lumpy bumpy upper arms
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Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:12 am

Hi there, I'm seeking some advice on my problem upper arms which have lots of very small pimply type lumps under the skin. It is only noticable when you look closely but when I run my hand/fingers over my arms it feels quite rough and disgusting. Does anyone else have this problem or know of a good body exfoliator/skincare line which will eliminate it? I use a loofah in the shower followed by a body moisturiser but it doesn't help. Question

free skin care · Sat Oct 22, 2005 6:44 am

Hiya, sounds like Keratosis Pilaris ( ahhh my life long friend....) and it's not dangerous, just annoying! It's a hereditary skin condition whereby we shed skin cells abnormally and they build up and fall back inside the follicles causing the little bumps.
I have found Alpha H ( I see you are in Australia too, welcome!) Liquid Gold or Liquid Harmony if you are sensitive, does a good job of removing the dead cell build up ( they also do a nice body polish and body lotion that contain AHAs which help too) without making them too red and angry looking, which being too rough with physical exfoliants like loofahs can. Smile

It's something you can minimise but not really get rid of topically.. pity eh? Smile

free skin care · Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:24 am

I heard AmLactin lotion also helps. It can be found in drugstores. Let us know what works for you. Very Happy

Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:01 pm

muzzie wrote:

Hiya, sounds like Keratosis Pilaris ( ahhh my life long friend....) and it's not dangerous, just annoying! It's a hereditary skin condition whereby we shed skin cells abnormally and they build up and fall back inside the follicles causing the little bumps.
I have found Alpha H ( I see you are in Australia too, welcome!) Liquid Gold or Liquid Harmony if you are sensitive, does a good job of removing the dead cell build up ( they also do a nice body polish and body lotion that contain AHAs which help too) without making them too red and angry looking, which being too rough with physical exfoliants like loofahs can. Smile

It's something you can minimise but not really get rid of topically.. pity eh? Smile

Keratosis Pilaris!! Shock

What a mouthfull!! Well it's nice to put a name to the problem Wink

Thanks for your advice and info, otherwise I never would have known and would have just gone on loofahing away Smile

I'm not familiar with Alpha H. Is it easily accessable in this country? Is it actually called Alpha H or is that just the slang name for it?

Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:09 pm

TooInvolved wrote:

I heard AmLactin lotion also helps. It can be found in drugstores. Let us know what works for you. Very Happy

Thanks for your reply. Not sure if I can get AmLactin in this country but I'll let you know how I get on with the Alpha H that Muzzie mentioned Smile

free skin care · Sun Oct 23, 2005 3:21 am

Hi Livvy, Yes it is an Australian company and the name is indeed Alpha H. You can get it at various places including TVSN(Foxtel shopping channel and their website) andwww.adorebeauty.com and they have their own website too www.alpha-h.com It is primarily a glycolic based range but also other choices in the range too. I tend to keep a few of their things on hand always,even when I am using other ranges( which I often do!) Smile

free skin care · Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:10 pm

Livvy,
I have this mostly on my legs but my son has it on his arms like you. I bought him a body brush and told him to dry brush his skin daily. It's the only thing that's worked for me but I have to do this daily.
Are you familiar with body brushing? You can google it and find alot of info on the correct way to do it. I suggest you do your whole body and not just your arms because it has wonderful health benefits and will help your whole body glow.
hth

free skin care · Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:08 pm

Livvy wrote:

TooInvolved wrote:

I heard AmLactin lotion also helps. It can be found in drugstores. Let us know what works for you. Very Happy

Thanks for your reply. Not sure if I can get AmLactin in this country but I'll let you know how I get on with the Alpha H that Muzzie mentioned Smile

Cool. If that doesn't work and you decide to try the AmLactin, I can buy it and ship it to you. I happened to see it at the drugstore yesterday and it reminded me of this thread. But it's 16 bucks! It better be good for that price.

free skin care · Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:37 am

I wanted to revive this post because I found a helpful solution that is working for me. I'm not sure if I have Keratosis Pilaris, but my upper arms and upper/middle back began developing little bumps that were driving me crazy. In retrospect, it coincided with the typical New Hampshire autumn, when it's freezing in the morning and warm by the afternoon. I was wearing heavy fabrics like wool to make it through the morning, then sweating like a pig by the afternoon while stuck at work and not able to change my clothes.

Anyway, I did some internet research and stumbled across the following opinion: http://www.epinions.com/content_970694788

I was not able to find all of the products recommended at my local drug store, but I have substituted with great success. Bumps virtually gone after only 2 weeks.

I lightly scrub the areas with a loofah and Dove Exfoliating body wash and moisturize while my skin is still drying with Eucarin Intensive body lotion. The Eucarin is a bit "sticky" but it's worth it for the results. I have not found that the exfoliation aggravates the bumps or makes them red.

free skin care · Sun Nov 06, 2005 10:59 am

I get this too I find exfoliating took care of them but even the cheap apricot scrub gets expensive after a while and it's really just too abbrasive and drying.

Someone posted in the DIY forum about making a body scrub version of Dr H's CC. I'm going to try to make a sensitive skin version and see how well it works.

Gwyn

free skin care · Sun Nov 06, 2005 12:07 pm

I agree with the use of a nice shower "scrubbie" or body brush. I also use a moisturizing body wash, like Dove. Another option is to find a good body polish with mild exfoliating beads....Get Fresh has a nice one with some moisutizing ingredients included. Since I've been regularly exfoliating, and moisturizing, my bumps have vanished, and have not returned.

