What Are the Oral Equivalents of Milia of the Face?

Discussion Milia are small, usually < or = to 3 mm, benign, white, superficial keratinous cysts. They can arise spontaneously (are defined as primary) or because of other conditions (are defined as secondary). Milia can occur at any age but are common in adult patients. However, primary care providers for neonates see it commonly as well as congenital milia occurs in 40-50% of newborns. Milia occurs more often on the face (especially the nose), but also scalp, neck/upper parts of the trunk and upper extremities. They usually resolve spontaneously in a few weeks, but patient and parent preference may dictate treatment. Treatment options include simple extraction by nicking and lateral pressure to extract the keratin. Other options include topical retinoids, electrocautery, or electrodissection. The differential diagnosis for congenital milia usually includes molluscum contagiosum which has a central umbilication, miliaria crystallinia which has pin-point clear vesicles, sebaceous hyperplasia which is usually more yellow than white in color, transient neonatal pustular melanosis where the vesicles present at birth rupture in a couple of days and heal with hyperpigmentation or candidal or bacterial lesions. Various images of milia can be seen in “To Learn More” below. Benign primary milia in children and adults occur spontaneously but are more likely to involve the eyelids and cheeks. Other milia variations include: Milia en plaque which is rare but has an erythe...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news