If you've only just noticed a load of little white bumps on your body or private parts, it's important to differentiate between what it could be and what it probably isn't.
Finding bumps or lumps on your body can be quite worrying at first, but in this case, there's probably no need to panic.
More often than not, the small dots are caused by a common skin condition, so nothing to fear.
What are Fordyce spots?
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Fordyce spots are small, painless, yellowish or white bumps that appear on the lips, inner cheeks, or genitals.
According to Mayo Clinic, it's a 'common skin condition where oil glands appear larger'.
"They become more noticeable during or after puberty. They often appear on and around your lips and sometimes on your penis and vagina," they explained.
"They’re a natural part of your skin, but treatments can shrink or remove them."
And in case you were wondering, it's named after American dermatologist Dr John Addison Fordyce, who first described the condition in 1896.
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Heathline further reports that the spots show up in around 70 to 80 percent of adults.
The difference between Fordyce spots and milia
Fordyce spots and milia often get confused with one another, as they're both skin conditions. However, they differ slightly in cause, appearance, and location.
Milia are tiny, white cysts filled with keratin that form when dead skin cells get trapped beneath the skin’s surface, and when it comes to milia, it commonly appears on the face, especially around the eyes.
Skincare by Chebo Clinic explained the difference on their TikTok page (@cheboclinic).
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Showing a side-by-side comparison, the expert said: "As we can see, there's a little bit of Fordyce spots just down there on the bottom picture, but most of these larger spots there are keratin milia stuck underneath this.
"The bottom is from under exfoliation and clogged pores, and the top here, the Fordyce spots are simply just your oil glands that don't really need exfoliation."
Treatment for Fordyce spots and Milia
"Our mode of treatment here with these Fordyce spots is simply by reducing the amount of oil that comes out of these glands, so we can use retinol serum, or something that decreases our oil production," the expert added.
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"So it's not just about drinking more water. You might want to consider bringing your skin treatments a little bit more up.
"Milia, on the other hand, you'll need to chemically exfoliate and you might need a professional to manually take them out."
Anish Vij