What Do Cholesterol Deposits On Eyelids Look Like?

Cholesterol deposits on the eyelids, known as xanthelasma, look like soft, flat or slightly raised yellow patches, usually near the inner corner of the eye. They range from a faint lemon-coloured line to thicker, deeper yellow plaques, and they’re often on both eyes. The pictures below show how varied they can be, so you can compare them with your own.

Use these cholesterol deposits on eyelids pictures as a guide rather than a final answer. Look at the colour, whether the patches are flat or raised, and where they sit: upper or lower lid, one eye or both. Many people have matching patches on both sides; our guide to yellow upper eyelids explains why. A few photos also show xanthomas, the wider family of fatty deposits in the skin, which can appear elsewhere on the body.

If your spots are white, hard or skin-coloured rather than yellow, they may be something else, and our guide to syringoma or xanthelasma shows how to tell. Patches lower down are covered on our page about cholesterol deposit under eye.

Xanthelasma Pics: The Gallery

Each photo shows a different person’s eyelids. Sizes, colours and positions vary a lot, and that’s completely normal.