Xanthelasmas
Xanthelasmas (Xanthelasma palpebrarum) is another skin condition wherein soft, yellow plaques or papules filled with cholesterol appear over the upper eyelid’s medial canthus. The medial canthus is the inner meeting point of the upper and lower lids.
The appearance of xanthelasmas could mean an individual may have thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia. A person may have one or several lesions. The papules are a side effect of the person having high lipid levels in the blood. Initially, the papules are not harmful, but they could worsen gradually and eventually become painful.
The cholesterol-filled lesions do not impair the eyelids’ function, so the individual can still blink, open, and close their eyes. But the lesions will grow larger and cause the person discomfort. Moreover, they could be cosmetically disfiguring.
The appearance of the pustules is quite common in people with dyslipidemia, meaning they have too many lipids or fats in the bloodstream, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. People could have dyslipidemia if their triglyceride level is above 150 mg/dL. It is also likely to appear if a person’s cholesterol level is more than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Xanthelasmas could also be due to high amounts of low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
