Meaning behind series of white spots you can find all over your body including private parts
If you've been wondering what the white spots erupting across your body are, we've got you covered.
It's usually no big deal when blemishes and bumps appear on our skin, but understandably, some people are left a little panicked.
Still, more often than not, there's a fairly innocent explanation behind them. And that's the case when it comes to the small white spots that a lot of people find on their skin, as they are thankfully not anything sinister.
These are easy to mistake for pimples or whiteheads, but they are actually small, harmless cysts.
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"They're not caused by clogged pores - they're caused by the buildup of keratin," Skincare Education Specialist David Fernández Polo told Hello Magazine.
These spots most commonly appear on babies, according to experts, but they can emerge on anyone's skin, no matter how old you are.
There are several different types of these spots, known as milia, - neonatal, primary, secondary, juvenile, milia en plaque and multiple eruptive milia - according to health buffs at the Cleveland Clinic.
People can end up covered in them from head to toe, including in their private regions. But the good news is, milia are 'harmless' and only 'cause temporary cosmetic changes' rather than impacting your health.
Cleveland Clinic further explains that if you spot white or yellow bumps - which often appear in clusters - on your skin, you might have milia.
"Bumps are asymptomatic and don’t cause pain or discomfort," it states. "Depending on the type of milia, some can be itchy or form on a raised patch of skin."
The most common places to find these pesky white bumps are your face, chest, limbs, genitals and the inside of your mouth.
But where on earth do they come from?
Well, it's down to dead skin cells, which have become trapped below the surface of your skin, as the Cleveland Clinic adds: "Your body naturally gets rid of dead skin cells by shedding them to make room for new cells to grow and take their place.
"When your old skin cells don’t fall off of your body, new skin grows on top of them and traps them underneath. Your dead skin cells harden and turn into cysts."
But you can also end up with milia if you're skin is damaged due to an injury or sun exposure, while they can also appear if you're using steroid creams or ointments on a long-term basis.
They can also be a sign of a genetic condition or an autoimmune response, so it's probably best to run them by your doctor if you've got any concerns.
A GP will be able to determine whether you've got milia after a simple physical exam, but to be sure, they can also send a biopsy off.
Still, the white spots usually vanish on their own in a few weeks - so hang tight if you're currently battling a bout of milia.
People may be prone to milia due to genetics, not cleansing their skin properly, using pore-clogging products and sun exposure.
These blemishes look a lot like 'Fordyce spots', which crop up when the oil (sebaceous) glands in our skin become enlarged - but check in with a medical professional to avoid getting mixed up.
Olivia Burke