Bumps on Arms?

When I was younger, I had those on the back of my elbows and for some reason, on my neck. The ones on my elbows eventually stopped popping up and then went away after a few years. I went to a dermatologist about the ones on my neck though, and they had to remove those. They never came back. So you should probably see a doctor about it but it might be nothing. They COULD go away. Just a little bit of hope. =)

Dear S.,

My 26 year old daughter has had the same thing most of her life. I hope someone out there knows what it is. I would
love to know. Good luck.

C.

My daughter has little bumps on her legs and some days they are better than others. My ped. told me to use a gentle soap in the bath...like Dove or something. She said not to even use the baby stuff because there's lots of unnecessary stuff in there. So, I use the soap with a washcloth and try to clean the bumps really good and then after her bath, and/or every night before bed I put a little Eucerine lotion on her legs and if I'm consistent in doing this the bumps seem to get smaller and even go away. You're right though, it doesn't bother her, but it bothers me. Hope this helps!

I took my kids to the doctor and they were both diagnosed with Keratosis Pilaris. I did the research and this is what it comes down to:
Keratosis pilaris (commonly called KP) appears as "chicken skin bumps" on the skin. These bumps usually appear on the upper arms and thighs. They also can appear on the cheeks, back and buttocks. Keratosis pilaris, while unattractive, is harmless.
What Are the Symptoms of Keratosis Pilaris?
This disorder appears as small, rough bumps. The bumps are usually white or red, but do not itch or hurt. Keratosis pilaris is usually worse during the winter months or other times of low humidity when skin becomes dry. It also may worsen during pregnancy or after childbirth.
How Is Keratosis Pilaris Treated?
Although the condition may remain for years, it gradually disappears before age 30 in most cases. Treatment of keratosis pilaris is not medically necessary; but, individuals with this condition may want to seek treatment for cosmetic reasons.
The initial treatment of keratosis pilaris should be intensive moisturizing. A cream such as Acid Mantle, Vaseline or Complex 15 can be applied after bathing, and then re-applied several times a day. Other treatments may include:
• Medicated creams containing urea (Carmol-20) or alpha-hydroxy acids (Aqua Glycolic, Lacticare) applied twice daily
• Efforts to unplug pores by taking long, hot soaking tub baths and then rubbing the areas with a coarse washcloth or stiff brush
Please understand that I am not a doctor or in the medical profession, I am only telling you what I found when I took both my kids in for the bumps issue....

Hi S.,,,
if they bother You so much take her to the Dr he'll tell you whaT THEY ARE AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM
(sry caps)
good luck L.

You need to go to the Dr. My daughter had bumps that spread and it is contagious. They will give you a medicine for her.

Hi S., First and foremost, I am NOT a doctor, nurse or anything of the sort! So, this is only my opinion, not necessarily from experience, just based on info I have from my prior health and wellness company. Many of the products that we use (lotions, bath soap, etc..) have lanolin in them. Lanolin is simply 'sheep oil' from sheep's wool. It can cause tiny bumps on your body, but especially your upper arms. So, maybe you could try switching out her soaps and lotions and see if that helps.

More than likely keratosis pilaris. I have this, and it is a pain. Keep it moisturized with am-lactin(cvs). They will never go away, but can be controlled! Good luck!

My son has these too. Our pedi dermatologist said it is feliculitis (sp?), which is irritated hair folicles. He prescribes us a steroid cream which helps. Also Aquaphor helps a bit too, just not as well as the prescription. I'd go see a dermatologist and they can definitely give you something to help. We see Dr. Nigro. He is WONDERFUL and has a location in Sugar Land and Houston. Good luck!

Have you talked to your Pedi? It sounds like Eczema, which my daughter has had since she was about 1. It can become dry and irritable....Our pedi told us to bathe sparingly (once or twice a week) and use LOTS and LOTS of lotion with no perfumes. We use Lotrimin. Our DH's is a symptom of asthma, so when we do really well with her asthma treatments, they go away. Good luck!!

I have this--Keratosis Pilaris. I use a buff puff with a pumice scrub and then I apply prescription medicated lotion to the backs of my arms. Your doctor can prescribe the lotion. I have found that although it gets better, I will have this condition forever. It's not a health problem just unsightly--esp if the kids "pick" at the bumps. Good luck!

There are many things that can cause this, but the best thing for you to do is take her to the Dr. let him see it and then you can go from there. Better safe than sorry. Good luck

Most likely, it is keratosis pilaris, or KP, for short. KP is a skin disorder, theorized to be genetic. It is harmless, but somewhat annoying to those who have it (myself included). It results from the buildup of keratin and basicially the skin cells are not able to turn over like "normal" skin cells should. When your skin is dry, the condition worsens.

In my experience, moisturizers containing lactic or glycolic acid do help. But you have to stay on top of it. There are several products that are available over the counter. Am-Lactin in a good one. Your dermatologist can also prescribe creams with a higher concentration of these ingredients. I have also tried KP Duty, which you can buy at Sephora, and liked the results.

