white bumps on arms/chest/legs spreading

[McKade]

well i have white bumps on the high part of my arm that are spreading lower and lower even on my chest and on my legs and even on my neck and under chin too now and i've been to doctors and they said it was keratin thats not escaping from under the skin and they gave me some cream to treat it after about 2 or 3 days of using it i broke out in hives and a rash so i stopped using it and am very confused why its spreading and if you try to pop them white stuff  could( be keratin) that looks like what comes out of pimples comes out and i dont know what keratin looks like so i dont know if it is or not and the bumps are also a little red like pink actually.its like emberassing to go swimming or do something where you have no shirt so all the bumps are showing exept on my legs but its still embarrasing. and want answers on how to get rid of them


This discussion is related to Arm Bumps.

[lillymax]

sorry i missed a few things .Sulfer my daughter is allergic so she is to the water .common .In cal unless you are used to it i guess,. never heard of such a thing ,Just in two times her face is smooth as can be ,plus she washes her face at sink after shower with purified water.anyway i hope it works for everyone .Also st ives makes it worse atleast for my daughter.I

[lillymax]

my daughter has the same bumbs babys have .She had them on her a arms her legs her face.I took her to my tanning place and they have a Aesthetician working there i asked her about them ,they were so bad on her face .She is 12 almost thirteen.She would put makeup on them to cover them.Anyway i asked her if this would help her she said yes.So i took her in a week and half ago what a difference the first night all she did was a peel on her and gave her this face wash ,to use after a week or so see how peel works.She said cause she is so young to not do peals more than once or twice a month,well it is almost gone .I took her back today and what a difference ,Like night and day.She is allergic to sulfer and its in our water in cal crazy never would of thought.i pay 25 each time once a month for healthy skin she said one more treatment will clear her up.instead of spending all that money on lotions and such just try it.well worth it.

[lillymax]

my daughter has the same bumbs babys have .She had them on her a arms her legs her face.I took her to my tanning place and they have a Aesthetician working there i asked her about them ,they were so bad on her face .She is 12 almost thirteen.She would put makeup on them to cover them.Anyway i asked her if this would help her she said yes.So i took her in a week and half ago what a difference the first night all she did was a peel on her and gave her this face wash ,to use after a week or so see how peel works.She said cause she is so young to not do peals more than once or twice a month,well it is almost gone .I took her back today and what a difference ,Like night and day.She is allergic to sulfer and its in our water in cal crazy never would of thought.i pay 25 each time once a month for healthy skin she said one more treatment will clear her up.instead of spending all that money on lotions and such just try it.well worth it.

[evelle]

I have a 9 year old daughter that seems to have this problem, which has occurred within the last couple of weeks.  It is common for children to develop this, or might it be something else?

[wispedwillow]

Hi there,

I have had KP since I was about 20 (i recently turned 27).  It started out as small bumps on the backs of my arms and has since spread to my lower arms, thighs and lower leg, a few on my abdomon, most recently my upper back and worst of all (& what really upsets me) across my chest, up my neck and on my face.  

You mentioned that KP appears to be most active during winter due to low humidity.  I beg to differ.  I live in Queensland, Australia where high humidity is the norm most of the year round and I find that this is when my KP plays up the most.

The thing that upsets me the most is that the KP on my face combined with the humidity creates the perfect enviroments for the lumps to grow into pimples.  I have tried to treat this with scrubs, salicylic acid facewash, aha facewash, aha resurfacing cream and various other acne treatments and moisturisers, but they have either done nothing or been to harsh (to the point of burning the top layer of skin off in one case & only to have the condition return).

The only treatment that seemed to help was Roaccutane.  I've had two courses now and between the period of a year or two the condition returned.  Since Roaccutane is highly potent with the potential of heavy side effects (& in my experience short term benefit) this is not a treatment that I wish to repeat.

If there are any other treatment options out there please don't hesitate to post them.  Otherwise I hope that the above case study aids in your knowledge of the condition KP.

Thanks, wispedwillow

[So_Cal]

hi doc, I just realized i have the same thing keratosis pilaris mine started in early 20's out of no where on arms and sometimes thighs iam 26 now, I havent knownuntil nowi found it was a skind disease which pisses me off, my skin is tan so its not really noticable only to touch i was wondering if you knew things that irratate it cause sometimes it gets really itchy and i noticed that if i put neosporin on it before i go to bed it makes them go down... I also noticed that they go down when i wake up any info would be killer thanks you roc doc

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Those little white bumps are actually very common & the result of clogged pores in the hair follicles. Common spots include arms, buttocks & the backs of legs.It is called keratosis pilaris.
Keratosis pilaris (KP, also follicular keratosis) is a very common genetic follicular condition that is manifested by the appearance of rough bumps on the skin and hence colloquially referred to as "chicken skin" as well as "meat bumps".
Keratosis pilaris occurs as excess keratin, a natural protein in the skin, accumulates within the hair follicles forming hard plugs (process known as hyperkeratinization).
They occur in the winters mainly because of the low humidity in the air.
Bearing only cosmetic consequence, the condition most often appears as a proliferation of tiny hard bumps that are seldom sore or itchy.
There is currently no known cure for keratosis pilaris. The condition often improves with age and can even disappear completely in adulthood.
Regardless, exfoliation, intensive moisturizing cremes, lac-hydrin, Retin A and medicated lotions containing alpha hydroxy acids or urea may be used to temporarily improve the appearance and texture of affected skin. Also, beta hydroxy acids can help improve the appearance and texture of the afflicted skin.
ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris