Terminology:
Exact medical term for yellow spots on the eyelid = Xanthelasma palpebrarum
- Plural: Xanthelasma
- Singular: the xanthelasma
- Word stems: from the ancient Greek xanthos = yellow and elasma = plate
- the palpebra (lat.) = eyelid
What are yellow spots on the eyelid?
Xanthelasma are yellow elevations / spots, predominantly in the area of the eyelids. This is where cholesterol deposits are deposited in the tissue. They are most frequently found on the half of the upper and lower eyelids facing the nose. These yellow spots develop in adolescence due to a lipometabolic disorder. At an older age, there is often no apparent connection to fat metabolism.
Treatment of xanthelasma
Blood lipid levels should first be examined before treatment. If these are elevated and possibly the cause of the skin changes, the lipid metabolism disorder should be treated first. It should be borne in mind that xanthelasma generally does not regress as a result of such treatment. However, the formation and increase in size will be reduced.
One of the most popular options for xanthelasma removal is laser treatment.
If pronounced xanthelasma is accompanied by eyelid drooping, the changes can be removed as part of an upper eyelid correction or lower eyelid correction. In very pronounced cases, it may be necessary to close the defects remaining after xanthelasma removal with skin grafts to avoid scarring. Nevertheless, the recurrence rate after surgical removal is 40% and 60% after the second operation.
There is also electrocauterization (electric needle or forceps), cryosurgery (cold shock) and the possibility of using corrosive substances (trichloroacetic acid).
