Options

At first I tried the non-so abrasive routes and I went back and forth for a while.

Banana peels appealed to me (no pun intended) because it was easy to get and seemed quite harmless. I mean how much harm can a banana really do?

I’m lazy and non-committal so to be fair, I didn’t follow the regimen. I was told to place the peel on my eyelids and leave overnight for several nights until it goes away. I didn’t do this, I just repeatedly rubbed the peel on my lids every once in a while at night while watching series. I can report that the xanth got flatter and the effects were temporary after a few days or weeks they went back to puffy and didn’t really dissolve it.

I did go back to this option every once in a while but again, I didn’t put it on overnight and I wasn’t committed to it.

Apple Cider Vinegar was another option but I read that you need to tape it to your eyes for 2 hours at a time and…well I wasn’t committed to it. I think I did that once for maybe half an hour and it burned a bit, it also burned my skin a bit but no real difference in the xanth. Again, looking back it was promising but I figured if I’m going to burn it off I might as well do it with the garlic.

Castor Oil also seemed quite harmless and I tried it on an off for a few days but it seemed to actually make it worse. I slathered it on at night and when I woke up by xanth was more swollen and looked like it got bigger. I tried this option here and there over a period of months, never with good results (although I’ve read that it works for others)

The Garlic option is most popular and most talked about and the testimonials I read were very promising. About 6 months ago I tried it, but got scared and backed out when my lids looked too swollen and raw, I thought I had gotten the worst of it when it started to scab and it was better for a while but it wasn’t gone. Many people freak out after a day or two and stop, this seems to be common first reaction to this type of treatment. Especially since you are not going by any real guidelines as to exactly how it should be done, for how long and what it should look like at each stage. There is no pamphlet and no doctor’s advice.

I saw one blog post and this brave woman went full force. One pic showed an hole in her eye and she still put more garlic in it. I was not willing to go as far as she did but I do not judge as these xanths really take a toll on your self confidence and the knowledge that it will gradually grow and get worse is a really frightening prospect! In the end, her last pic did show that it was gone with a minor scar and she was quite happy with it.

Looking back I realize that I should have kept going, not to the extent of the the blog that I referred to but maybe just another treatment or two.

Which brings us to present day….or at least one week ago today, when I really had enough and bought some garlic, took a deep breath and….here we go.