Red Bumps on Arms

Hi G.. My daughter has those on her arms, cheeks, and thighs. I've been told that they are plugged up hair follicles (but they aren't ingrown hairs) and that they are aggravated by dry air in the winter. They have a medical name, but it is long and I can never remember it! We added Cod Liver Oil to her diet and have been putting Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Body Creme on them every day. The bumps disappeared within 2 months, though I hear it can take longer. Good luck!

Try Bach Remedy Cream... and I've used for the same thing (well, dryness on my face and hard little bumps on my boyfriends upper arms) and it's amazing!

I have those too--back of the upper arms? I went to a dermatologist and he said they were sweat glands that weren't working. It wasn't anything to worry about and there was nothing they could do about it. My father has it and I'm noticing my daughters both have it too.

Purchase Amlactin cream - available at Walgreens for about $15. It doesn't smell the best, but it is dermatologist recommended and the bumps will go away. My daughter and niece have the same issue and it works like a charm.

I have the same thing, and since I had my daughter, I got them on my upper thighs as well. it is called keratosis pilaris and is caused by keratin blocking the pores. The doctor told me to use the Amlactin cream, but I didn't see any improvement. In my recent research, it looks like they recommend using a cream that has either salicylic acid, lactic acid (which is what the Amlactin has) or urea. I know you can find some of the creams online, but I haven't tried any of them yet. I was going to purchase them soon since the weather is getting nicer and it would be nice to wear short sleeves without having such noticeable bumps! Hope this helps.

Lac-Hydrin lotion. My daughter and I get them and her pediatrician suggested it. Just use it when you get the bumps and it works them off of your arms. I hope that helps!

Hi G.:
My family all used to have them. We called them "Winter Bumps" because, like you said, they seem to come out when your skin is drier. I even took my kids to Primary Childrens dermatology and asked and she said it is something some people get for no apparent reason and she of course gave us the usual RX for a steroid cream to dry them out. I started using this yummy Loofah Body Cleasner/Scrub from Mary Kay instead and they have all cleared up! If interested: www.marykay.com/pjlancaster to order locally! Good luck!!

Hi G., I had those red bumps many years ago. You may have a build up of skin on the hair follicles. I had a naturopathic doctor tell me to do a "dry brush scrub" before bathing. You use a loofa or a stiff body brush, and scrub in a circular motion around the entire area. It wakes up the blood circulation in that area and makes the skin slough off. I use it regularly on the whole body. The skin is the largest organ and this method keeps it healthy and soft.

From S., the Grandmapreneur- KidsClean at KidsClean.biz

Hi G.,
Make sure you are staying well hydrated with good quality bioavailable water - typically a 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight. Next, get a good filtration system for your shower head. Heated chlorinated water is bad for your skin and your lungs. I no longer get the cracked dry skin on my heels like I used to. Also, highly recommend Renew lotion from Melaleuca. I've seen so many miracles with it with people with a variety of skin problems. Look closely at your skin care too. As I was researching for an article on health, I came across the stat that the average person uses 9 personal products a day and that exposes them to 126 chemicals per day (often known cancer causes and immunosuppressants, and more). What is on your skin is in your body in less than 1 minute. Look at your cleaning products too. For more info on improving your health by decreasing environmental toxins, visit www.livinghealthiernow.com for articles and tips.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Take care,
S.

G. B,
Renew intensive skin therapy, cost is less than $20.00 and should last a few months, this product is great for dry skin, exzema, psorisis etc.

I have the same thing on my arms. My doctor commented on them and recommended just using a loofah but no soap on those areas -- the loofah to exfoliate, no soap to keep from overdrying the skin. I have noticed that they aren't as bad when I keep my arms moisturized.

I'd make an appointment with a dermatologist. It may be a type of excema (sp?) but you should see a doctor to find out for sure. I have gone over the years for skin problems -- mostly minor-- and they usually have a cream or simple care advice that clears things right up!

You should try taking a zinc supplement. I have had the same bumps in the past and taking zinc seemed to clear them right up!

Hi G.!

I've been told that the red bumps are indicitive of excess yeast in the body. Cut back (eliminate if possible) on your sugar -- particularly refined sugar(s) and high fructose corn syrup (read labels -- it's in just about everything). In addition, you can take a garlic supplement (not my choice) and/or a coconut oil supplement. Coconut oil contains caprylic acid which will be beneficial. I chose to take a caprylic acid supplement -- Sol-a-ray (?) makes a good one.

Try this and see if you notice improvement. It's CHEAP, not painful (unless you're a sugar head like me :) ) and very effective.

L.

I would try "Gloves In A Bottle" found at Walgreens in the over-the-counter section. You can also google it to find out more information.

I have had these, too, and was beginning to wonder about them. Just wanted to check out what responses you received. Thanks.

I get them too and I hate them. There's a term for it but I can't remember. I get them on my legs too. I got a special cream from my dermatologist that was supposed to take them away... didn't work. So I just use a thick lotion like Eucrin plue soothing essentials. It's think but it drys quick so it doesn't keep you all greasy. Its worse for me when my skin is dry and gets better in the summer with a tan. I'm actually looking forward to reading your other responses to see if someone else has a trick. :) From what I've found out we just have to live with them! Good Luck!

Hi! So, I have had this redness on my arms my whole life as well. Totally right there with ya. The only time they got better was when I lived in Ecuador for a year and a half and I was on the coast the entire time. So yeah, a lot of sun. As soon as I moved back and my "tan" went away, it came back. I don't know what it is. It doesn't hurt or itch like you said. I've noticed that they do better also with a LOT of water intake. I don't have much more advice than that. I just wanted to let you know that I'm right there with ya! I haven't seen a dermatologist about them yet so if you find a fix for it, please let me know! Good luck!

