The good news? Milia tends to go away on its own, as the body sheds its outermost layer of skin cells to release the blockage. The caveat, Dr. Mudgil says, is that it can take months for the bumps to subside without dermatological intervention. For those who don’t have time for nature to run its course, there are options: "In the office, your dermatologist may use a needle to open them and extract the contents, similar to what is done for pimples," Dr. Zeichner says. But he cautions patients not to touch them at home: "Since they are not connected to the surface of the skin," he explains, "picking at them will cause more harm than good.”