Tiny cysts in the under eye area

[melinda]

I am a 34 year old woman and in the last few years I have noticed very tiny cysts or pimples under my eyes in the same area where dark circles are. There are lots of them and none are very big but I notice them .They do not get heads on them or seem to be getting any larger. What are they ? What causes them? And how can I get rid of them?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Melinda:

Most likely they are either cysts or syringomas, little benign growth women tend to get under the eyes.  Sometimes they are hereditrary; other than that the cause is unknown.  They can be cauerized with an electric needle or lasered off.  This is rather easy and quite safe, though new bumps tend to recur.

Best.  

Dr. Rockoff

[Christine]

ive had the same thing for 7 months and have had an array of doctors tell me different things. one says rosecea, one says eczema, one says ectopic dermatitis. one says dont use hydrocortosone cream because it can thin skin and induce steriod acne and the other doctor told me to use it although it will reoccur. ive also heard it can be herpes on the skin. who knows, guess ill keep asking

[Gary]

I had alot of these tiny papules in the same place under the eyes. An eye doctor examined me and diagnosed Blepharitis.
In my case I was also experiencing eye pain, redness and soreness with the eyes feeling gritty and tired most of the time. The treatment given is to hold a hot/warm compress (ie washcloth but I use a bunch of cotton balls) on the area for about 5 to 10 minutes to loosen any oil, reheating the cloth as needed, and then to clean the area with a 'lid scrub'. You must do this at least twice a day and will not see improvement for the first week or so.  These lid scrubs are available from various pharma companies and I use the 'Lid Care' variety from Ciba Vision.  
Anyway, I have been soaking and cleaning this area for about 4 or 5 weeks and the small papules are almost gone and my asociated eye problems are also resolving.  
By the way these problems are very common in people that use contact lenses...although I do not.  My problem is with overactivity of the meibomian glands (oil glands under the eyelids which become plugged and cause the papules) and an overall condition called sebhorrhea which includes dry skin and dandruff.  Try the treatment and I'll bet that you not only loose the papules but also the 'dark circles' beneath the eyes.

Good Luck,
Gary

[danutza]

A related discussion, Red pimples under eyes was started.

[PM33]

A related discussion, Tiny Bumps Under Eyes was started.