Pimples on arms?

[Nani17]

Hi,

For the last couple of months, I've noticed pimple-like bumps appearing on my arms.  At the start, they were tiny bumps on the outer sides of my upper arms.  After looking into it, I thought it may have been what they call Keratosis Pilaris, which is excess keratin being left over under the skin and it being released through hair follicles (it occasionally resulted in an in-grown hair).

They weren't itchy or sore, just annoying and quite off putting.  They aggravated during the summer, which I believed was caused by sweating.  Recently, these 'little' bumps have vanished entirely from my upper arms.  However, lately I've been getting what look like pimples on my forearm, more seriously in line with my elbow on the tops of my arm (the join where my forearm connects to my upperarm). they often appear individually, or in some cases two's and three's.  I pick them always (I know, I shouldn't) and they result in a very red scars that take weeks, sometimes months to heal.  These occasionally have hair growing out of them.  I'll just add, I'm a 17 year old male, and I have type one diabetes.

I'm just concerned whether this is caused by my diabetes, or if it's another condition I've developed.

All help/advice is appreciated,
Thanks. :)

[Nani17]

Thanks very much for your response.  I use an exfoliating scrub called St. Ives. It seems to have taken the redness and oily feeling away from my arm, particularly around my elbow joint which is a positive sign.  

I'll be visiting my doctor soon, and I'll be sure to ask if they can direct me to a dermatologist, or perhaps prescribe me with some medication.  I'll be sure to let you know the outcome.

Thanks again.  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Your symptoms are not suggestive of keratosis pilaris. It sounds like folliculitis. Folliculitis is the inflammation of one or more hair follicles. Folliculitis starts when hair follicles are damaged by friction from clothing or blockage of the follicle. In most cases of folliculitis, the damaged follicles are then infected with the bacteria Staphylococcus (staph).

Keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment are also useful. In case the symptoms persist then oral antibiotics may be needed. Please consult a dermatologist in that case.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.