White spots or dots on eyelid may also appear under the eyelid or on the eyelid rim. Usually, little white spots on eyelid are as a result of milia cysts or cholesterol deposits. However, it may not be milia or cholesterol, since there are many other possible causes of white spots or dots on eyelid, including skin cancer. Â Explore signs, symptoms and pictures of white spots on eyelid. Also, learn how to get rid of them with medical treat and home remedies.
Signs and Symptoms
The main function of your eyelids is to protect your eyes against physical damage. It also helps to moisten your eyes. White spots on eyelid can interfere with its functions hence other eye problems might develop. Signs and symptoms of white spots on your eyelids is a clear indication of having a health problem that can affect the normal functioning of your eyes.
The following are signs and symptoms of white spots on the eyelid that include:
- Small white bumps on the lash line
- Painful white pimples on and inside eyelid
- Painless spots or dots on eyelid
- Large bumps on the back of the eyelid
- Yellow crust on upper or lower eyelid
- Eyelid drooping
- Inflamed eyelids
- Accumulation of white secretion at the corners of the eyes.
White Spots on Eyelid Pictures
What is the visual appearance of the white spots on eyelid? Clear pictures have been provided in this post to show you how white spots or dots on eyelid look like. These pictures also show various conditions that can affect your eyelids.
You can also use these pictures for the purpose of comparison among various conditions that can cause white spots on your eyelids. Â Through the process of making a comparison between the picture in this post and the actual conditions of your eyelid, it can help you to know the exact cause of white spots on eyelid.
Causes of White Spots on Eyelid
White spots on eyes can develop from various causes or factors. Some of the causes can result to harmless white dots on the eyelid that cannot advance into serious health conditions. Occasionally some of the causal agents of white spots on eyelid can develop into a threatening condition that needs medical attention.
The following are factors that can result in the formation of white spots on your eyelid which include:
1. Milium cyst
Milia are small white bumps that appear on the skin of the eyelids, nose, chin or cheeks. Milium cysts usually develop beneath the skin surface to form hard white bumps called oil seeds or milk spots. The color of milia spots might be yellow or white depending on your skin tone.
Milia spots often cluster at one point on your eyelids hence appear like white spots on eyelid. Milia eyelids are characterized by white bumps on the lash line and around eyes. These white bumps on eyelid may not affect the vision function of the eye but they cause some discomfort on your face.
Newborns are more susceptible to milia than adults although this condition can affect anybody regardless of their age. Your infant or toddler can develop milia on the skin of the face. These means that your baby can develop white spots on eyelid due to the consequence of milia attack on their skin.
Milia cysts on the skin are the effect of keratin deposit beneath the skin surface to form white raised bumps. In the case of newborns, milia develop from dead skin cells that are trapped under the skin surface to form tiny bumps.
Generally, milia are a benign skin condition that cannot advance into a serious health problem. Milium cyst can cause white bumps on eyelid for months that finally heals even without medical treatment. Milia on the baby skin can last only for few weeks.
In few occasions, white spots on eyelid caused by milia may persist for long period of time and for this case, medical treatment is required. Your doctor can use various methods to treat milium cysts. surgical method can be used to remove the milium cyst from your eyelid.
Alternatively, you can go for milia removal cream that has the ability to exfoliate the skin to remove semi-permanent milia spots. The best way to escape milia attack is to avoid factors that can trigger the milium cyst to appear on your skin.
Tips to escape milium cyst
- Avoid sun damage on your skin especially your face
- Moisten your skin with skin moisturizer instead of oils
- Exfoliate your skin and keep it clean
- Reduce the use of cosmetic product made of oils that can block the pores on your skin
Milia is a common cause of white spots on eyelid. However, it may not be milia, since there are other possible causes as discussed in the following sections.
2. Xanthelasma or cholesterol deposit
Cholesterol deposit or xanthelasma is a known skin condition that can cause the development of white spots on eyelid. This condition is characterized by soft white or yellow bumps that might develop on upper or lower eyelid. Occasionally, xanthelasma can affect the skin around the eyes and the nose.
Xanthelasma is attributed to be caused by cholesterol disorders in the body system. The high amount of fatty acids in the blood can develop into cholesterol deposit on the skin surface in form of yellow or white bumps. Dyslipidemia is a known lipid disorder that develops from excess complex fatty acid in the blood system. Individuals with dyslipidemia condition might develop white spots on eyelid.
