Keratosis Pilaris- What to Do About Bumpy Arms

Are You Heading into Spring and Summer Worried About Chicken Skin Arms?

Getting goose bumps is one thing, but if you have bumps on your arms that like look more like plucked chicken skin, you might be worried about them.  The little bumps known as keratosis pilaris are distinct from regular goose bumps because they aren’t like to temperature or your feelings, they are there all the time.  They may have you worried about your health and your appearance.  So what can you do? Whenever something different or unexpected happens with your skin, it is wise for you to consult a dermatologist.

If your doctor has confirmed that the small white or red bumps on your skin are simply keratosis pilaris, the good news is that this condition is entirely harmless to your health and does not indicate anything more serious is going on.  So the first thing you can do is breathe a sigh of relief!  They don’t itch, so in the winter if you are usually bundled up with long sleeves, you may want to ignore them.  But if they are still there when the warmer weather arrives and you are unhappy about them, you do have some recourse.  Your dermatologist can help you settle on the best course of treatment, but you’re first line of attack is to step up the moisturizer and use ones that contain ingredients such as alpha hydroxyl acids, salicylic acid, lactic acid, or urea.  Make sure you use plenty of lotion after baths and showers, and don’t forget to reapply several times during the day and last thing before bed.  Using an abrasive scrubbing cloth or pad can also be helpful. If your regular over the counter lotion isn’t doing the job, your dermatologist can recommend something more effective by prescription.  If that doesn’t completely do the job, you have a great excuse to spend a lot of time soaking in a nice, hot bath.  The trick is to do a good job exfoliating the areas where you have the bumps.  That might include your back, thighs and buttocks as well as your arms.  You can make a paste with oatmeal, buy an exfoliating cream or simply use a stiff brush.

When Is Keratosis Pilaris Worst??

If these rough little bumps are regular visitors to your arms, legs, back or buttocks – or even worse, your face – you may be wondering how you can prevent them.  The bad news is that since this condition is passed along on a genetic basis, you can’t really get rid of it, although consistent moisturizing when you are most at risk may help to minimize the aggravation.  So when is that?

• Winter.  The up side of this is that you probably aren’t showing a lot of skin in the colder months, but it can still be annoying to have chicken skin arms.  The dry air and low humidity make your skin more vulnerable to drying out and developing keratosis pilaris.
• Pregnancy.  Pregnancy is hard on your skin with all the hormonal changes and stretching.  For some reason there are ladies who develop keratosis pilaris for the first time in life during pregnancy, while it usually shows up in childhood. It’s an important time to be vigilant about moisturizing, which will help prevent or reduce stretch marks too.
• After Giving Birth.  Your body doesn’t just snap back to its pre-pregnancy state as you exit the delivery room!  So despite the overwhelming new demands on new moms, it’s important to remember to take care of yourself.  A simple thing such as taking a few minutes to moisturize can remind you that you have needs too.
• Summer.  Hot and humid hair combined with the plugging of pores associated with keratosis pilaris leads to the development of pimple like bumps and redness around the follicles.  If this occurs, you have developed secondary bacterial folliculitis which can be annoying, sometimes painful as well as not a pretty site to look at. Oftentimes you would require prescription medications including oral or topical antibiotics plus topical retinoids to get relief.

Whatever the time of year and whatever is going on in your life, if you notice changes to your skin with bumpiness on the arms that are bothersome, make sure to bring it up with your dermatologist.  If it is keratosis pilaris, it is straight forward to treat and you don’t have to just live with it.