How Are Eyelid Xanthelasma Best Removed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was wondering about something I have which are weird cholesteral spots on my eye lids. What do you have to do to get rid of those, I heard the only way was plastic surgery? What would you have to do?

A: What you have are xanthelasmas which are well known fatty (lipid) deposits around and on the eyelids. They may indicate one has high cholesterol and is at risk of athlerosclerosis disease. Many treatments for xanthelasmas have been proposed from chemical peels to laser resurfacing. Usually they are best treated by excision through small incisions. This is particularly true when the xanthelasmas become bigger and more tumor-like. (known as a xanthoma) Each xanthelasma is a small flat hard white deposit of lipid material.While a small number of them can be treated under local anesthesia, large numbers may require more of an anesthetic to comfortably remove them.