Blackheads vs. Whiteheads vs. Milia: What is the Difference + How to Treat! | Dr. Shereene Idriss 

I just Love to be called a "Little Nerd!!". I just turned 70 but still enjoy n learn from your channel😘

I would love for you to make a video on pregnant womans skin and ingredients that are allowed and not allowed!! That would be so Amazing 🙂

I’m so happy I found your channel! I’m doing a deep dive for the past few days and have made so many notes and learned SO much! Thank you for being so honest and direct. Refreshingly rare around here these days 💖

Dr Idriss, I’m 53, menopausal, and REALLY need to EXACTLY what the basics are at my age. So much advertising for skincare is based on the youth and I’m such a sucker when it comes to all products at this point in my life. I would really love to pair down my am and pm routine. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for what you said about pore strips and the vacuum. My 15 year-old has been asking for one and I keep saying no but now I can just show her this video and we can work on better ways to deal with their congestion.

For someone that has been fighting and using all kind of ridiculous stuff they sell on the market for removing blackheads, I thank you for real and trustworthy information, I'll now spend my money where I should while actually help my problem in the long run! Thank youuu

Holy crap I finally know what those hard little white bumps are called! I literally have a scab on my nose right now from going to town on milia. I'm so susceptible to that obsessiveness, they drive me crazy the way they look like little whiteheads but REFUSE to budge or burst or be removed, like tiny beads of hard plastic in my skin. I know, I know--hands off! I really think that having this better understanding of what they are will help me to resist and start working on prevention instead. Thank you!

This is interesting. I developed Millia all of a sudden from over exfoliating and damaging my skin barrier. This explains a lot. Tretinoin helped purge them out.

Esthetician from Cali here!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS CHANNEL! I enjoy your humor, your cute little family, and above all YOUR HONESTY. It's so messed up how many brands in the skincare/beauty industry take us (especially those lower income) for a ride. Everyone deserves great, beautiful skin! Everyone deserves to feel beautiful! I have questions! If someone has milia by their eyes/eyelids, would a careful application of low percentage Glycolic be safe for those areas? Also, can you pretty please cover Dermaplaning one day? I have way too many thoughts about it and would love to hear yours. Thanks!

Thank you for all your videos and educating us! I wish the video would had mentioned also sebaceous filaments as they can be confused with blackheads sometimes. Loving the panoxyl recommendation, started it recently and already feeling the benefits. Thank you again!!

Loving your videos! Always super helpful and interesting - and fun! Thank you for the time you spend getting them to the public! For so long I focused on preventing my acne but now I’m definitely dealing with managing new things popping up on my skin as I age (into my 40s) and your info and tips are appreciated. Would love if you covered sebaceous hyperplasia sometime!

Thank you for the guidance Dr. Idriss! I’ve been struggling on finding the right skin care routine for my clogged pores and black heads due to extends workouts lately. Going to try the products you recommended :)

So excited I found your Instagram and this channel! Can’t wait to spend the rest of my Sunday watching all your videos! Talk about productive! Idea for the future: could you do a video on sustainable skincare? I’m trying to get better about avoiding single-use plastic and using products that are more planet-friendly. 😘

This is one of the best videos, so informative and helpful! 😻

Thank you Shereene. I have wanted to know how to get rid of these blackheads, that I have tried my hardest not to pop! Going to try a clay mask and just be patient. Also those patches are the bomb! They really do work on acne wish I’d known about them before my adult acne was the bane of my life. Lots of love from Japan 🇯🇵

Love me some Sunday informative video. Always appreciate Dr. Idriss giving advice clear and simple. Since this video tocued on milia a little bit I think it would be great to talk about fordyce spots since they often get confused and the possible treatments for the second one are not very easy to find.

Thank you for this comprehensive explanation!!

This was extremely informative!

I would love 😍 to see a video about the SKIN BARRIER & how to repair and maintain it / prevent it from being damaged!

Thank you for being our skin guru! Loved the video. Could you possibly provide information on sebaceous hyperplasia and how to get rid of it/help prevent it?

