In the event you’re human, you’ve most definitely handled a bump in your eyelid not less than once in your life (and for those who’re not human, then, like, wow — thanks for being an Allure stan). Eyelid bumps are a component of life, whether or not they appear around your eyes, your lash line, your waterline, or in your actual eyelid. Typically, most eyelid bumps and lumps, like pimples, milia, and styes, are totally harmless and go away on their very own with at-home treatments. However the keyword here is most.

Surprisingly, there’s an entire world of eyelid bumps on the market that, although unusual, can require medical intervention. So before you chalk up your red, swollen eyelid to an easy-breezy stye, ensure that you’re aware of the opposite possibilities and know what to look out for on your personal face. To assist you to out, we chatted with three board-certified dermatologists about what causes a bump in your eyelid, the best way to treat each type, and the best way to prevent them from coming back.

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• Karan LalMD, is a double board-certified pediatric and cosmetic dermatologist in Scottsdale, AZ.
• Arash AkhavanMD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founding father of The Dermatology and Laser Group in Recent York City.
• Adam FriedmanMD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Washington, DC.

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• Stye
• Pimple
• Thousands
• Skin tags
• Warts
• Tumors
• How do you prevent eyelid bumps?

“A stye is a painful bump that happens along the follicles of your eyelash region,” says Arash AkhavanMD, a board-certified dermatologist and founding father of The Dermatology and Laser Group in Recent York City. Styes are, by far, probably the most common sort of bump chances are you’ll get in your eyelids, they usually pop up when “an occluded tear duct gets blocked by dead skin cells, keratin, and oils,” says Adam FriedmanMD, a Washington, DC-based board-certified dermatologist. They will occur to anyone at any time, but they occur most frequently whenever you irritate your eyelids. “I see numerous styes from individuals who wear fake eyelashes, since they will irritate the oil glands and permit bacteria to grow,” says Karan LalMD, a double board-certified pediatric and cosmetic dermatologist in Scottsdale, AZ.

A stye looks like a red, swollen, and painful bump at the bottom of your eyelashes or simply contained in the eyelid. If the stye is large enough, the encircling area could also be swollen and inflamed as well.

Styes typically clear up on their very own inside a couple of days to every week, but when you should speed up their healing time, try warm compresses (i.e., a washcloth soaked in warm water and wrung out) for 10 minutes at a time. “Warm compresses soften and widen the pore to permit the blockage to pass,” says Dr. Friedman. “You can even take anti-inflammatories, like Motrinto assist decrease inflammation and swelling,” says Dr. Lal.

Similar to with a stye (and most eyelid bumps), a pimple is brought on by an oil gland getting blocked by a combination of skin cells, oil, and keratin, creating inflammation throughout the follicle. Pimples can technically occur anywhere in your body, but in the case of your face, they’re more prone to pop up across the cheekbone and eyebrow area, slightly than on the eyelid or lash line itself.

Pimples can appear like, well, pimples—white-tipped bumps, flesh-toned clogged pores, and inflamed cystic pimples. But let’s be clear: “True pimples should not common near the eyes,” says Dr. Akhavan. “Typically, it’s going to be a stye or certainly one of the opposite more traditional eyelid bumps.” (You would possibly need your dermatologist’s help identifying for those who even have a pimple near your eye.)

If the pimple is near your eye area — but indirectly on or around your eyelids — you’ll be able to dab in your usual pimples products, like a mild salicylic-acid spot treatment (we like Murad Deep Relief Pimples Treatment) and/or a medicated pimple patch (like Mighty Patch Micropoint Patches). If the pimple is in your eyelid or lash line, either treat it like a stye with warm compresses or leave it alone and permit it to heal by itself. If it hasn’t gone away inside every week, or it’s grown more inflamed, head to your dermatologist for a correct diagnosis and treatment.

Milia are firm, light-colored bumps that commonly occur across the eyes and cheeks. Milia is created when dead skin cells (keratin) get trapped under the skin and harden, causing a small bump that never involves a head.

Milia tends to appear like whiteheads, which is why they’re so often mistaken for pimples. The major difference? “Milia are never inflamed,” says Dr. Akhavan, meaning they won’t get red like pimples or a stye. “They’re just dome-shaped, non-inflamed bumps full of keratin. There’s no pus or inflammation or bacterial component.”