For more information on KP, the Mayo Clinic has a pretty good overview: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/keratosis-pilaris/DS0076...

This is just my opionion on what I think it sounds like, based on your description. Remember to do your own FACT-finding research, consult your physician, and decide for yourself what the best course of action is.

It is prob just KP, Keratosis Pilaris. Nothing harmful or hurtful at all. Your Pediatrician or a Dermatologist could make suggestions on what to use topically to help. Good Luck!!

Good Morning S.,

My son and I both had the same sounding bumps on the back of our arms as well as on the back of our thighs. I use a lavender essential oil lotion. Since using the lotion we no longer have the bumps. Let me know if you have any questions on where to get the lotion.

Are they white? I just noticed a line of white, not pimple, not apparently bug bites, bumps along the jaw line of my 8 year old son. Not warts, not itchy. Will be looking at responses to your query.

I got the same bumps on the back of my arms during my first pregnancy and now my daughter almost 3, has them too on her arms. I went to the dermatologist and he told me to use AmLactin. I find it at WalGreens. It's a little expensive, $24.00 for a large bottle, but it works great. My arms are totally smooth. It burns a tiny bit though because it has lactic acid in it which gets rid of the bumps. I tried it on my daughter and she did not like it. I am going to try putting it on her in her sleep. Her bumps affect only her arms as well.

Both my kids have them and so does daddy. Our Ped calls them chicken skin - it's not harmful just annoying. He recommended using a lufa (sorry, can't spell for squat) or a buff puff (they're pink)when they bathe. Never helped either of my children, but they never were good at using it consistantly. They're 17 and 14 now. Sorry......but I do recommend you asking your doctor!!

My son started at the age of 8 months (he's now 11 yo. My doctor just recommended moisterizing lotion but did not help and since my husband has it too I just gave up. My son and husband have these bumps all over their chests and arms and their skin feels so rough. My aunt who is a doctor in Mexico told me that their problem was a lack of vitamins, especially vitamin E but, I just let it be - now that my son is older, he's becoming more concious of it and wants to solve the problem. All the information I've been reading in regards to your question has been very helpful so I am going to try the cream that was recommended for KP and vitamins. Thanks S..
(sorry I was not of any help but the other way around :D )

It could be eczema in which case you can use Aqaphor or cetaphil lotions/creams. Or it could be a rash like with my son and I have. I can't remember the name of it but it is mostly on the upper part of our thighs and upper arms. It doesn't hurt or itch just looks funny when we get hot or cold. They look like little goose bumps. Nothing to be alarmed about. the dr. did at one time give me some meds for it but basically what happened was the first layer or two of skin would come off(not as bad as that statement seems)...hince reducing the bumps. I could not go out in the sun with the medicine on b/c I could burn easy with it on...I guess it was a steriod. Hope that helps. I will check to see what the bumps are called and let you know if that is the same as what your daughter has.

Sounds like skin bumps, some people are just more prone to them than others. Avon has a new product out for just that purpose, i haven't used it so i don't know how well it works. but if you can find a rep near you by looking up avon in the white pages. the item # is 336-560 and it is called Moisture Therapy skin bump minimizer. it regularly sells for 7.99, but was in this weeks book for 3.99 for a 6.7 oz. tube. good luck!

My daughter has them also. I don't know what they are-but I noticed that if I keep her well moisturized they aren't as bad

It might be a light form of eczema. My 3yr old has it and it's basically just on the back of his arms, but he has had flare ups in other places before. Try Eucerine lotion on it, you can buy it at the grocery store and just keep the skin moist with the eucerine. If it's really bad your doctor can prescribe a steroid based lotion that you apply once a day, but if its not red I would suggest just Eucerine. Hope this helps!

no advice here but my daughter has the same in the same place so if you dont mind if you get any responces please let me know also thank you A.

Hi S.,
My son is almost 3 also. He has little bumps on the back of his arms too. They have no color and you cant really see them. Just feel them. Our doc said it was eczema. She said just to keep his skin well moisturized. (lotion) She says its from allergies. Dont know if this is what your daughter has. But maybe this will help.
Good luck.
J.

Hi,
I hope that your daughter doesn't have what my daughter had, and eventually all my kids had but it sounds like it could be it. It's called molluscum, they are little dots that just won't go away and just get worse. They start off just kind of normal skin color but they get red before finally going away. My daughters started as ONE on her wrist, I showed the doctor, said don't worry about it. And that took us on a 2 yr journey of Molluscum....LOL She and my sons eventually got hundreds of these little bumps (not at all the same time)...thank goodness it never got to their face. I'm sure it was spread to each other by us bathing them together before we knew...but it was spread to my niece just by normal interaction (assuming she got it from my kids) It mainly stayed on their torso but the worst was on their arms and on their ribs under their arms. THis is contagious to the touch so when their under arms would rub on their rib cage skin, it would make more. We'd get some gone but there was always more. We went to see the dermatologist and she gave us some cream to put on them called aldara and it helped but when we got down to like 20 or so I had them froze off. They do not seem to bother the kids, every now and then they do itch. They get worse before they get better, meaning before one goes away it did get red and irritated. NOW with all that said....when I went to look up the website to give you, there was a link to a news story and at the end of it, it talked about a new cure that is over the counter, so I'd definitely watch that. WARNING, the bumps they show in the news story are HORRIBLE (worst case scenario), my kids were always pretty small, maybe b/c they were younger than the kids in the videos.
www.molluscum.com

We just started making sure the kids had the bumps covered, so they couldn't incidently rub the bumps on anyone...like no tank tops. And no baths together.

