You can't just squeeze these out on your own without hurting yourself. Have a professional extract Milia for your wife.

My right hand before is full of warts and lots of student in school make fun of my right hand I'm even to ashamed to raise my hand in the class room I kept pinching it and soak it in the water but it only make it worse and then one of my aunt told me to burn it the old warts usually has a hard top u can cut it with small scissor or a small surgical blade it doesn't hurt cos its dry and hard it's like callus after u cut it most likely blood will come out but not a lot just make sure it won't touch ur skin wipe it right away using a cotton with alcohol after wiping the blood off it's time for you to burn it use a neddle so u won't burn ur skin once u burn it make cover it cigarette ash so it will stop bleeding and it won't grow back the top u cut off u don't have to cut it again just continue to burn it for one week and u will notice the edge of the warts start to peel u don't have to cut and burn all the warts in ur skin only the mother one or only the one u first notice on ur skin once u kill the mother the other warts will die by it self I was first year high school when it happens to me since then it never come back actually it starts to grow around June 2001 but I didn't pay much attention at first it grow fast in my right hand till my hand turn to rough and scary looking they all finally completely died arround first week of September I started curing it like second week of August ..

Sounds like milia. My mom battles with these. A dermatologist can remove them. Your wife could also buy the tool they use (looks like a dental tool with a metal loop on the end) and learn how to use it. I know that part of the process includes piercing the outer skin so the milia can come out easier. If she's used to picking then I imagine this isn't a horrifying idea for her. They do come back though, so it's an uphill battle.

The way you describe it, it sounds like it really is a milia. It do looks like an acne, but it's not. Milia form for a variety of reasons. Some you can fix, others aren’t so easily dealt with. But you need to scrutinize your skin care routine whenever milia make their appearance.

If that's a warts as what the doctor says, other than burning it there's already some medicine that can remove the warts, a warts removal drops.

I immediately thought of keratosis pilaris except that he said it isn't wide spread like KP would be. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't the same thing (pores getting plugged with excess keratin and dead skin cells) just not every one, only a few pores here and there. Doesn't sound like warts to me but I am just going off your description. With KP, the pore itself will feel raised, rough, and you can scratch off dead skin off the top and if you squeeze (not recommended) you can extract the clearish sesame seed sized keratin plug. Sometimes a hair follicle will come out with the plug as well as it was ingrown since the follicle was plugged with keratin and dead cells.

Hi. I have just recently come down with the same sort of thing, except mine doesn't hurt or itch at all, its just there. I do get milia around my eyes, but it has always been really tiny, barely noticeable. I just developed this bump on my cheek about two months ago. I thought it was a pimple, but when squeezed, it does absolutely nothing. Even though it appears to have a little white inside it, it acts just like normal skin when I squeeze it. I have put acne products on it, and nothing happens. The only time it appears to "shrink" a little, is when I apply witch hazel with a q-tip, and hold it down for a minute or so. It gets a little smaller, but within an hour or two, its back to the same size I started with. Its probably a tiny bit larger than a sesame seed, and right on my cheek. Its aggravating the heck out of me. I was scared that I may have contracted Molluscum Contagiousum, because my niece had that. However, it hasn't had the same characteristics of that condition at all. I only have one bump, that's it. No weeping, no anything. I don't have insurance, so going to a dermatologist is out for me at the moment. I was gonna try and ask my regular doctor at the clinic, but they are not always sure since its not their specialty. I was thinking of getting some colloidial silver, and natural pills for veruca problems, at the health food store. My sister has had success taking care of my nieces molluscum with those products. I don't want to squeeze it and scar myself. I was going to try and go in there with a disinfected needle, but I stopped myself, again, I'm afraid it will scar. I'm not sure what to do! Frustrated! Help?

On September 27, 2007 dave_mwi made this post:

(I have the EXACT same thing...please help. Did you ever figure out what it was?)

Hi, my wife has had problems with some skin issues for about 4 years now. I'll describe what we've seen over the past four years.

She will develop what looks like acne, a small bump that is painful to the touch, but the pain is different than a pimple. More painful, and 'deeper' as she describes it. She gets these often on her face, and on her back.

If you squeeze it like a pimple, nothing happens. There is no expulsion of puss or blood as you would see with a pimple - characteristic of forcing these contents through a pore. The top may come off only to just revel a bloody sore now - that's all I can describe it as. About the size of a sesame seed. Blood or liquid (not white) may come out...but it's not as if it were forced out of a pore.

Then there was a time where she continued to pick on one in particular noticing that there was a place in this sore that was not sensitive to touch. She used a needle and was able to pluck-prod-pull-push out a hard white sperical-elliptical ball of some substance. Again, about the size of a sesame seed but not that flat.

Then today, she was having problem with one in particular and asked if I could help her. When I examined the sore, I saw two tiny white 'heads'...probably about half a millimeter in diameter. She has been trying to squeeze them out like a pimple. I grabbed the tweezers and pulled them out. I can only describe them as a 'root' attached deeper. Or dare I say - a worm? I have no idea really. They were pretty short. Maybe 2 millimeters or so and stuck there pretty good for being so small.

There are times when she has more of these, and sometimes they go away. We went to one doctor about 2 years ago, he said they were warts. Veracas, or Verucas. But I don't know...it just doesn't seem right. He said the only solution was to 'burn' them off. So she had a few burned off of her face.

One other thing - they itch pretty intensely some times. And I do believe that I've seen some of them eventually turn into a spot with lighter pigment than the surrounding skin which also itch.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of now. I hope someone has some input. Thanks.