Thank you for offering great information and advice especially products to use. My son is almost 13 and the first blackheads have arrived....you are awesome ♥

Honestly, I think I have watched pretty much all of your videos! Love your content and the detailed information you bring to the platform!

Every other video is all the more informative and helpful. However, would love if you could do one on acne scars too pls! :)

You're amazing and share so generously. Thank you!

Love your eyeshadow!!!! you look so pretty

I have 2 milias on my cheek and had concern for long time....love your videos...thanks for sharing such informational content

Thank you for all the advice and ❤️ your personality!

Thank you for making this!!!

So interesting and wonderful video!

Great video! And super informative! I’m lucky that I have pretty hardy normal skin. I do get milia (it runs in my family! My dermatologist asked if we all used the same chapstick. No! We all mostly get it around our mouths.) I’ve been doing 3 - 4 TCA peels a winter (over 4-5 months) and change to lactic acid peels in the summer (maybe monthly) to help get rid of them and keep them at bay. I also get these weird keratin growths too and the peels help. I will ask my dermatologist to give me a script for azelaic acid and retin-A when I see her in the fall. Thanks for the info!

Hi, I enjoy watching your videos so much :) Thank you for subtitles btw

Love your videos! So helpful! Would love to hear about a good night time routine for tackling blackheads… thank you again! I’ve told so many people about your great content!

hey doctor, it would be great to hear u talk about the impact of birth control on acne and other skin concerns and the difference between that and oral retinoids, and in general talking about oral treatments for acne.

Can you do a video on peptides? Particularly copper peptide and argireline please! I see so many people comparing argireline to botox which I know is not comparable, but rarely does anyone talk about its results on its own. Is there any merit to it at all?

Thank you as always for this! ♡♡♡

I would love to see body and neck product suggestions in future! Maybe also scalp skin treatments and care, review of Vichy hair line (Decros) for the hair loss. Serums from Ordinary for hair density and the Inkey list peels look popular now as well. Anyway, looking forward to future videos!

It's so interesting that you recommend glycolic acid for milia because I always see people recommending BHA's for milia. I've always used BHA's for my milia, but the condition of my milia has never improved. Will try glycolic acid now!

Dr. Shereene, I love your colorful bracelet! 🧡

This is what I have been waiting for💖💖

Would love a video that puts together a night + day acne prone routine. I know that there’s some actives and ingredients that might not go well together and wouldn’t want to accidentally cancel them out. I usually worry about that with the panoxyl.

THANK YOU for mentioning diet and lifestyle

Thank you so much for talking about milia. I have had these forever. Sometimes they're not so prominent but nonetheless they're there. I have been using acids and retinol and I do think they're are helping somewhat. It's almost like a process where they get worse before they get better. If that makes any sense!? Thanks again. Very informative.💛

Thanks for all the info, just ordered the clay mask 👍🏼👌🏼

Amazing video as always! I follow this channel now religiously and you have leveled up my skincare game a lot so thank you

If Azelaic acid can break down keratin build up, can it be used to treat milia as well? Thank you for this wonderful, detailed video. ❤️

Love your sweater!

Thank you so much for covering this!!❤️ Inspiration for your next video: French pharmacy products😍😍😍

Thank you Dr Idriss for a tackling down the difference of blackhead vs whiteheads. What is your opinion on Skin scubber skin spatula for home use?

YES I'M A WALKING BLACKHEAD AND WHITEHEAD. SOMETIMES HORMONAL ACNE. LOVE YOU FOR THIS VIDEO. LOVE YOU.

Hi Dr. Idriss. How do you feel about removing black/white heads in a beautician office? Is a standard practice all over East Europe but not so much in US. Thank you

Salicylic acid worked great for me on blackheads, I always would have them on my nose. I have found , recently, that since I’ve been using a mild retinol (like you’re get from the drug store) and niacinimide, I don’t get blackheads or breakouts very often.

Thanks for the video 👍 I am 73 with normal to slightly oily skin. I still get clogged pores and sometimes blackheads on my nose. I am not sure how to treat them because I also have micro broken capillaries on my nose. I feel like I am in a no win situation! Love your videos - they are so informative!

