Garlic and Castor Oil for Xanthoma Holly G. (Portland, Me) on 02/20/2018
My history: two yellow spots appeared under my eyes in the corners after I had my children, when I was about 29. I asked a dermatologist friend, and he thought it was related to cholesterol ( I do have a heriditary high LDL). One eventually went away, and one hung around, and through the years became more yellow and more raised. Friends started pointing it out. I hadn't done any research on it- my mistake- and I let a dermatologist cauterize the xanthoma- WHICH WAS A BIG MISTAKE. It went away for a couple weeks, but came back and within two months and it was TWICE AS LARGE and now had an ugly white scar in the middle where she had treated it and it had scarred over- Ugh! It wasn't "huge"- maybe a cm across- but was very yellow and I have an olive complexion so it really stood out. A year later I was referred to a plastic surgeon who specialized in removing things in the eye area. She did NOT RECOMMEND SURGERY as she said it would most likely come back and maybe bigger, there would be scarring, she did not think it would be an improvement. I appreciated her honesty greatly, but left feeling very discouraged.
A few more months went by, and another xanthoma started showing on the other eye! I panicked and started googling: I had kind of gotten zen about the first, but the thought of it spreading made me extremely self conscious and paranoid almost. I worked hard at reminding myself daily that I was in good health and so many people are suffering with illness and in the grand scheme of the Universe this wasn't a big deal, but it was bothering me more and more. So glad I came across this website, and to the others who shared their stories!
I used fresh garlic applied directly to the spot for 5-10 minutes a day. It burned more and more as the days went on (the whole process took about 10-12 days), and the skin around it turned purple. At one point it was open and weeping and I panicked if I was really doing some damage- I WASN'T- PRESS ON if you are at this point! It will look really bad and maybe swollen, etc for a few days, but it will go away! I treated the area with castor oil overnight too at this stage, and am still doing that every night.
The Results: The xanthoma is still there, but it is about half the size, not raised, and it is NOT YELLOW which is the huge thing in terms of how much it stands out. I am thrilled! It had been there for 10 years, and I can't believe it has changed this much! I feel like if I had been more aggressive with treating it a little longer, it could have completely disappeared. I may go for round two, but want to take a break of the scabbing and stuff and just want to enjoy the fact my face looks better for a while. I am going to keep using the castor oil and hope it continues to fade, and that no new growth pops up, fingers crossed.
GOOD LUCK to ALL! THERE IS HOPE!
Ruby (Derry, New Hampshire) on 02/16/2018
Cindi (Canada) on 02/05/2018
Kchaos (Louisana) on 08/25/2016
I am in total shock this actually worked! I HAD a small cholesterol lump in the corner of my eye. I picked up fresh garlic yesterday afternoon and cut a small long piece with a pointed end so it wouldn't get into my actual eye ball. First day I did it twice. 10 minutes each. By the next morning I noticed it was smaller. This stuff really does sting though, so you can't be afraid of pain. Then just now, day 2 I just applied it again for another 10 minutes and I pressed down hard enough that I could stand and it just fell off!! Literally just fell off....I've had this thing for over a year.. I'm on cloud nine.. now I don't have to worry about people constantly thinking I have something in my eye..
It didn't swell or anything for me like it did most people.. just red and tender.. like a sunburn. It's worth it. I promise. Just do it. Don't go to the doctor.
Bee (Australia) on 08/13/2016
Sara (Bangalore) on 07/16/2016
I applied garlic capsules oil and also raw garlic for 4 days. my xan became very small but to remove completely I pressed thin slice of garlic over my eyelid and now there is red burn mark and also my eyelid is swollen. Please help me, what should I do to subside swelling . Thanks
Jk (California) on 02/18/2016
Here is what I did. I crushed up a garlic tablet (the hard kind) with just a very tiny amount of water, enough to make a paste. Then I put some of this paste on the xanthomas (ugly things that they are) and after the first day they were more than half gone. With two more days, they were completely gone. I left the paste on for about half a day to let it be absorbed as much as possible.
I think this works better than straight garlic because it doesn't burn like the garlic bulb oil does. I was thinking about using soft gel tablet garlic and that might work also. It just so happened that I had the hard garlic tablets so that was my choice.
I'm simply astounded that this has worked so well. I hope it will work for you also. By the way, I had these above my eyes and below my eyes so there were four of them. The ones above my eyes were like multiple bumps strung together and the ones below my eyes were more "wormy."
Chaku (Nh) on 12/08/2015
Better But With Side Effects
What should I do to heal fast? it does not burn anymore but looks so bad. Need help. Is anyone has this problem? I really need help..Please
Carole (Maryland) on 10/25/2015
Darla (Dallas, Tx) on 08/16/2015
Julie (Mt) on 06/03/2015
A few times one of them has really swollen up from it and looks terrible. Ice has helped that.
