Are the red bumps on your arms Keratosis Pilaris

You may have read about the skin condition keratosis pilaris, a common, but harmless skin condition which affects many teenagers and young adults. Most sufferers experience rough, slightly raised red bumps over the skin of their upper arms, although it can affect other parts of the body too. While generally these are not painful, they may be itchy, and sufferers are often most concerned by their unsightly appearance.

If you’re suffering from red bumps on your upper arms, you too may be suffering from keratosis pilaris. So if you want to know if the red bumps on your upper arms are keratosis pilaris, read on.

As a hereditary condition, you’re likely to suffer from keratosis pilaris if your mom or dad have it too. It tends to run in families and, unfortunately, if one parent has it, you have a one in two chance of developing the condition. It normally makes its first appearance in childhood, and gets worse as you enter puberty.

It can, however, affect people of all ages, so if you’re no longer a teenager, but still suffering from red bumps on your upper arms, it’s likely to be keratosis pilaris. It’s also more common amongst females rather than males, and people who already suffer from the dry skin conditions of eczema and ichthyosis are also likely to suffer from keratosis pilaris. While it’s prevalent all over the world, being of Celtic descent means that you are more susceptible to the condition too.

So generally speaking, if you’re a teenage female of Celtic descent who has a parent who also had the condition, your red bumps are more than likely a product of keratosis pilaris.

The condition can also present itself on other areas of the body too. Although red bumps on the upper arms are the most common form of keratosis pilaris, it’s also found on the buttocks and fronts of the thighs. In some cases, sufferers can experience a rash on their forearms and upper back, and in some extreme instances, on the eyebrows, face and scalp, or even over the entire body. Three types of keratosis pilaris have been identified: keratosis pilaris rubra – red inflamed bumps; keratosis pilaris alba – rough bumpy skin with no inflammation, and keratosis pilaris rubra faceii – which is a reddish rash on the cheeks.

If you suspect you have keratosis pilaris, and it’s causing you undue anxiety or has become painful, it may be wise to visit your physician for advice.