Eye xanthelasmas

by Dr. Yiannis Neofytou

Xanthelasmas are skin lesions that occur primarily in the periocular area. They look like yellow flat spots or slightly affected plaques that develop on the upper or lower eyelid, usually on the side of the nose and usually contain cholesterol.

The xanthelasmas themselves are completely harmless pathologically. The problem they cause is more aesthetic than functional since they never affect vision and never turn into malignancy.

Our goal in the surgical treatment of xanthelasmas is not the destruction of the cholesterol molecules of the plaques but their complete removal.

With the surgical removal of cholesterol plaques, we eliminate the sites of lipid deposition, with the result that the recurrence rates of the disease are much lower than other techniques.