Most bumps on the eyelid are styes. A stye is an inflamed oil gland on the edge of your eyelid, where the lash meets the lid. It appears as a red, swollen bump that looks like a pimple. It is often tender to the touch. Eyelid pimples can become trouble at some time. Not only because they may be extremely irritating and painful but also because they make you look ugly.
The most common kind of pimples on eyelid is styes, chalazia, milia spots, and papillomas and they can appear on the eyelid or along the edge of the eyelid.
Most bumps that appear on the skin that protects your eyes are harmless and they should go away on their own. Sometimes, infections can cause redness, swelling and itching on your eyelid or eyelid rim.
How to Identify a Pimple on your Eyelid
In addition to the red, swollen bump, other possible symptoms include:
- A gritty, scratchy sensation, as if there is a foreign body in your eye
- Sensitivityto light
- Tearing of your eye
- Tenderness of the eyelid
What Causes Pimples on Eyelids
The following are common reasons:
Styes (Sties)
A stye (hordeolum) starts out as a small red pimple-like bump on or near the rim of your eye and becomes increasingly painful. It may become itchy and tender to touch and will probably start to cause discomfort as the infection develops. If the eyelid infection becomes worse, the stye may resemble a boil or cyst on your eyelid.
Styes occur when one of the oil glands on the eyelid becomes blocked. When this happens, bacteria can cause a staphylococcal infection which causes the skin around the blocked gland to become red and swollen. They will usually become filled with pus. In fact, a stye is similar to pimples that occur when hair follicles get blocked.
Chalazion’s pimples on eyelid
If the inflamed oil gland becomes totally blocked, the stye may turn into a chalazion (the plural of a chalazion is chalazia). The eyelid lump forms when the oil builds up in a blocked gland forming a lump or eyelid cyst. He says that the lump is usually painless, but the area around the chalazion may be tender to touch.
If the lump on the eyelid becomes very large, it could interfere with your vision and you should see a doctor to get the lump treated.
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
A viral infection of the eye or an allergic reaction can cause conjunctivitis which can result in the eyelids becoming swollen, red, and produce discharge.
Dr. Jay Robert Woody on MedicineNet says that allergic conjunctivitis occurs when allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and pollens affect the eyes. This can cause redness, itching, a burning sensation, and pimples on eyelid. The same symptoms can occur if a virus has caused an infection in your eye, sometimes referred to as pink eye conjunctivitis.
Very often you can help relieve the symptoms of conjunctivitis and reduce the swelling of your eyelids by placing a warm tea bag on your affected eye. For this, it is better to use cooled tea bags to help reduce the swelling in your eyelid.
Papillomas / Skin Tags
The appearance of small lumps on your eyelid could be eyelid papillomas caused by the papilloma virus. These small harmless skin tags can form on your eyelid or close to your eyelid rim. Usually, the only reason to get rid of papillomas is for cosmetic reasons or if they start to interfere with your vision.
Various websites recommend apple cider vinegar to remove papillomas as well as other skin tags. However, apple cider vinegar can cause great irritation to your eye and should not be used to remove eyelid papillomas.
If you notice small pearly-white pimples on your eyelid or around your eye area, you could have milia spots. These small harmless pimples on eyelid are actually tiny cysts containing keratin (a protein that forms in the skin). According to dermatologist Dr. Monisha Gupta, milia mostly occur around the eyelids and cheeks but can show up anywhere on the body.
Dermatologists say that milia spots don’t need to be treated unless they are causing distress for the patient. Usually, doctors will remove the lump by using a sterile needle to prick out the excess keratin. However, you should never try to remove milia spots from around the eye area yourself as you could cause the eyelid to become infected or severely
Xanthelasma
Yellowish or skin-colored painless bumps on your eyelid could be a buildup of cholesterol under the skin called xanthelasma. These lumps are more commonly found on the upper eyelid, but can also affect the lower eyelids. It’s important not to ignore these types of pimples on eyelids because they could be a sign of more serious underlying health problems.
Bumps on the eyelids caused by xanthelasma are not dangerous in themselves. However, because they look unsightly, many people decide to have them checked out and removed by a doctor.
The best way to prevent these lumps from developing on your eyelids is to keep your cholesterol at a healthy level. You can find some helpful advice in my article on how to lower your cholesterol in 10 easy steps.
Reason for Pimples on Upper Eyelid
The upper eyelid is prone to makeup. Most women who use eye makeup apply eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow. Eye shadows are applied on the top eyelid. When makeup stays on the upper lid for a long time, it clogs your pores and cause buildup of debris, sebum and sweat.
Clogged pores due to excess makeup soon erupt into a pimple on eyelids. If you suspect that this is the actual cause, try to remove makeup before going to bed. Cleanse the skin under and above the eye to help the skin breathe and heal on its own.