Thank you Dr. Idriss! I love your videos. Can you do a video on chapped lips? My lips have become extremely dry this winter and my normal chapstick isn’t working. Some balms I’ve tried actually seem to make my lips drier :/ what ingredients and habits should we look to use?

You’re great! Keep doing what you doing :)

Hi Dr. Idriss. Thanks for your amazing amazing content. It would be very nice if you could do a video on PCOS skin. I'm drowning in acne, scars and oiliness.

Love the video! Can you talk about closed comodones and how to best treat them?

Thank you so much!! always love your content! Do you recommend an eye cream? if yes...any recommendation?

Dr. Idriss, would love to learn more about tinea versicolor, treatment and prevention. Thank you!

I just did a ton of research on Milia. I have one on my eyelid that hasn’t gone away. I get them under my eyes if I use the wrong eye cream. But they go away with stopping the eye cream and gently exfoliating over several days.

Thank you doctor for sharing this with us

A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION EVERYWEEK IM FLABBERGASTED

I am new to your channel but I love your content and your whole vibe. Can you do a video on body skin care routine? I would like the skin on my body to age gracefully like the skin on my face...I am not sure if you already have a video on it. I don't want the skin on my face to look like that of 25 years old and the skin on my body to look like that of a 75 years old. Thank you for addressing the hype around hyaluronic acid...you helped me save a lot of money.

Thank you for this great video!! So helpful! Looks like it's shopping for me! Also I love your jumper, can I ask where its from? Thank you!!

Thanks Dr. Idriss! This is very useful! My dad has undereye blackheads. WHat would be a safe way to remove them? Thank you

This video was extremely helpful! I have milia and did not know that glycolic was a good treatment , so sincere thanks! Also appreciate the clay mask recommendations. ❤️

Your video make me exciting everyweek. Could you make a video about how to build skin barrier stronger after a treatment like chemical peel or break down by retinol next week? Anyway, literally looking forward to see you next time.

I would love it if you could talk about nodules/cystic acne

Loved it!!

Would love for you to do a video explaining sculptra treatment

Yes! Yes!! I’m so glad I’ve found this channel 🙏😌🙏 It’s better to use Geek&Gorgeous Cheer Up 6% mandelic acid + salicylic acid serum/toner (you can use it as both) or Origins face mask Out Of Trouble (it has colloidal sulfur and, again, salicylic acid). These are two of my favourite products that I use a couple or three times a week each. Do I struggle with acne? No. I don’t. But neither will you if you use these products - I seriously doubt you would. I once had pimples (not many, but a few) and benzoyl peroxide just dried out my skin and then the pimples came back, through the dry skin and flakiness 😿 Salicylic acid was the game changer for me. And I know it’s not popular to say, but in my case, the Proactiv+ (Proactiv’s 2.0 series for sensitive skin with salicylic acid instead of benzoyl peroxide) was what introduced me to the several step skincare routine - and to be fair: it says on the packages that you need to use spf (spf 15 or over, but at least it says that you need spf!). I’ve struggled with milia. As usual, I didn’t got that many - I got like two or three milias, but to me it was just as frustrating. What helped me was Benton Fermented Eye Cream and Benton Snail&Bee Eye Cream. Besides that, I also use The Ordinary’s Argiraline and The Ordinary’s Matrixyl (together). Those are peptide serums. In the Benton eye creams, there’s peptides too (in the fermented, there’s EGF aka oglio peptide and in snail there’s copper peptides). I also pair it with retinol or retinaldehyde/tretinoin (you can use retinyl palmitate as well or what ever vitamin A/vitamin A derivative that suits you and your regimen). Other days/nights I do acids or amino acids or fatty acids or maybe just a moisturiser. I love snow mushroom (and there’s so many other nice mushrooms!) and I love Centella Asiatica. I also love sea buckthorn and rosehip seed oil and grape seed oil/resveratrol. I swear there’s an oil out there for each and every one of us! And hydroxy- and fatty- acids and antioxidants too! Of that I’m sure. Take care people 💗🌸

Dr. Shereene, you are a genius! How to make people quit smoking? Drag them into skincare and then tell them they are not getting glass skin because of smoking. 💯

Dr. Idriss thank you so much for your videos, they have been so helpful. Can you do a video on scar treatment at home? I suffer from dermatillomania and the scars on my legs are super super dark 😖

Thank you for all the info. Really need to know what I need to do with acne scars.

