How to Get Rid of Milia Under Eyes: CO2 Laser, Cost

If you are searching how to get rid of milia under eyes, you have probably already tried the obvious things. Exfoliating. A different eye cream. Squeezing one in front of the mirror and getting nothing but a red mark. The reason none of that works is simple: a milium is a tiny sealed cyst of keratin sitting just under the skin surface, with no opening. There is nothing to push it out through. Until a doctor makes one, it stays.

At Muse Clinic Myeongdong we remove milia with a CO2 laser as part of our mole and milia removal line. The laser opens each point precisely, the visit takes 10–20 minutes, and you can go back to your day straight after. Below: what milia are, why they collect under the eyes, how the removal works, what it costs per point, and the honest healing timeline.

How to get rid of milia under eyes: why home methods fail

Milia are white or pale yellow bumps, usually 1–2 mm, firm, and dome-shaped. They are made of keratin, the same protein as the skin surface, trapped in a tiny pocket under the skin. Unlike a whitehead, there is no pore leading to the surface. That single fact explains every failed home remedy.

• Scrubs and acids work on the surface. The cyst sits below it and stays sealed.
• Squeezing pushes on skin that is thin under the eye. The milium does not move; the skin bruises or tears.
• Retinoids can slowly thin the skin over very superficial milia, but under the eye they irritate faster than they help.
• Heavy eye creams and thick sunscreens are a common reason milia keep appearing in the same spot.

So the honest answer to how to get rid of milia under eyes is: a doctor makes a pinpoint opening and the keratin comes out. That can be done with a fine needle or, as we do it, with a CO2 laser that opens and clears the point in one step.

What milia are, and what they are not

Not every white spot under the eye is a milium, and this matters because the treatment differs. In consultations I look at each spot before counting points. The typical patient on our list is someone with deep or many points on the skin who wants to minimise the risk of pigmentation and wants follow-up care after removal.

CO2 laser milia removal at Muse: the 10–20 minute visit

A structured consultation with an interpreter comes first. Then the plan is made and performed one to one by the head doctor. The CO2 laser is used because it vaporises tissue in a very small spot, which limits damage to the surrounding skin. Under the eye, where the skin is thin and marks show, that precision is the whole point.

1. 01Consultation: I examine each spot under light, confirm which are milia, and count the points with you.
2. 02Numbing cream over the area, and the eyes are protected.
3. 03The laser opens each milium with a pinpoint pass and the keratin is cleared.
4. 04A thin layer of ointment. No dressing is needed for most points.
5. 05Done. Daily life is possible right away; you walk out into Myeongdong.

Milia removal cost in Seoul: what a point means

Our list prices CO2 milia removal by the number of points, in tiers of 10, 20 and 30. One milium is one point. A cluster of eight under each eye is roughly 16 points, so the 20-point tier. Small moles on the face are priced separately by size on the same line. Every number is the same one a Korean patient sees, and prices exclude 10% VAT.

Two things to know before you compare with other clinics. Retouch is excluded: a point that needs a second pass, or a new milium that appears later, is a new point. Face only: we do not treat milia on the body. A return visit is possible one month after treatment, and the full price list for every treatment is on the treatments page.

Healing timeline after laser milia removal

The point where each milium was opened heals like a tiny graze. Here is the sequence I describe at every consultation. Healing varies from person to person, and slower on skin that tans easily.

Risks and honesty: marks, scars and milia that come back

Laser milia removal is a small procedure, but every procedure carries the possibility of side effects, and you should hear them before you agree. Under the eyes the main risks are about the skin around each point, not the milium itself.

• A pink or slightly darker dot that lasts a few weeks: expected, and it fades. Sunscreen shortens it.
• Brown marks (post-inflammatory pigmentation): more likely in skin that tans easily and when a crust is picked off early.
• A tiny dented or pale scar: uncommon, and mostly linked to picking or a deep, old milium.
• New milia in the same area: the removed ones do not return, but the cause can. Switch to lighter eye products.
• Swelling for a day if many points around one eye were treated in a single visit.

Why visitors have milia removed at Muse Clinic Myeongdong

Three things we put in writing rather than promise. One price list, identical to the Korean price: there is no foreigner menu, and the point tiers are published on the treatments page. Interpreters in the clinic, in English, Japanese and Chinese, who stay with you from consultation through treatment. The head doctor examines and treats: each spot is checked and lasered one to one by Dr. Sarang Lim.

Practical details for a trip: the clinic is a one-minute walk from Myeongdong Station Exit 5, on the 3rd floor of the building with a Twosome Place café at street level, across from the Shinsegae side of Hoehyeon Station. We are open Monday to Friday 10:00–20:00 and Saturday to Sunday 09:00–15:00, so a weekend visit between shopping is realistic.

If uneven tone or sun spots around the eyes bother you as well, Pico laser toning is a separate treatment on the same pigmentation list. It is a different problem with a different tool, and I would talk about it at the same consultation rather than sell it by default.