Cholesterol spots sometimes appear when your cholesterol levels are too high, though they aren't typical for everyone with high cholesterol. In most cases, high cholesterol has no signs or symptoms. These spots indicate a genetic condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia. This condition is serious and usually requires more aggressive cholesterol-lowering treatment for those who have it.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia is inherited and causes high levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, from the moment you are born. It increases your risk of early heart attack; men may experience this in their early 40s or 50s, while it is more common in women 10 years later than men. If only one of your parents has this condition, your risk of developing it is 50 percent. If both parents have it, you will have a more severe form, with heart attack and death usually occurring before you are 30, explains the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Cholesterol Spots
If you have familial hypercholesterolemia, your risk factors of high cholesterol do not differ much from those who do not. These include a family history of high cholesterol and a family history of heart attack. What sets you apart are your symptoms, something others don't generally experience. These are the cholesterol spots, also known as xanthomas and xanthelasmas. They are skin lesions resulting from the fatty deposits of high levels of cholesterol in your blood.
Xanthomas
A xanthoma can appear anywhere on your body, but are most commonly seen on your elbows, buttocks, tendons, hands, joints, feet and knees. They vary in size -- some are extremely small, while others can reach more than 3 inches in diameter, according to University of Maryland Medical Center. They are usually soft and yellow, starting out as a small bump and growing larger, sometimes forming larger masses.
Xanthelasmas
Xanthelasmas are a form of xanthomas, but these appear on or around your eyelids. As with xanthomas, xanthelasmas are yellow to orange in color. They may be tender and itchy, sometimes painful. For some, they are firm and painless.
Treatment
Treatment begins with lowering your cholesterol through dietary and lifestyle changes, along with cholesterol-lowering medications. Your doctor can also use surgery or laser and chemical treatments to remove the spots, but there is no guarantee they will not return. The better control you have over your disorder, the less likely recurrence is, states St. Lucie Medical Center.
