Upper Arm Bumps

[Lanie2444]

My daughter has had tiny bumps on the back of her upper arms since she was very young - she is now 13.  She would love to have smooth arms; we even asked her allergy doctor and he said it was dry skin.  Do you know what these bumps are caused from?  I believe they are pretty common, as I've seen other people with them fairly often.  Please help!

[cheneyxsilencer]

ok it most likely is 100% normal but i know how girls are i have 5 sisters no one wants that and deff not at that age i would say just take her to a dermatologist because its not an allergy problem so i guess its the matter of the right doctor to see
hope i helped

[Rowena Santos, MD]

Hi,

Aside from dry skin, this could also be Keratosis pilaris, a very common genetic skin condition that presents with rough bumps on the skin and can be found on the back and outer sides of the upper arms or any body part except the palms or soles of feet.  It occurs when the human body produces excess keratin that surrounds and entraps the hair follicles in the pore. This causes the formation of hard plugs. It often improves with age and can even disappear completely in adulthood, though some will show signs of keratosis pilaris for life. Have this evaluated further for proper management.

Take care and keep us posted.

[Jewels5246436]

I had this same problem a couple years earlier (at about 12 yrs old) and have asked my doctor about it before. My doctor told me those bumps are made of dead skin. He recommended that I use some sort of scrub (I used a Bamboo Scrub for in the shower) and that I use this thick type of lotion called Eucerin Plus. I also used some sandy, watery stuff called Awaken, Sea Salt Scrub that I rubbed all over my arms every once in a while. I noticed that my bumps went away pretty quickly. All this stuff does is get rid of the dead skin and doesn't damage any of the healthy skin.