Bumps on Arms

[lovinglife117]

I am a 30 year old female.  I have bumps covering my upper arms.  Some are flesh colored and some have a pink tone to them.  My upper arms have an overall pink, rashy look to them, but I believe this is more of an exfoliation issue than an acne or rash issue.  I have had this condition for as long as I can remember, and my brother's arms look the same as mine.  
Inside most of the bumps is a hair that cannot push through the skin.  If I scratch or squeeze the bump, I can usually get a hair out with a blackhead type mass around it.  There is no pus, just a solid off-white mass around the hair.  
My arms seem to smooth out in the summer when I get a tan from natural sunlight.  I have tanned in the tanning bed in the past to see if that would correct the problem, but it did not.  (I don't tan anymore... I know about the dangers and bumps aren't as bad as cancer)  But natural sun definitely seems to help the problem.  
Any help would be greatly appreciated- I've dealt with this problem since puberty (at least) and I truly hate it.

[lovinglife117]

Do you have a recommendation for a type of lotion to use?
I'm sure something mild and unscented would be the best, but any more help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

This could be keratosis pilaris, a very common condition in which there are numerous rough follicular spots, which may be skin coloured, red or brown on the outer aspect of the upper arms. It is most prevalent during the teenage years and persist into adult life. It has a tendency to be more severe during the winter months or other times of low humidity when skin dries out. This is genetic in origin and no cure is available. Moisturizing helps and others choose laser treatment to reduce the redness.

Take care and regards.