If you have or have had xanthelasma, you don’t need to tell me how distressing it can be or how it can affect your confidence, but you can use the same camouflage makeup to hide this that you use to hide scars. Xanthelasma (pronounced Zan-th-las-ma) is a harmless skin condition that can develop above or below the eyes. It looks like slightly raised, yellowish plates of fat directly under the skin, which is exactly what it is. When I first developed xanthelasma over my right eye it was surgically removed at an NHS hospital which only took about five minutes, this operation is no longer NHS funded as it is considered cosmetic. It left me with a small scar which I was more than happy with sadly a couple of years later it came back this time above both eyes. Then I went to a private clinic and paid to have it removed with a laser which went very well but came back the following year. My doctor told me that 40 percent of people who had their xanthelasma removed would return and that this was more likely if they had high cholesterol, which I do.
I couldn’t afford to have it taken away again and I knew it would probably come back so I decided I would have to live with it. I didn’t even think about wearing makeup until I saw a TV show called Shameful Bodies where a girl with the same condition was advised to wear camouflage makeup to hide it. The brand she used was called Dermacolor, there is also another brand called Dermablend that does the same job. it looked great after applying it and you couldn’t see the xanthelasma at all. So I decided to order some Dermacolor and try it myself. You need to know what skin tone you have, so I ordered a small palette online that contained 16 different colors of concealers because I wasn’t sure what color skin tone I needed. It wasn’t expensive, around £16 and one of the shades worked very well. If you know exactly what skin tone you have, you can order a small bottle for around £7 ($11). You will also need setting powder to prevent it from rubbing off. I work in the construction industry and my makeup lasts all day and I sweat a lot.
Anyone who develops xantholasma is advised to see their doctor to have their cholesterol and lipid levels checked. They also told me that it can also run in the family, which is true in my case, since my father had it, I have it, of course, and now my brother has it, but until now he has skipped it to my sister.