Whitehead on Eyelid

A whitehead is usually a small bump filled with oil, which occurs on skin. Such bumps may also be known as closed comedones and they do not appear painful or pose health risks. Nonetheless, because of their unsightly appearance, they may affect the confidence of a person especially when they form around the face and eyes. Having whitehead on eyelid therefore may not be something of much concern in terms of your health. They are not harmful but when they affect your psychological wellbeing, you may want to seek help of a doctor.

When you try to squeeze or pop the whitehead occurring on the eyelid, you may feel some pain. Therefore, you would better leave the problem to be handled by a medical doctor. There are also other ways you can try to manage the bump such as through proper hygiene to cleanse the skin pores.

What causes whitehead on eyelid?

Whiteheads form when the opening of hair follicles becomes clogged with debris consisting of dead skin cells, bacteria, oil secretions, and other materials. The skin is constantly shedding its old cells. The skin also releases oils, which are secreted through the pores. Whenever these dead skin cells and the oils along with bacteria clog the pores, they may result in whiteheads forming.

Closed comedones appear like bumps with raised skin. There are other factors, which may contribute to occurrence of whiteheads, and they include hormonal imbalance, inadequate diet, and using certain medicines such as corticosteroids, androgens, and lithium. People who follow a diet containing high amounts of carbohydrates could also have these whiteheads forming.

A clogged hair follicle in skin is referred to as a comedo. When the skin debris or keratin combines with oils and bacteria, it may block the follicle. A comedo may be open meaning blackhead or it may be closed meaning whitehead. When the comedo bumps are many, they are referred to as comedones.

Comedones may be common in teenagers just like acne because of the increased production of oil in sebaceous glands during puberty. Touching and picking the comedones could cause irritation and risk spreading infection. Some skin products could contribute to blocking of pores, which increases the chances of having comedones or the whitehead forming on skin.

Whiteheads appearing on eyelids should not be confused with other types of conditions like the styes. A stye is an abscess or pimple that occurs on the lower or upper eyelid. This pimple is as a result of inflammation, which is due to blocking of the oil duct and bacteria. The body is usually coated with many bacteria (millions of them) and they occur on skin without causing any harm. These friendly bacteria coexist harmless with a person and they do not seem to be harmful.

However, when the conditions for growth are provided, the bacteria overmultiply and become overabundant thereby leading to problems such as pimples. An external stye begins as a pimple that forms next to eyelash but it turns painful and after several days, it bursts and heals. Some external styes can last for longer and they need proper care. People should not confuse whiteheads or comedones with styes.

Distinguish between whiteheads and styes

Comedones occurring on the eyelid may look similar to stye or blepharitis. However, styes cause eye pain, itching, watery eye, and redness. At times, a pink bump may form on the base of the eyelash. Blepharitis is a condition that is chronic and causes redness around the eyes. It is caused mainly by lack of proper hygiene, microscopic lice, and contaminated eye makeup. The whiteheads forming on eyelid are usually not painful unlike the styes and blepharitis.

Treatment for whiteheads

There may be no specific treatment that is designed to do away with whitehead on eyelid. When whiteheads or comedones form on the eyelid or other parts of the eye, you may want to refrain from removing then on your own— consult with a licensed dermatologist to help you.

When you attempt removing by yourself, it may result in scarring or damaging the delicate eyelid. You could even risk causing permanent eye injury. A patient with the whitehead on eyelid may need to wash their face properly and avoid scrubbing the skin as it may worsen the condition or cause irritation. Using practices that help in clearing the oils and debris on skin such as steaming the face could also help in managing the bump.

Whenever you have a bump forming on the face or around the eyes, you may want to seek help of a doctor to determine the cause. Proper hygiene is also needed in order to help reduce the bacteria, remove the oils from the hair follicles and clear the dead skin cells. This way, you may help prevent the chances of getting whiteheads on eyelid.