Red Bumps

[Alyssa1112]

I recently moved to a new town and a few of my neighbors warned me the water wasn't very good. One day i was taking a shower and my arms started burning. I got out and figured it was nothing and ignored it. But over the past week I noticed these red bumps forming on my upper arms. I used lotions and creams and anything i thought could help. It made them disappear for a day or two (I continued using the creams to keep them gone), but it seemed they became immune and cam back worse and started spreading. Think you can give me some advice? I can't keep them hidden under shirts forever.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like irritant contact dermatitis and hives. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.

Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or medications. The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamine which may be necessary for prolonged periods (in excess of 6 weeks). Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms. You may take Vitamin C along with the prescribed treatment. Vitamin C is a general anti-allergy supplement. It helps stabilize mast cells so they are less likely to release histamine.

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.

[Alyssa1112]

And I've seen what Keratosis Pilaris is. I've examined the pictures and my own arms, that is not what i have because mine are not as bad as those. They're smaller and not as red.