What does Pimples on Lower Eyelid mean?
Do you have a white bump on lower eyelid or upper eyelid? A chalazion results when an oil gland known as meibomian gland gets clogged or swollen. It is common on lower eyelid.
Meibomian gland is a sebaceous gland that keeps the eyelashes moisturized by producing a sticky substance but it often gets its ducts blocked making it to get clogged. When that happens, a white bump develops as a response to the inflammation.
A chalazion begins as small painful pimples on eyelid but the pain reduces and finally ceases as the bump continues to increase in size.
A notable difference between a sty and a chalazion is the fact that a sty forms as result of bacterial infection of an oil gland but a chalazion forms as a result of a clogged or swollen oil gland. A chalazion also tends to grow relatively larger, in some cases attaining the size of a pea.
Can you get a Pimple inside Eyelid?
A number of types of bumps can develop on the inside of the eye. More often than not, the bumps are benign and not cause for alarm. The most common bumps are styes, but these inflamed oil glands are red in color and quite tender to the touch. A white bump, on the other hand, is typically an indication of a blocked gland or cystic lesion.
Diagnosis
Treatment options for bumps on the inside of the eye are influenced by the cause of the lesion, so it’s best to consult a doctor or ophthalmologist. Most medical professionals can diagnosis a bump from its appearance. No special tests are usually needed, assures the National Institutes of Health.
If the white bump isn’t an inclusion cyst chalazion, it may be a sudoriferous cyst, which is the result of a blocked sweat gland along the eyelid. These blister-like lesions are filled with fluid, but shouldn’t be punctured like an inclusion cyst. They’ll recur without surgical excision.
Is White Pimple on Eyelid a Sign of Milia?
A white spot on the eyelid is likely to be a stye or milia. These generally appear as small, painless or sometimes painful pimple-like bumps on the eyelid. They are whitish or yellowish because they are normally filled with pus or a clear fluid. Here are pictures to help you identify white dots on your eyelids.
Pimples on eyelids can be worrisome especially given the role played by the eyes; who would not be scared to think about loss of vision? The question then is what causes white bumps on eyelids?” Well there are numerous possible causes of those pesky white eyelid bumps. The general causes, in summary, include:
- Blocking of oil glands that are found in abundance on the eyelids to provide adequate lubrication
- Poor sloughing off of dead skin cells. This often leads to formation of milia in infants but adults may as well be affected.
- Bacterial infection: Staphylococcus bacteria are to blame in most cases.
Milia on Eyelid Meaning
A milium cyst is small, white bump that typically appears on the nose, cheeks and eyelids as well. These cysts are often found in groups, and in these cases are called milia. The cysts occur when keratin becomes trapped beneath the surface of the skin. Keratin is a strong protein that is typically found in skin tissues, hair, and nail cells.
Milia can occur in people of all ages, but they’re most common in newborns. They’re typically found on the face, eyelids, and cheeks. Milia are often confused with a condition called Epstein pearls, which involves the appearance of harmless white-yellow cysts on a newborn’s gums and mouth. Milia are also often inaccurately referred to as baby acne.
What causes milia?
The cause of milia in newborns is unknown. It’s often mistaken for baby acne, which is triggered by hormones from the mother. Unlike baby acne, milia don’t cause inflammation (swelling). Infants who have milia are born with it, while baby acne doesn’t appear for a few weeks after birth.
In older children and adults, milia are typically associated with some type of damage to the skin, such as:
- blistering due to a skin condition
- burns
- blistering injuries, such as poison ivy
- skin resurfacing procedures, such as dermabrasion or laser resurfacing
- long-term use of steroid creams
- long-term sun damage
Do you have small white bumps on eyelid? Milia cysts occur in groups under or above the eyelid. The cysts occur as a result of keratin being trapped beneath the skin surface. If the small bumps feel like hard bumps under eyes, it is because keratin is a strong protein. Keratin is typically found in nails, hair and skin tissues.
Millie pimples on eyelids are harmless. Your dermatologist is likely to advise you that they will go away on their own. In babies, milia spots are quite common, but will clear in a few weeks. If, for esthetic reasons treatment is required, the options available are cryotherapy, laser removal of milia, chemical peels and dermabrasion.
How is an Eyelid Cyst different from a Pimple
The eyelids contain specialized oil-producing glands (meibomian glands) which discharge their secretions onto the surface of the eyes, and are essential in preventing the tear film from evaporating too quickly. If the ducts of the meibomian glands become blocked the resultant collection of oils may act as a ‘foreign body’ resulting in an inflammatory reaction and a rapidly enlarging reddish lump in the eyelid. This is more likely to occur where there is associated inflammation of the margin of the eyelids.