Sorry, but most milia will should be removed by your dermatologist, who will make a small nick within the skin and push out the hardened keratin lump. Milia seem poppable like a pimple, but they really aren’t. The skin covering milia is thicker, and the bump inside is solid, so attempting to pop milia is like attempting to push a marble through your shirt: pointless. In the event you don’t wish to head to the derm, you’ll be able to try treating small milia with topical retinoids, like adapalene, which can work to slowly resurface the highest layer of your skin and eventually clear the bump.

Skin tags are fleshy overgrowths of skin which can be completely harmless and benign, aka non-cancerous, says Dr. Akhavan. They’re incredibly common in all humans, but they’re especially prevalent in areas of friction, like under your breasts, in your armpits, within the folds of your neck, and around your eyes. “Rubbing and friction is the recipe for skin tags,” says Dr. Lal. Skin tags will be genetic (thanks, mom), but they’re also related to PCOS, obesity, and diabetes — all of which might affect your growth hormones, says Dr. Lal.

“Skin tags are often fleshy growths extending out from slightly fibrous stalk,” says Dr. Lal. They’re often darker than your natural skin color and may appear like a wart or mole, which is why [professional] diagnosis is so essential in the case of treating eye bumps. “It really does take a trained eye,” he says.

To eliminate a skin tag safely, you want to see your dermatologist (please don’t risk your eyesight with an at-home skin-tag remover from the web). If the skin tag is small, your doctor can freeze it off and destroy the cells with liquid nitrogen. If the skin tag is thick and enormous, your derm could numb the realm and snip it off as an alternative. Don’t worry — each options sound intense, but they’re quick and only sting for a couple of seconds max.

Warts are raised bumps that may occur anywhere in your body, including your face and eyelids. “All warts are brought on by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is super common and contagious,” says Dr. Lal. “When you scratch a wart and get it into your nails, you’ll be able to transmit to a different area in your skin.”

Here’s where it’s a bit tricky: Warts are available a ton of various sizes and styles depending on where they’re in your body. They will be flat like a mole, or super-raised like a skin tag. But usually, “warts have a cobblestone appearance that just looks wart-like,” says Dr. Lal.

Because warts can look so just like moles and skin tags (two bumps that ought to never be self-treated, especially near your eyelids), and because they’re also highly contagious, you’ll must see your dermatologist for help. “We typically freeze warts or cut them off,” says Dr. Lal.

A tumor is a mass of abnormal tissue growth that will be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). Yes, “tumor” sounds scary, but even a mole is technically classified as a tumor, so don’t freak. Though the vast majority of tumors and growths in your body find yourself being benign, they still should be evaluated and biopsied by your dermatologist to rule out anything suspicious. That’s why we keep recommending you see a health care provider for any eyelid bumps that aren’t going away.

Anything, really. Tumors can appear like a mole, a fluid-filled cyst, a pimple, milia, or a skin tag. “If you might have a bump that bleeds easily or that’s actively growing, get it checked out since it might be skin cancer,” says Dr. Lal.

Because there are so many differing types of tumors and growths, there’s no single answer for the best way to treat a tumor. But typically, your doctor will take a skin biopsy, which can involve numbing you and shaving off the expansion as a primary — and potentially final! – step.

“The reason for most eyelid bumps — like milia, pimples, and styes — tends to be some form of inflammation or chronic irritation,” says Dr. Akhavan. “The highest of the follicle will get clogged, and the keratin will get blocked in, which also can result in inflammation.” Unsurprisingly, good skin-care habits are the very best prevention against most types of eyelid bumps. “The skin cells are super sticky around your eyes, so that they’re more prone to ball up in the event that they get irritated,” says Dr. Lal.

Each he and Dr. Akhavan advise against using super-thick and heavy products around your eyes (bye, slugging), and to thoroughly remove any makeup and wash your face every night. “In my experience, bumps are mostly caused when people repeatedly don’t wash off products and go to sleep with makeup,” says Dr. Akhavan. So though you’ll be able to’t magically change your genetics or ward off all eyelid bumps for the remaining of your life, you can start double cleansing at night to reduce your probabilities. And remember: In the event you see something, say something — to your dermatologist. Risking your eyesight is rarely well worth the laziness of not making an appointment.