Xanthelasma

What is xanthelasma?
Xanthelasma is soft or hard yellow patch on the inside corners of the eyelids. It is made up of cholesterol that's under the skin.

Who gets xanthelasma?
The condition is rare, but you can sometimes get it if have high levels of cholesterol or other fats in your blood. It's also possible to get it even if your cholesterol levels are normal. About half of people with xanthelasma have high cholesterol. You're more likely to get these growths if you have high LDL ("bad") cholesterol or low HDL ("good") cholesterol, inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia), liver disease called primary biliary cirrhosis, which can raise cholesterol levels.

What is the best treatment for xanthelasma?
Your xanthelasma usually won't go away on its own. The growths will either stay the same size or get bigger over time.
Radiofrequency removal is a fast, effective and painless method. Radiofrequency is safe when performed on the eyelids. No downtime is required and the scars are minimal or none.

How is it performed?
First the area is cleaned with sterile saline solution and injected a small amount of local anesthetic into the area surrounding the skin growth to minimize a procedure-related pain. The radiofrequency hand piece is applied to strategically remove layers of the growth.
This process is repeated until complete removal is accomplished.

How long does a treatment take?
Several seconds to several minutes depending on the size of xanthelasma.

How many treatments are needed?
One treatment is generally enough to remove xanthelasma. Bigger and deeper xanthelasma may require additional treatments.

How to take care of the treated areas?
Keep the treated area dry for at least 12 hours.
Apply an antibiotic cream on the treated area and 1 cm around it, 2 times a day for 10 days.
Do not pick the scab, it will fall off on its own in the upcoming days.
Wear sunglasses when outdoors.

Can xanthelasma come back?
The growths can come back, especially if you have inherited high cholesterol.

Recommendation:

Make an appointment for radiofrequency removal if you have xanthelasma or yellowish patches on your eyelids.
Make an appointment