What happens is the gunk seems to come up to the surface of the skin and I scrap it with my nails and it pops out. It has been scabbing up where it pops out. It looked terrible for weeks but now it is healed up and looking 90% better.
I had a large one, probably and inch long under my left eye and a large one above and then small ones above and under my right eye. They aren't all gone yet, but I am sticking to it until I can get them gone!
So, just massage a generous amount on them 2x a day.
Atiya (Jammu and Kashmir) on 04/14/2015
Shelli (Silicon Valley, Ca) on 11/14/2014
At first I tried crushing the garlic like I read in a previous post on this site. Because my xan was on my upper lid the garlic oil was running in my eye, so I had to come up with a different method of applying it. Here is what I did and my results - I took an unpeeled clove of garlic and sliced one end off. I made little slices in the exposed end of the garlic to get the juices flowing. Then I held the exposed end of the garlic on my xan for 10 minutes. Yes it burned, but I did not find it intolerable. When I was done I cut the end that was pressed to my skin off of the garlic and put the remaining part of the garlic in a small container and put it in the refrigerator. I used this same clove of garlic for my follow up applications. Again making small slices to get the juices going. I liked this method because I was not getting garlic all over my fingers as I applied it to my xan. You can do several applications a day. I only did one. After my daily application I let the garlic juices sit on my skin for a little while, then I rinsed it off my eye. I did not put anything on it. I wanted it to dry out as quickly as possible. The next morning my xan was extremely swollen. I put some coconut oil on my eye to take away some of the redness. I repeated this process for 3 nights until my skin was really dry and scabbing. Then I stopped applying the garlic and let the scab continue to dry and flake off. I did use coconut oil to moisturize it each night. I think that helped the dry skin to come of quicker. After about a week all the skin had flaked off and the xan was considerably smaller. So I repeated the process. I have repeated this process three times and my xan is so small now. I am going to do it again and I think this should be my last time. Note that when you repeat the process you may not need to do it for 3 nights. After the first time, I only needed to apply the garlic for 1 night.
I do like what I read about the Castor Oil and what it does for your eyelashes. So I am going to start applying it all around my eyes before I go to bed. I hope this will restore my, once lush, eyelashes and maybe it will prevent my xan from coming back. Good luck.
Mimi (London, Uk) on 10/14/2014
One is the castor oil that I have been trying for the last 3 weeks. Although slow acting, this has made a difference. First the awful matte white yellowish colour (resembling uncooked chicken fat) started changing and looking more like the colour of my skin. This made the spots less obvious and easier to camouflage with make up (previously this was impossible, in fact, I felt make up made them more obvious). The spots also seem to have regressed slowly in size. Because there is slow but progressive change, I am persisting and will be posting news as time goes by.
Another suggestion I had read about was using lemon rind, and this seems similar but less drastic than the garlic treatment. Soak small pieces of lemon skin in vinegar 3 days and nights. Then put small piece (white side of the lemon on skin) to cover the spot with tape for 3-4 consecutive nights. The outer area of the spot should change to deeper yellow which indicates that it has matured and ready to be pressed out with finger tips.
I have no idea if this works, but thought that if the castor oil did not work and have them completely disappear after a few months, I would try the lemon rind technique.
If anybody tries this, please post your results.
Maryann (Florida, US) on 08/02/2014
Karen (Whitehorse, Yukon) on 07/09/2014
I have had these ugly yellow things for years (not from high cholesterol) and the only option where I live is to have them surgically removed. I thought I would try the castor oil first and if it didn't work, then I would try the garlic. I am so excited to tell you that the castor oil is working it's magic. I've been generously applying it twice a day for 5 days and at the rate that they are disappearing, I think it will be gone within 10 days.
The best part - there is no burning or any pain involved and it's good for your skin. WIN WIN!!!
Mandy (Wollongong Nsw) on 06/03/2014
Better But With Side Effects
Suzy (Fort Wayne In) on 01/19/2014
Melissa D. (Berlin, Wi) on 01/17/2014
Lisa (Dallas, Tx) on 05/18/2013
Last night, before I saw this forum, I had an idea to use apple cider vinegar. I didn't know what it was and thought it might be calcium. Vinegar disolves calcium. I mixed 1/2 a cap of the vinegar with 1/2 a cap of water. Then I mixed in some corn starch, to thicken it. I put it on the spot under my eye. It stung and made my eyes water. I left it on for 15 minutes. The spot was a bit smaller and the bags under my eye were not as puffy. So, I think I will keep doing that until I can do the full garlic treatment.
Thank you all for telling us about your experiences. It is very nice to know that I can make this ugly thing go away.
I also had an idea. Maybe taking garlic oil caps can keep them from coming back, as it lowers cholesterol.
I will post again after I have tried that garlic.
Good luck to everyone! This is life changing.
