There are various types of bumps and swellings that appear on the eyelids.
Some of these can be painful.
Others are merely unattractive and some are hardly noticeable.
Hairs grow from follicles and eyelashes grow the same way.
It is not unusual for a follicle to become infected.
When it does, a red swelling appears on the edge of the lid at the base of the eyelash.
The swelling contains a white head of pus.
This is called a sty.
Styes are extremely painful until they burst.
They will burst within a few days.
At this time the pain subsides and the eyelash is lost.
This usually takes about seven days.
However, it is possible to relieve the pain by making the sty burst early.
When the inflammation first appears, apply hot compresses until the pus draws to a head.
Then simply pull out the eyelash.
This action will release the pus.
Be sure not to squeeze the sty.
Once you have pulled out the eyelash, wash the eyelid carefully to be sure that all traces of pus are removed.
Sometimes styes will recur shortly and more than one will develop on the lid at the same time.
This is due to the fact that the bacteria that caused the first sty spread to infect other follicles.
When this happens you may need to visit your physician for an antibiotic to get rid of the infection.
A chalazion is also a swelling that develops on the edge of the eyelid.
Unlike a sty, the chalazion is painless.
It is due to a blockage of one of the meibomian glands.
These glands are responsible for keeping the margin of the eyelid properly lubricated.
Chalazions usually go away on their own in a month or two.
However it is possible to get rid of them sooner by gently massaging the lid in the direction of the edge.
This helps break up the blockage.
But, sometimes large chalazions, about the size of a pea, appear.
These will not go away naturally but need to be removed surgically.
However, it is not a complicated procedure.
The physician simply applies a local anesthetic and then makes an incision and removes the contents of the chalazion.
A chalazion can become infected.
In this case it will swell and be extremely painful.
When this happens, you need to see your physician as soon as possible.
Again, the treatment will begin with an incision in the eyelid.
But this time the purpose of the incision is to drain off the pus.
Another common lump that sometimes appears on the eyelid is a papilloma.
Papillomas are growths of skin that may appear anywhere on the lid margin or the lid itself.
They range in color from pink to black.
If they are unattractive, a physician can remove them quite easily using a local anesthetic.
However, if they are very tiny and not conspicuous, they do not need to be removed unless one so desires.
Yellow patches of fatty material, xanthelasma, sometimes develop under the outer skin of the eyelids.
These patches can be removed if they are unattractive.
But even if they are removed, they may recur again later on.