What are these weird red bumps on my arms?

Question

I've had them my entire life... and the only thing dermotologists give me is acne cream! That just makes it worse, it's not acne... the skin around them is red and they aren't acne-like at all. Does anyone else have these? Any tips on getting rid of them?

Answer 1

It sounds like keratosis pilaris. The first link below has a picture - see if this is what yours looks like. KP is a very common, completely harmless skin condition. It is found most often on the back of arms and front of legs, but it can also appear on the face, torso, and backside - basically anywhere except the palms and soles. KP is a buildup of keratin (the stuff your hair and nails are made of) in the hair follicles. It disappears in adulthood for some people, but others (like me) are stuck with it forever. You can treat it, but there is no cure. You can use lotions that contain an alpha hydroxy acid (glycolic acid, or lactic acid if your skin is more sensitive) and urea. These lotions aren't easy to find, and you may have to go online. The only one I've found in the local stores is Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Plus Intensive Repair Creme. The alpha hydroxy acids are basically a chemical exfoliant, and the urea helps hold moisture. Chemical exfoliants are better than mechanical (scrubs, loofahs, Buf-Puf, etc.) - scrubbing can make the problem worse.

It takes a little while before you see results, and if you stop using the lotion, the bumps come back. Also, these lotions cause your skin to be more sensitive to the sun, so be sure to wear sunscreen.

Answer 2

My son, two of my best friends and their children ALL get them. The doctors we have seen first said he had mild eczema but also an overgrowth of skin cells. They told us NOT to scrub or exfoliate, however both my girlfriends that have it do exfoliate regularly with good results. My son won't let me, he's very sensitive.

Basically the skin is growing faster than it is sloughing off. It's not because you aren't clean or anything. It's just your skin is a little hyper in production. It makes sense to me to exfoliate 1-2 times a week. Exfoliate, don't sand blast lol.

I have a prescription creme for my son. It is 20% Urea. Also creams that are thick are the best. If you can put it on your hand and hold your hand sideways without it sliding then it's thick enough. Queen Helene makes a cocoa butter creme that's great, Body Butter is great and Aquafor is great.

What I think I'd do is scrub the bumps off, put a nice layer of antibacterial creme on the area for 2-3 days. Then on the third day switch to Eucerin Calming Creme.

Good Luck! Get other doctor's opinions and tell them acne creme doesn't work. Don't let them tell you what it is if you already know that doens't work.

Answer 3

i have them too. It's some weird skin disorder (i don't remember what it's called), it's hereditary and if you have it you have it for life :( you can treat it however. This is what worked for me, use a body wash that contains salicylic acid (I like Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash) and rub hard in circular motions...to exfoliate. Then I use Dove Nutrium Bar which has lots of vitamins to help your skin be softer and smoother. And the last thing I do is moisturize ALOT. It gets worse in the winter cuz it's so dry so you wanna make sure your skin stays nice and moisturized. Do this everyday and don't miss a day or you will pay! I saw results in a few days. Good luck! :)

Answer 4

Not quite sure if I had exactly what you do, but around 2 years ago I started getting these little red bumps on the upper/backside of my arms, and they started increasing slowly. i started washing a little harder in that area in the shower. (did int work), anyway. I ended up getting a Body massage certificate for my birthday. I went to the appointment, and I noticed a day or so later, the red skin and spots were gone! Maybe this would work for you. Its been 2 months since my massage appointment and its hasn't came back. Good Luck. Kelli-pie

Answer 5

Use an exfoliating soap and scruncci scrubber every time you bath, and invest in a very good, high quality "MOISTURIZER" not just moisturizing lotion, and use it after every shower, swim etc; do cooler showers since hot showers, baths & hot tubs dry out our skin which in turn will irritate your condition.

This skin condition won't go away but it shouldn't get any worse. You can live more comfortably with it if you keep your skin exfoliated, and moisturized.

Answer 6

Sounds like dry skin. My sister actually has them all the time on her arms and occasionally on her cheeks. She just layers on the moisturizer. Here is a site that might help.

Answer 7

I used to have those when I was a teenager. They were on my arms too. I started using a wash cloth in the shower and they went away. Never came back either.

Answer 8

Have you tried cortisone cream? It sounds like it may be mild eczema. I would get a second opinion from another doctor, if your doctor knew anything about acne, he wouldn't have said that is what it is.

Answer 9

try a different dermatologist , if I'm right they look like little zits but are actually a dry skin disorder similar to eczema.... try cortisone 10 and some eucerin cream should take care of it

Answer 10

I have them on the backs of my upper arms & my dermatologist told me it is kertosis pilaris (build up of skin cells around tiny hair follicles). I use a lotion w/ lactic acid to exfoliate and get rid of them. My favorite is Lac-Hydrin.

Here are a few articles:
http://www.acneguide.ca/basics/like_acne/keratosis_pilaris.html
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=14288
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris