Xanthomas tends to appear on the eyelid and Eruptive Xanthomas appears on any part of the body. The main difference between the two is that Xanthomas does not really need treating, but Eruptive Xanthomas does.

Eruptive Xanthomas is a sign that the body has a high blood fat level and it needs to be treated with prescription medicines and dietary fat restrictions. People generally want to eliminate eyelid Xanthomas because they do not like the look of it. Neither Xanthomas nor Eruptive Xanthomas are contagious so it is impossible to pass it on, and the cause of Xanthomas is unknown. There are other forms of Xanthomas too, but usually Xanthomas on the eyelids is most common and it can occur on both the upper or lower eyelids and sometimes both depending upon the severity of the condition. Eruptive Xanthomas looks slightly different to eyelid Xanthomas in the fact that the bumps are slightly more raised and they mainly look red in colour. So, if you have Xanthomas on the eyelids it does not need treatment, but Eruptive Xanthomas does.