Exfoliate that area with a scrub then put a good lotion on. I like Palmers Cocoa Butter. You can exfoliate a few times a week. This should help on any dry/rough/bumpy areas.

I used to get red bumps on my upper arms like that. For me it turned out that it was my laundry detergent. It took me a while to figure it out since it wasn't a full blown rash. But i had to change my detergent because of my son and shortly there after my bumps went away. I guess it was just enough to irritate my skin. You may want to consider this. Hope they go away, I remember them being quite annoying especially in the summer! Good Luck!

Hi G.,
When you said when you tan it seems less noticable it made me think of psoriasis or eczema. Most of the time these can be diminished or cured by diet. My Sil has psoriasis & had cured it completely by diet, once she went off the diet it returned. Eczema normally comes on from some sort of allergy. And my baby with allergies shows eczema on her skin if she has gotten into one of her allergens.

Have you tried to switch to a allergen (dye & fragrance ) free laundry soap? Also what you are using on your body can be causing a reaction. I recommend Arbonne's ABC baby line, made for the most sensitive of skin. Keeping skin hydrated is a must. Please let me know if you have anymore questions, I hope this helps. G.

I had this all the time too until I had kids for whatever reason. See a dermotologist, but my guess it is dermititis, very common and easily treated. Make sure you stay out of the sun though as that will aggrevate it until you can get it under control. Try finding oatmeal based lotions like Aveno. The dermotologist however can get you really good stuff to dry it up. I know how you are feeling I had it all the time and was embarassed to wear short sleeved shirts. Good luck

Could be Keratosis Pilaris (KP) my sister has this. In some it goes away or gets better with age as was the case with her.

I have heard of a product made for this its called "DERMAdoctor KP Duty". I don't have any personal experience with it but it might be something you want to try

May daughter has the same sort of bumps and our family practioner said that it was foliculitis and that exfoliation would help. They don't bother her and to try and loofa her a bunch doesn't make for a happy bath, so we don't worry about them much. I just try to make sure that my daughter doesn't pick at them just because they are there...

Unfortunately, there is nothing that will get rid of those bumps. I have them also. I do notice that they are a lot less noticeable when I eat a healthy diet. By that I mean lot of fruits and veggies and stay away from the processed food. Nuts are great also. Mine comes and goes. It was worse when I was younger because I was never told anything about diet.

Hi G.,
Sounds like keratosis pilarsis, as several other moms have mentioned. I have them also. I have had success treating them with a combination of 2 things--Jan Marini Resurfacing Body Scrub (contains a high percentage of glycolic acid, a chemical exfoliant, www.janmarini.com) and an ultra-rich moisturizing cream called Urix 40. Use the exfoliator in the shower and follow with the cream daily, results take a few weeks.

I've had those for as long as I can remember. My 20 month old daughter has them as well. My Dr. said to use a lotion such as Eucerin on them and it can help. it's due to dry skin. It is called Keratosis Pilaris. I've just come to live with it as it is a pretty common issue. Good luck.

As others have said it is a skin disorder. 50% of the population have it. We lack an enzyme that helps shed the skin so it builds up and forms these bumps on our skin. It is always worse in winter when it is drier and we don't spend as much time on our skin care regime so it becomes more itchy . Amylactic acid cream was prescribed for my daughter , the problem with it though is that you have to wear long sleeves over the cream as you are more prone to getting sunburnt, and living here in Utah is was not very practical in the summer. What we have found is to use an exfoliating shower creme and loafer works just as well at getting rid of the bumps, and just make sure that you moisturize after. Having 2 out of 3 kids with it and my husband it can be quite time consuming.
I hope this helps.

A dermatologist once told me that they're heriditary. Great. He prescribed a lactic acid cream, and I think that I've heard that alpha hydroxy products can help, too. Contrary to what I thought, he recommended moisturizing soap and no vigorous scrubbing. I do find that lotion helps, but I've given up on making them go away. So hard to resist the temptation to pick!

I have the same thing and researched it on the web. I think it's called keratinosis, basically over-production of skin cells. I keep a loofah sponge (or one of those net "puffs") in the shower and scrub my upper arms every time I shower to help remove excess skin cells that cause the irritation and bumps. It takes a while (several months) to notice a real difference. I just live with it! A little quirk of this particular body...
blessings!
K

G., I "suffer" from these as well. Always have. I asked my dermatologist as a teenager about them, and now I can't remember his answer!! But they are just dryness really. I've found that the more lotion I put on them the better, AND I use a dry skin face wash on them in the shower. I don't know that they'll ever go away, but they are much less noticeable when I've got them creamed up and I'm drinking lots of water.

Good luck!
V.

Shanti said it correct. It is keratosis pilaris. It is extremely common. I found out about it when my first born had little bumps all over his arms and legs, and I asked the Ped about it. He said it's hereditary, and had me check the back of my arms. Both DH and I have it.

I just wanted to mention that they do lessen with age - or at least mine have. I'm 37 now, and hardly have any. Either that or it was a result of moving to a much dryer climate 6 years ago. I do remember being embarrased by them though when I was younger, and that tanning always seemed to help. :)

Hey, this is a good question. I've always wondered too!

I agree with Aunt Deb and Shanti. I have had Keratosis Pilaris for as long as I can remember, and my son has it too. Google it and you can find out some great info on it. We tried the prescribed creams to no avail. So, I opted for the natural route. If you have a health food store or Co-Op you can go to, pick up a bar of natural soap containing Olive and/or Coconut oil. This has really helped our skin. You can use it in conjunction with a "buff puff" type scrub pad, gently though, or just wash your arms with it alone. Good luck, I know the embarrassment it can cause.