White lesions that develop from cholesterol deposit on the skin rarely advance into complicated problems hence this condition is harmless to you. According to the post of Health line website, it affirms that plagues that develop from cholesterol deposit cannot affect the functions of your eyes. However, they can increase in size by time to cause a discomfort on your face.
In case you have white spots on eyelid or any part of your face due to cholesterol deposit, it should not worry you so much because is amid condition that will go away even without treatment. When cholesterol deposit on your face is becoming a chronic problem that causes large painful bumps filled with fatty contents, it is advisable to go for medical treatment.
From medical proverb that says that ‘prevention is better than cure’, you can opt to take measures that can help you escape cholesterol disorders that cause white spots on eyelids. You can use the following practice to control cholesterol amount in your blood system.
Tips to prevent xanthelasma:
- Eat diet with less amount of saturated fats
- Increase intake fiber content by eating fruits and vegetables
- Eat plant protein that has low amount of fats
- Avoid using of tobacco products and reduce the use of alcohol
- Practice physical exercise to keep your body fit
3. Chalazion
A collection of Chalazion forms chalazia which are small painless bumps that appear as white spots on eyelid. A chalazion can appear either on lower or upper eyelid. Sometimes both eyelids can be affected by chalazia. This condition can develop a white or yellow swelling that typically appears in the middle of your eyelid.
Chalazion looks almost similar to a stye that also forms a swelling on the eyelid. Unlike Chalazion that has painless white spots on the eyelids and caused by clogged oil in the glands, Chalazion results to red spots on the eyelid that cause burning sensation and develop from bacterial infection.
You can develop Chalazion on your eyelid when meibomian gland stops functioning well due to blockages. When meibomian glands on the eyelid are clogged at its ducts can result in the inflammation of the skin of the upper or lower eyelid to form white spots on eyelid.
A chalazion can also be caused by some underlying conditions on your body. Any infection in the body that might interfere with meibomian gland can trigger the Chalazion to develop on your eyes.
Common risk factors that can trigger the development of Chalazion include:
- Rosacea
- Whiteheads
- Blepharitis
- Seborrhea
- conjunctivitis
Having a problem of Chalazion on your eyelid is a benign condition that does not cause pain or irritation. Despite being harmless, they can increase in size and block the vision of the eye. In addition, chalazia can be bothersome when they affect your beauty.
4. UV rays, sun damage, and actinic keratosis
The sun has UV rays that can cause abnormal growth condition on your skin called actinic keratosis or solar keratosis that appear as small hard bumps on the skin. Sun damage can affect face, scalp, shoulders and neck region to develop a bumpy skin. Solar keratosis can also lead to the development of white spots on eyelid and other parts of the face.
Actinic keratosis can affect anybody but the condition is common in old age people compared to young individuals. As a young individual, you can also develop actinic keratosis if you are exposed to the sun for long period of time. People who are working outside the shade and get exposed to direct sunlight are more susceptible to develop white spots on eyelids, nose and other parts of the skin. Actinic keratosis can advance to skin cancer if they are not controlled by medical treatment.
5. Skin cancer
Skin cancer is a chronic skin condition that can result in various types of bumps on the skin. This condition usually appears as tumors that can easily bleed. Exposure to UV rays from the sun can change the genetic plan of the skin cell hence overgrowth of cells might occur on the skin that finally develops into the bumpy skin.
6. Syringomas
Syringomas are yellow or white bumps that comprise harmless tumors on sweat ducts of major sweat glands on the skin. Syringomas typically occur together in groups at the same site on your skin. This condition can affect your face, armpits, neck, and part of the abdomen. They may as well result in the formation of white spots on eyelid and as well as on affected areas.
This skin condition cannot advance into serious health condition and neither relates to skin cancer. Syringoma can develop at any age but it might appear after the adolescent stage. This condition often occurs in women than men.
7. Whiteheads
Whiteheads are one of the types of acnes that can affect the skin of your face. Whiteheads are pimples that spread on the skin of the face due to hormone fluctuation in the body. Clogged hair under the skin in the hair follicle can result in raised bumps on the skin.
White spots on the eye lids can be the consequence of having whiteheads on your face. Whiteheads on the skin are a mild skin condition that cannot advance into a serious health problem. Acnes are common skin condition at puberty stage.
8. Makeup
Eye makeup or eyeliners can clog the pore on the eyelid that can result to inflammation of oil glands that moisten the eye. Some eye makeup can even cause an allergic reaction the rim of the eyelid to develop small bumps that can spread even inside the eyelid.
The use of oily make-ups can easily clog skin pores on the face making it difficult for sebum to come out which might accumulate underneath the skin surface to cause white spots on eyelid. Clogged pore on the skin can also encourage the development of milia and Chalazion.
9. STD, herpes virus and syphilis
White spots on eyelid due to STD are a rare condition though it might happen to same individuals. Herpes virus is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause eye problems. Herpes virus can also cause sores in the mouth, sexual genitals, and even inside eyelids.
For the case of syphilis infection, children who are infected with this STD from their mother through breast feeding can develop eye problems including white spots on eyelids. Syphilis infection usually results in sores on the rim of the eyelid and inside part of the eyelids.
Milia Spots on Eyelid
Milia spots on eyelid can appear on lash line, upper or lower eyelid. Milium cysts on the eyelid are characterized by painless a tiny white bump that clusters together on the affected area. White spots on eyelid can appear due to the consequence of having milium cysts.
Milia spots on the eyelid are a harmless condition that can go away without treatment. In newborns, milia can take few weeks to clear up on the eyelid. While in adults milium cysts can last few month on their eyelids before going away.
Despite milia being a harmless condition to you, it can cause beauty problems on your eyelids by making you less a tractive. In addition to that, milia spots on lash line can cause eye discomfort through irritations especially when they spread to near the inside of your eyelids.
Milium cysts develop when keratin is trapped or accumulate underneath the skin surface due to clogged skin pores. Milium cysts on the eyelid can develop after sun damage that burns your skin to deform and develop milia spots.
When milia spots on your eyelid persist for a relatively long period of time, you can use milia removal creams to speed the healing process of white spots on eyelid. Alternatively, you can visit your doctor to help you remove the milium cyst on your eyelid.
White Spots Under Eyelid
White spots under eyelid may be as a result of clogged pores in this area. In addition, prominent sebaceous glands (chalazion) or tiny white cysts (milia) may also lead to white spots or dots under eyelid.
White Spots on Eyelid Cholesterol
White spots on eyelid can be as a consequence of having fatty deposit around eyes. Cholesterol or fatty deposit on eyelids is also described as xanthelasma. This condition results in yellow or whitish soft bumps that usually appear on your eyelids.
Cholesterol deposit on the eyelid is a common eyelid problem for elders and individual who has the origin of the Asian continent. Â Men are more prone to develop white spots on eyelid than women although anybody can be affected by cholesterol deposit on upper or lower eyelid.
Xanthelasma is a cholesterol disorder that develops in the body due to the high content of fats in the body system. The high amount of fatty contents in your blood not only results in white spots on eyelid but also might develop into other general health condition like heart problems.
In addition, white spots on eyelid that develop from cholesterol deposit are a benign skin condition although it might cause discomfort. In case the condition is causing some trouble on your face, you can go for cholesterol deposit on eyelid treatment methods.
Treatment for White Spots on Eyelid
White spots on your eyelid can be treated using different method basing on the type of causal agent. For minor spots caused by mild eyelid problems like cholesterol deposit and milia, you can use home remedies.
When white spots on eyelid do not respond to home remedy, it is advisable to go for topical treatment by visiting your doctor who can help you in getting rid of white spots on upper or lower eyelid. After visiting your doctor, he/she can conduct physical observation to examine your eyelid problem. Sample test may be taken from your eyelid to the laboratory to find out the expected infection.
From your doctor’s observation, he/she will decide a diagnosis method to use in order to remove white spots on your eyelid. Your doctor might use a different method to treat your eyelid problem basing of the type of eyelid condition.
Some of the methods that your doctor might use include:
- Surgical method can be used to remove milia spots, cholesterol bumps, Chalazion, cancer tumors and Syringomas. Your doctor can use sterilized needles or scalpel to remove white spots on your eyelids
- chemical peels, that include use of chemical substance to exfoliate the skin layer to remove white spots on eyelid
- laser treatment that uses beam of light to treat white spots caused by skin cancer
Home Remedies for White Spots on Eyelid
If your eyelids have white spots that develop from milia, cholesterol deposit and chalazia or any other white spots, try the following home remedies to get rid of such spots:
1. Garlic
You can use garlic as a home remedy for cholesterol deposit on your eyelids. Garlic is rich in enzymes that help to break bonds of complex fatty acids in the body. It can reduce the amount of cholesterol content in the blood system. Also, has the ability to flatten raised cholesterol bumps on the eyelids.
