Cholesterol Deposits On Eyelids: Causes And Treatment Options

You may often find people having tags or fat yellow growths of skin around the eyelids. These spots are in fact deposits of cholesterol. They are also called xanthoma. People having type 2 hyperlipoproteinemia or hypercholesterolemic xanthomatosis suffer from this type of abnormal fatty growths around the eyes.

Cholesterol deposits are not contagious nor they are harmful, but it is an indication of a person having high cholesterol level in the blood.

The exact cause of such yellow deposits is precisely an indication of high level of (LDL) low density lipid in the blood. These persons are at greater risk of suffering from premature coronary heart disease and heart attack. If you are having deposits of fats around the eyelids, you should consult your doctor.

Causes Of Cholesterol Deposits On Eyelids

The yellow bumps around the eyelids are unpleasant to look at. In the beginning it may be an isolated bump, but over a period of time they grow in larger number. The main reason for formation of such bumps is high level of cholesterol in the body.

Besides excess of cholesterol many other reasons are associated for its development.

• High level of LDL and triglycerides is a cause for formation of these bumps. Cholesterol deposits in blood vessels around the eyelids in the same way as it gets deposited in blood vessels of other parts of the body.
• Such deposits are related to genetics. The condition is known as familial hypercholesterolemia. It passes on from one generation to another. If your father or mother has cholesterol deposits around the eyelids, you are susceptible to have it. It is because of high LDL level which is passed on genetically. In such patients LDL is difficult to bring back to lower level.
• Cholesterol deposits can occur in any individual. Usually it is seen in people who are in their middle age.

Treatment Options For Cholesterol Deposits On Eyelids

Normally cholesterol deposits on eyelids can be diagnosed from yellow waxy bumps on the eyelids and around the eyes. Aside from the flat bumpy look, there is no other symptom such as pain. Once the doctor examines these bumps clinically, he will recommend to do blood cholesterol test to check the cholesterol level in the body. If he suspects it to be hereditary, he would advise certain genetic tests to find the cause.

The treatment depends on the underlying cause. If the cause is related to high cholesterol and triglyceride level in the blood he would advice the patient to lower it with the help of dietary change and life style modification. He may also prescribe medication to lower cholesterol.

Since it is unappealing cosmetically, cholesterol deposits on eyelids can be removed with the help of laser. If there is a solitary or few bumps, the doctor may opt for excising it or freeze it with liquid nitrogen.

Aside from its ugly cosmetic appeal, cholesterol deposits on eyelids are an indication that there is risk of heart attack and coronary artery disease in early life. Patients having them should seek immediate medical attention if they have them on their eyelids.