A stye looks like a small, red, pimple-like bump on the edge of your eyelid, usually right along the lash line. It’s tender to the touch, and the surrounding skin is often swollen and puffy. As it develops, you may notice a small yellowish or whitish point at its center, similar to a whitehead. Most styes resolve on their own within one to two weeks.
What a Stye Looks Like Up Close
The hallmark of a stye is a localized, raised bump on the eyelid margin. It typically starts as a red, slightly swollen area that feels sore when you blink or press on it. Within a day or two, the bump becomes more defined. An external stye, the most common type, develops a small yellowish pustule at the base of an eyelash, surrounded by redness, firmness, and puffy skin that can spread across part of the lid.
The bump itself is usually small, roughly the size of a pea or smaller, though the swelling around it can make a larger portion of your eyelid look puffy. In some cases the entire lid swells enough to partially droop. Your eye may water more than usual, and the skin around the bump often feels warm.
External vs. Internal Styes
External styes form on the outer surface of the eyelid, right where your lashes grow. They’re the easier type to spot because the bump and its yellowish head are visible when you look in a mirror. When they drain, the pus comes out along the lash line.
Internal styes form on the inner surface of the lid, closer to the eyeball. You might not see a visible bump on the outside at all. Instead, the eyelid looks red and swollen, and flipping the lid reveals a red, raised area on the inner lining. Internal styes tend to feel deeper, and when they drain, the material releases onto the inner conjunctival surface rather than the outside of the lid. They can be harder to distinguish from other eyelid conditions because there’s no obvious “pimple” visible from the outside.
How a Stye Changes Over Time
In the first day or so, a stye often looks like nothing more than a tender red spot. It’s easy to mistake it for general irritation. Over the next two to three days, the bump firms up and becomes more prominent. A yellowish or white point, sometimes called the “head,” forms at the surface. This is the collection of pus working its way toward the skin.
Most styes come to a head and drain on their own within about a week, though the full process from start to finish can take up to two weeks. After draining, the swelling and redness gradually fade. Applying a warm compress for 10 to 15 minutes several times a day can speed this along by encouraging the blocked gland to open. Squeezing or popping the bump yourself risks pushing the infection deeper into the lid tissue.
Stye vs. Chalazion
Styes and chalazions look similar early on. Both start with redness, swelling, and a bump on the eyelid. The difference becomes clear over time. A stye stays painful and sits right at the eyelid margin near your lashes. A chalazion, by contrast, migrates toward the center of the lid, becomes a firm, round nodule, and stops hurting. Chalazions can linger for weeks or months because they’re caused by a blocked oil gland without active infection, rather than the bacterial infection that drives a stye.
If your bump started out sore but has gradually become painless and hard, and it’s sitting in the middle of the lid rather than at the lash line, it has likely transitioned into a chalazion.
Signs That Something More Serious Is Happening
A typical stye stays small and contained. Certain changes signal that the infection may be spreading beyond the eyelid surface. Watch for redness and swelling that extends well beyond the bump to cover most of the eyelid or the skin around the eye socket. Fever alongside eyelid swelling is another red flag.
More concerning signs include pain when moving the eye, changes in vision, or the eye itself appearing to bulge forward. These can indicate that infection has moved into the deeper tissues around the eye, a condition that requires prompt medical treatment. Pus or blood leaking from the bump without the swelling improving, or a stye that hasn’t shown any signs of getting better after two weeks, also warrants a visit to a healthcare provider.
Why Styes Form
Styes develop when an oil gland or hair follicle along the eyelid becomes blocked and then infected, almost always by bacteria that normally live on the skin. External styes involve the tiny glands attached to your eyelash follicles. Internal styes involve the larger oil-producing glands embedded deeper in the lid.
Touching your eyes with unwashed hands, sleeping in eye makeup, or using old cosmetics increases the risk. People who have chronic eyelid inflammation, oily skin, or conditions like rosacea tend to get styes more frequently. Styes are not contagious in casual contact, but the bacteria that cause them can transfer if you share towels or pillowcases with someone who has one.