As I said, hopefully this isn't what your daughter has but it gives you something to talk to the doctor about anyways.

Good luck!

Hi S.,
Our nutritionist gave me some articles to read a while back. One of these pieces mentions exactly what you're dealing with and simply states that the bumping skin on the back of the upper arms is often a Vitamin A deficiency and/or a lack of essential fatty acids in the diet. A friend of mine was given a cream for eczema when all she needed to do was increase these nutrients.
It definitely does not sound like anything contagious.
Hope that helps.

Hi S.,

I would check out the Mollescum thing as well. My daughter had it for like a year! It is a virus that has to run its course. She mainly had them on her upper torso and some on her back. They almost look like pimples. The doctor did give us some cream called "differin". It's an acne cream but it dries them out. Some of hers did get very inflammed but after the cream they got tons better.
It's worth getting it checked out.
And yes, no baths together and no sharing towels, etc.

Good luck!

Hi S.,
Don't worry, it really is nothing major. My 6 year old boy has them on the backs of his arms, the face, and the calves. They are just little white bumps, and his allergist told me that they are just a form of allergy. There is nothing at all to worry about, they don't bother the kids at all. There is also really nothing that you can do to prevent them. My son has had allergies really bad since he was an infant, and he even gets weekly shots. The allergist suggested that we use the rough part of the washcloth in the bath and rub the bumps, and then dry them with the rough part of the towel (basically kid exfoliation!). After bath we then lather with lotion (I love Aveeno for kids.) This has helped cut down on them. Really though, they don't bother him at all, the sight just bothers me. Plus, I have found that when I start messing with them, that is when he gets irritated. There is actually a name that my allergist used, but I can't remember it to save my life. If it bothers you, talk to your dr about it, but according to mine (and my experience) it really is nothing.
K.

My 4 year old son has this (backs of arms, cheeks/face, bottom, sometimes legs/torso mildly)and has since he was very little. We were told at one time that it's a form of eczema.

Moisturizing works wonders! You'll have to find a lotion that works well for you, something for sensitive skin is generally best. Cetaphil works the best for us, better than Aveno, but every ones' skin is a little different.

We also switched to unscented laundry soap and fabric softener.

I agree that it sounds like keratosis, which is caused by too much keratin in the skin and is treatable and pretty harmless. I would suggest you to ask your pediatrician, I am sure there is a topical treatment that can help. Since it is not bothering her, itching, oozing, red or swollen it's probably nothing to worry about.

It's probably not eczema, that tend to be clusters of bumps that are itchy and sometimes flaky.

Eczema? Talk to a pharmacist for recommendations.

Do NOT put regular steriod cream on it, little ones need a lower dose than adults.

It sounds like it's eczema. A lot of kids get it and it usually goes away with age. Both of my kids have it and it doesn't bother them either, but they are there. Have you taken her to the doctor? A doctor wil be able to tell you for sure. It it is, don't get the prescribed medication as it usually is a steroid type of cream. I have eczema as well after I had My two kids. It usually does not bother me until I use harsh dishwashing liquids or antibacterial type of bath bars. Do you use antibacterial bath bars on your little one? If you do, maybe you could try using Aveeno soothing baby bath treatment. It's a natural colloidal oatmeal baby bath. I hope this helps.

Sorry to reply so late - it's been a hectic day.
Anyway - if she has "delicate" skin (German/ScotsIrish background, in my case), those little bumps could be a build-up of dead skin around the hairs. If you picked at one of the bumps you might find a hair in the middle. What I find works for me is to GENTLY exfoliate. You could try a buff-puff, loofah or a pair of scrubby bath gloves (my fave). During a warm bath/shower, gently wash the areas with the wet scrubby and soap (maybe try to avoid those that are heavily scented or moisturizing). After rinsing, rub in a light lotion for sensitive skin. It might take a week or two to see a difference. The important thing is to be gentle and not overly zealous.
Good luck.

My little girl also. I was told originally that is was baby eczema and would go away. It did not and got worse. A health food store owner (whom is very good) said that her daughter was prescribed a cortisone cream called U-cort and that only a few applications and it was gone. I did not go to a dermatologist due to money. So next when my child had to been seen my an MD for a completely different reason I asked about the bumps. They said it is keratosis pyloris (I think thats it). Anyway, too much skin production and build up primarily around the hair follicles. They look and act like blackheads but they are white and dry. They have a dry/oily plug that will come out. The MD said to just put a good lotion or cream on it every day and lightly exfoliate every week. We have seen some improvement but we are not diligent and have not been on this regimine very long.
Good Luck