Cholesterol pockets are fatty skin deposits that develop for a number of reasons, the primary cause being high levels of cholesterol in your blood. There are two main types of cholesterol pockets -- xanthomas and xanthelasmas. The type depends on the area of the body where the pockets appear. Treatment is available, but there is no guarantee that the pocket will not return.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited condition resulting in unusually high levels of cholesterol due to an abnormal gene. This gene is responsible for the removal of low-density lipoprotein, LDL, cholesterol from the blood. If one parent has this gene, his children have a 50-percent chance of inheriting the condition, explains the National Human Genome Research Institute. If born with this disorder, you are likewise born with high cholesterol. People who develop high cholesterol over a period of years have no signs or symptoms; the same is not true for those with familial hypercholesterolemia. Two of the primary signs of this condition are xanthomas and xanthelasmas, both of which are cholesterol deposits under the skin.
Xanthomas
Xanthomas pose no danger, but are not cosmetically flattering. They commonly appear on elbows, tendons, knees, buttocks, joints, tendons, hands and feet. Centennial Primary Care describes them as minute, yellow to orange in color with distinct borders and various shapes. You may experience some itching, and they can be tender or slightly painful. The main course of treatment is to address the underlying cause -- high cholesterol. Some procedures, such as surgery, laser or chemical treatment, can remove these deposits, but they may return.
Xanthelasmas
Xanthelasmas, although a form of xanthomas, appear only on your eyelids. DermNet.org describes these pockets as a soft and velvety, and yellow in color. They develop gradually, over the course of a few months, starting as a small bump on either your lower or upper eyelid. Some people may find them on both. Treatment for xanthelasmas mirrors that of xanthomas since the underlying cause is the same.
Significance
Both types of cholesterol pockets play an important role in your health. They alert your doctor to possible high cholesterol levels, but also lend insight to yet a larger problem -- familial hypercholesterolemia. Although treatment for this disorder is similar to treating high cholesterol in a person without it, you do require a more aggressive care plan from the start. While dietary and lifestyle changes are usually the first line of defense, and sometimes the only treatment necessary, you require a combination of cholesterol-lowering drugs, a low-fat diet and increased exercise, explains the National Human Genome Research Institute. Genetic testing is usually a requirement as well. In rare cases children inherit an abnormal gene from both parents; this is known as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. If this is the case, those afflicted who go untreated may experience a heart attack or die before the age of 30. Should you have this rare type, you will likely undergo procedures to clean out the excess LDL from your body, or require a liver transplant. A new liver will help slow the production of cholesterol in your body.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Familial hypercholesterolemia - Symptom; September 2008
- DermNet NZ; What Are Xanthomas?; April 2011
- Centennial Primary Care; Xanthelasma and Xanthoma; September 2010
- National Human Genome Research Institute; Learning About Familial Hypercholesterolemia; March 2011