This was very helpful. Can you please do an episode on hyperpigmentation. I can’t believe that discolouration from acne is the same as age spots. Or that the best ingredients for acne hyperpigmentation are the same as what might work for people in their 50s+ (me) with weird old freckles popping up. I’m confused. Please help.

Thank you for sharing! I would love to hear more about whiteheads And pustules And how to prevent them. Sounds like a pimple patches are good as treatment

Another incredible video! Thank you Shereene! I was wondering if you recommend anything for treating milia at home? Or do the preventative products you covered help to treat milia also?

BRAVO!!! Thank you

Thanks, you help me very much 😘

Hi, What's the link between cholesterol deposits & milia? And what ingredients should we avoid if we get milia? Thank you

I was waiting patiently for this video!!! Finally! However, there is one more I will wait for - masks. What are your thoughts?

All the estheticians I’ve seen say that I have extremely large pores - a lot of people in my family do. I am always getting blackheads on my nose and chin…I’ve tired almost everything here, except I use BPO topically instead of as a cleanser. I should try it

Hi ❤️ thanks for so many fun and educational videos! I am confused how to create weekly routine combining retinol cream, glycolic acid and BHA exfoliant in one week (to use only one active at the time on evening) without striping skin barrier? Could you give some advice how to create evening skincare routine with different actives?

YEAH! I'm here 4 it!

Hi! Love your content. Would you recommend professional facials at a spa for extractions of blackheads or whiteheads? Do they help or cause more damage? Thanks!

Hi Dr. Idriss, hopefully you can make a video regarding usage of Azelaic acids.

I love your videos!!!

Would love an acne scarring video! Love ya xo

Thanks! Can you talk about rosacea specifically?

Dr Idriss, can you please dedicate a video on pores? How to treat, minimize, etc. Also, textured skin? Thank you!

Hi Dr. Idriss! if you see this....will you please do a video on how to handle an ingrown hair? especially if it's rather deep and also in the armpit or groin area 🥺 those are the hardest to deal with

Tiff is back!!!

I would love a video on (atopic) dermatitis.

I actually bought neutrogena and panoxyl because of your advice. But I still use st. Ives once a week the one with small beads just because there are times I have a lot of products on my face and I just want to have a stronger cleanser to rid them all when I'm too lazy to remove them the night before so I ended up sleeping with them. The panoxyl is a gem to remove pimples overnight and neutrogena helped exfoliate my skin and remove blackheads.

I am not sure if you will read my comment after one year of posting this but I may say that a way of getting rid of milia that worked for me was using Q-tips embedded with castor oil on top of each of the tiny dots. You will notice that they start disappearing almost immediately during the first week until they gradually disappear completely.

Can you please made a video on lip and lashes care🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I ripped my face off with over-done charcoal masks. Used and mixed too many BHA’s. Who knew that my skin would burn off? Dermatologist said that I had open wounds. Now I am left with uneventful skin, hyperpigmentation, and sebaceous filaments. Arg. Grrr.

Bonjour Dr Idriss. Merci beaucoup pour vos vidéos courtes, éducatives et denses. Je suis dans un endroit où les rares dermatologues sont surtout intéressés par l’esthétique et les produits assez peu étoffés. Il y a donc beaucoup de "fait maison" douteux. Mille mercis du bout du monde.

Could you please do a video on laser treatments for pigmentation

Thank you for this video. Can I use these treatments for sebaceous filaments? Thanks for your response.

Hi Dr Idriss! Any way to treat milia on the lower eye lid at home? What can I use in that area for moisturizer that won’t cause milia?