Occasionally there may be two or more such cysts in a single lid, and more than one eyelid can be involved. In time, the inflammation tends to resolve spontaneously, leaving a smaller but more solid pea-sized lump in the eyelid called a “chalazion” or a “meibomian cyst”. Such lumps or cysts can resolve very slowly but typically they require surgical removal if they do not settle spontaneously.
Blepharitis and lid cysts are more common in fair skinned Scandinavian and Caucasian individuals, and can occur at any age. Patients cite numerous factors as contributing to blepharitis and cyst formation. These include: lack of sleep, stress at the work place or home, dehydration, extended VDU usage, air-conditioned environments, and even alcohol in a few cases. However, little evidence exists to support, or refute, these possible causes.
How to Treat Pimples on Eyelid
The first step that you have to take is to make sure that what you have on your eye is truly a stye. You may do this by searching for other images of stye that you can find online. If it looks similar to yours, then the chance that the pimple on your eyelid is a stye becomes more possible. To be sure, you may have it checked by a trusted doctor.
You do not need to worry about treating the stye found on your eyelid. Here are some of the possible treatments that you can do:
Warm Compress
You have to know that a warm compress can be highly effective in making the pimples on eyelid subside. At the same time, if there is any pain that is connected with your stye or any discomfort, warm water can help get rid of those symptoms.
Removal of Eyelash
There are times when one of the main reasons why you have a stye is because of an infected eyelash. If you would remove the eyelash that is causing the infection, then you will also make the infection go away.
- Make sure that your eye is clean before you remove the eyelash that is causing your stye.
- You may need to boil the tweezers that you are going to use to ensure that it will be clean. Remember that if it is dirty, this might worsen your current condition.
- Look at a mirror while you are removing the eyelash.
- Carefully remove the eyelash from your eye.
Avoid Squeezing the Stye
One of the greatest mistakes that you can make when you are trying to treat a stye is popping it. Remember that popping pimples on eyelids are also discouraged so why should you pop your stye? When you pop the stye, the infected pus may spread in various areas of your eye and even your face. You do not want to end up with a lot of stye, right? The best option is to let the stye drain though you may have to wait a bit.
Avoid Putting on Makeup
If you need to feel confident because you are meeting with a client or a potential business partner but can’t because of your stye, remember that your confidence should also stem on your knowledge and your skills in order to do work.
You may put makeup on other portions of your face especially if it would make you feel good but when it comes to the stye that has developed on your eye, it is best to leave it alone. Remember that you should also switch to using glasses if you are a contact lenses user as there is a tendency for the bacteria to spread on your eye.
Teabag
A teabag is not merely used in order to create tea. They can be used for a wide variety of reasons depending on the type of tea that you are using. If in case you have the option to pick a right tea that can help get rid of the stye pimples on eyelids at the soonest possible time, use green tea. This can reduce the swelling of the stye considerably.
- Place the warm teabags on the eyes.
- Let the eyes relax because of the warmth of the teabag.
- Keep on the eyes for about 10 minutes.
Clean the Stye
Do you know that one of the main reasons why stye infections become worse is because the stye is not cleaned properly. If your stye is caused by your lack of cleanliness then you should change your habit now.
Aloe Vera
You need to remember that Aloe Vera is highly effective in getting rid of the inflammation of your stye pimples on eyelids. This can be effective if you do not want to be seen immediately. Some styes are not that obvious in the beginning.
- Take an Aloe Vera leaf and cut in half.
- Get the gel from the middle portion of the leaf.
- Apply the gel and even the pulp on the affected area.
- You may want to mix Aloe Vera with chamomile tea if you want it to become more effective.
Baby Shampoo for pimples on eyelids
Since being exposed to a strong shampoo or other hair and skin products can cause stye, you may opt to use something that is so mild that it will not hurt your eyes. No need to worry because baby shampoo can still cleanse your hair properly. It is best to search for a no more tears variety so that you can enjoy bathing without being uncomfortable.
Get Rid of Old Makeup
A lot of women usually become attached to their makeup especially if they have purchased the makeup for a large amount of money before but remember that all makeup have their own shelf life especially if they are already being used. You can get rid of your old makeup and toss them out. This way, you will be reducing clutter around your room.
Apply Makeup Properly
Since makeup is one of the main reasons why you may have your own stye right now, you can help reduce the possibility of having a stye by being careful about applying makeup on various parts of your face. When you use the wrong products, this may cause you to have a stye so the best thing to do is to make sure that your room is cleaned and locked.
Aside from the application of makeup, another thing that you have to remember is to limit the amount of the makeup that you are going to put. The more makeup, the more expensive it can be.