How to use:
- get two garlic cloves and crush it into a paste
- mix the paste with one glass of warm water
- divide the mixture into two equal portion
- drink one portion of the mixture
- use the remaining portion to apply it on your eyelids that are affected by white spots
- repeat the treatment twice per day until the white spots on your eyelid go away
2. Castor Oil
You can use castor oil as a home remedy to get rid of xanthelasma, milia, and chalazia. Castor oil has natural ingredients like ricinoleic acid that can help to reduce white spots on eyelid.
How to use:
- get one teaspoon of pure castor
- use a cotton ball to apply the oil on the affected area of your eyelids
- massage your eyelid for one minute
- allow the castor oil to stay on your skin even overnight
- clean your face with warm water
- repeat the treatment two times per day until white dots on eyelid fade away
3. Sugar Scrub and Lemon Juice
Sugar scrub is the best home remedy that can be used to treat white spots caused by milia, xanthelasma, and Chalazion. The rough texture of sugar scrub can help to exfoliate the skin surface. Lemon juice has also a natural ability to exfoliate the skin surface in order to remove white spots on eyelid.
How to use it:
- get a fresh lemon fruit and slice it into halves
- use your hand to squeeze the juice out of the pulp of the lemon fruit into a glass
- put two teaspoons of sugar into another glass
- add a small amount of the extracted lemon juice into the glass of sugar and mix
- apply the mixture on your eyelid and use your figure to scrub it gently
- allow it to stay on your eyelid for 20 minutes then rinse it off
- repeat the same treatment twice per day for few weeks
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
You can use apple cider vinegar to remove white dots on your upper or lower eyelid. The reagent has the ability to reduce cholesterol deposit on the skin surface. The acidic nature of apple cider vinegar helps to exfoliate milia spots and any other related white spots.
How to use:
- get half glass of apple cider vinegar and soak a cotton ball in it
- place the soaked cotton ball on your eyelid and hold it tightly on the skin by use of adhesive bandage for 1 hour
- remove it from your skin and rinse it off using warm water
- repeat the treatment twice per day until the white spots on eyelid go away
5. Banana Peels
Banana peel has enzymes that can help to remove milia spots, Chalazion and xanthelasma. It also has an antioxidant ability that can help to dissolve excess fats on the skin surface.
How to use:
- get one ripe banana peel
- use your hand to place the banana peel on the affected eyelid with white spots
- use adhesives tape to hold the peel on your eyelid overnight
- remove the banana peel the next morning and clean your face
- repeat the same treatment every night until white spots on eyelid fades
When to See a Doctor Over White Spots on Eyelid
You can see a doctor over white spots on your eyelid when you develop the following health complications that include:
- when white spots on your eyelid is too painful and result in a discomfort
- when white bumps on your eyelid block the vision of your eye
- If the white spot on eyes develops into chronic sores that persist for more than three weeks.
- If white dots on your eyelid are hard and they can bleed easily if something touches
- When your baby eyes develop white spots on eyelid.
Sources and References
- Signs and symptoms of white spots on eyelid: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/eyelid-problems/Pages/Introduction.aspx
- White spots on the eyelid pictures: http://mrdoctor.org/white-bump-on-eyelid-causes-and-treatment/
- Cause of white spots on the eyelid, milia spot: http://www.healthline.com/health/milia
- Causes of white spots on rim of the eye, xanthelasma: http://www.eyehealthweb.com/xanthelasma/
- Causes of white bump on eyelid, Chalazion: http://www.medicinenet.com/chalazion/article.htm
- Syringomas on eyelids: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringoma
- Milia spots on eyelid: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/milia.htm
- White spots on eyelid cholesterol: http://www.healthline.com/health/cholesterol-deposits-in-eye
- Treatment for white spots on the eyelids: http://www.healthline.com/health/eyelid-bump#treatments5
- Home remedies for white spots on eyelid: http://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-milia.html
- Remedies for white bumps on eyelid: http://www.top10homeremedies.com/how-to/get-rid-cholesterol-deposits-around-eyes.html