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2005 8:49 pm

I started to get those nasty dry bumps on the back of arms again a few weeks ago. I tried just a regular apricot scrub and the stuff just chewed up my arms - My arms turned red, dry, and slightly scabby.

I have capitol S sensitive skin so I have to be really careful about what I use. So I figured it was time to work on my idea of a brown rice powder body scrub. If the daily microfoliant (which uses brown rice powder) is soft enough for my face, then it had to be soft enough for my body.

Lavender and Brown Rice Scrub for sensitive skin types:
1 cup of brown rice flour
3 tablespoons lavender flower heads
5 drops of chamomille EP
Enough Dr. Bronner's baby mild soap to make a super thick paste
http://www.drbronner.com/drb_sai_liquids.html
To use:
get your hands wet and scoop a small amount your palm and scrub away.

I now use this religously to mildly exfoliate my body every time I shower. The grains from the flour are so small that they don't scrape the top layer of your skin like the apricot kennels do but they still loosen the dead, flaky skin. The lavender and chamomille are great for calming and clearing dry winter skin and smell heavenly. The above recipe makes enough for a week. I haven't tried big batches and don't know how well it would keep.

I may try different EOs and maybe a non-soap version. Dr. Bronner's and brown rice flour should be available are your local Co-Op along with EOs, dried herbs, and oils like jojoba and castor.

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:45 pm

For some reason Neal's Yard body lotion has worked wonders at clearing most of the bumps from my upper arms. It's like miracle lotion!!!!

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:59 pm

I just went to the Neal's Yard website. It all looked so good - I wanted to eat it all Shock

I just wish the body lotions weren't $25 or $45 for 6.8 oz Sad

I smell another DIY project.

free skin care · Sun Dec 04, 2005 6:54 pm

TooInvolved,

Hi, did you see the articel in Allure magazine? It has Amlactin in there. A dermotologist is using it. Check it out before the put the next month of Allure magazine.

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:49 pm

There is a line by Dermadoctor called KP Duty which is supposedly formulated just to deal with KP...

I think the trick is to use some sort of acid based lotion or wash to help exfoliate the excess skin cells. But, try to avoid over zealous scrubbing as this may exacerbate the condition - or cause redness or irritation.

Luckily KP isn't life threatening - but it sure is annoying! Sad

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:19 pm

Livvy wrote:

Hi there, I'm seeking some advice on my problem upper arms which have lots of very small pimply type lumps under the skin. It is only noticable when you look closely but when I run my hand/fingers over my arms it feels quite rough and disgusting. Does anyone else have this problem or know of a good body exfoliator/skincare line which will eliminate it? I use a loofah in the shower followed by a body moisturiser but it doesn't help. Question

This reminds me of something I saw on TV. Three doctors got a group of people who had the bumps you described on their upper arms. The doctors explained it was caused by a Vitamin A deficiency, and because of this exfoliation isn't always effective. It's best treated from the inside-out.

The doctors recommended the people drink one or two fruit smoothies a day with flax seeds, and a Vitamin A cream. Carrots are also very high in Vitamin A so if you have a juicer, go for it! Carrot juice tastes cool, creamy, sweet and so good. By the end of the trail the patients were completely bump free. Exercise also apparently helps woosh the oxygen and blood around your body to clear the bumps.

Maybe this is what you have also?

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 5:20 pm

... obviously they apply the Vitamin A cream to their arms. They don't drink it Embarassed

free skin care · Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:39 am

i just recently boughtdition. Il let you know how i get on with this. I read on the forum that BHA acid is more effective to treat this than AHA's......the one from PSF was the only one i could find on EDS so i decided to try that out. the other recommendations i read about were Paula's CHoice....but im not from the USA and im pretty sure shipping would cost a bomb for me...they have an australian site but u have to be a member at a fee of 9.99 i think then u get the slightly cheaper prices...and then theres shipping again for me...so i figured i just order from EDS using the discount. And its 5% compared to the 2% on Paulas Choice

Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:44 am

Beta Hydroxy Acid is supposed to get rid of that. Paula's choice is sold out on their 2% BHA lotion and won't get it in until January. KP Derma Doctor is another product that is supposed to be good for those little annoying bumps.

free skin care · Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:21 pm

opps i did a typo in my above post. What i meant to write was i recently bought BHA gel from PSF and its 5%. Smile

.........still waiting for it to get here, will let you all know how i get on with it once i start using it

free skin care · Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:40 am

ok so i have received my 5% BHA gel and i started using it. this is my second day so far. I noticed that the dry skin was falling off when i was applying this morning (second day).....so already in one day it is making my skin kinda peel off........not to drastic though ........i reckon is good the bad skin is coming off. Still too early to tell any positive effects on KP problem though

free skin care · Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:52 pm

I tried using body puffs and scrubs but they didn't work for me. AmLactin didn't help much either, plus the scent was .... Confused

I found a solution that works for me - Dermalogica buffing cloth and fish oil.

Please note that this worked for me but everyone is different. For alot of people, scrubbing the KP may worsen it. It is a pretty rough cloth compared to the body puffs. I use it about 3x a week.

Also for fish oil, you may have to try around. I was taking Nordic Naturals and didn't see any effect. I've since changed to Minami Nutrition and the my skin is generally better.

free skin care · Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:03 am

been a week or so now using that 5% BHA lotion..........so far no difference

Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:18 pm

Thanks for posting this! I just started noticing tiny bumps on my thighs and arms. I thought it was because I started using an epilator.

Skin brushing sounds really interesting I'll have to try it! I love this site....

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