Several skin questions

I have a few skin related issues. I have a finger nail that isn't shiny like the rest and is kind of brittle.

A weird flesh colored bump, sort of like a pimple but not, on my arm and back of my neck that have been there for years.

A pimple which pops but stays and pops again and has been there since i was in puberty.

Two weird spots, almost like two tiny blisters, on my calf that have been there since i was a teen.

And extremely dry skin especially in the scrotum area and inner thighs, it has gotten worse and the skin is becoming discolored, almost like a rash, but has been there a long time.

If you have any advice on any of those please comment!

[zelstar]

Oh and also there is a problem with my less than adequate health insurance right now so I don't know how long it will be before I can go to an actual doctor, which is why I am trying to get some of the problems solved in the mean time.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For the finger nail, the possibility of fungal nail infection or psoriasis needs to be ruled out. This flesh like bump can be a small cyst, benign skin growth or a genital wart. Warts are tumours or growths of the skin caused by infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV).They are contagious when in contact with the skin of an infected person.
The pimple that pops sounds like a sebaceous cyst. A sebaceous cyst is a closed sac occurring just under the skin which contains a "pasty" or "cheesy" looking substance called keratin. Blocked sebaceous glands, swollen hair follicles and excessive testosterone production will cause such cysts. The scrotal symptoms can be due to erythrasma skin. Erythrasma is a chronic superficial infection of the intertriginous areas of the skin. The typical appearance is well-demarcated, brown-red macular patches. The skin has a wrinkled appearance with fine scales.

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 dermatologist. Treatment can be started only when the diagnosis is confirmed. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.