White bumps on skin

Fizban140

So I have little white bumps all over my chest and shoulders, what are they and how do I get rid of them?

Shogun

Does it itch? Sting?
Do you have any allergies?
Have you recently taken any medications?

edit: also a picture would be just dandy

Fizban140

No, no, no and no, I will have a picture up in a few minutes.

I should add that I have had them for quite a while, I don't remember ever not having them to be honest, so I have no idea how long I have had them beyond at least four years.

Limp moose

look like goose bumps... are you cold?

Limp moose

this is more of a shot in the dark but do you wax that part of your body?

sometimes after a wax the hair grows back below the skin and causes bumps.

Fizban140

No, I shouldn't have zoomed in so far I have to go but when I get back I will have a better picture. No I don't wax or shave that part, its my shoulder.

JebusUD

looks like some very light acne to me. the way they look it seems to match up with the hairs.

Shogun

I have a series of bumps similar to that on my upper arm both left and right. I got them after I got tested for allergies when I was around 9. They've been there ever since. Your bumps are nothing to worry about.

Esh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris


Tada.

ANTVGM64

Are they filled with Puss?

A buddy of mine has this issue where his arms, specifically the back of them and sometimes his fore-arms have little white bumps with puss in them.

Don't know what that is, don't want to know, either.

Fizban140

I tried to get puss to come out, but nothing would come out.

Great, just read the wiki...of course there is no known cure. Why does my skin have to be so fucked up with problems that have no cure.

Hevach

ANTVGM64 wrote: »

Are they filled with Puss?

A buddy of mine has this issue where his arms, specifically the back of them and sometimes his fore-arms have little white bumps with puss in them.

Don't know what that is, don't want to know, either.

How long has he had it? I had something that sounded similar in my hands and forearms. Looked like pimples at first, but the bumps were very hard. After a couple months, the sores started turning black and hurt like a bitch. It was diagnosed as fish tuberculosis (mycobacteria), and took me about a year of antibiotics to get rid of.

It's a rare infection in humans. Unless you've put an open wound in a pond, aquarium, or unchlorinated pool, or make a habit of being bitten by dolphins, you probably don't have it, so I'm not really sure what the point of this post was, but it's a bit late not to post now.

tardcore

Fizban140 wrote: »

I tried to get puss to come out, but nothing would come out.

Great, just read the wiki...of course there is no known cure. Why does my skin have to be so fucked up with problems that have no cure.

It's quite common though. My brothers, father, and myself have it as well.

Esh

ANTVGM64 wrote: »

Are they filled with Puss?

A buddy of mine has this issue where his arms, specifically the back of them and sometimes his fore-arms have little white bumps with puss in them.

Don't know what that is, don't want to know, either.

Tell him to see a dermatologist if it's been happening for a while.

Sounds like the most minor version of heat rash. Is it really humid where you are?

Gnome-Interruptus

I have the exact same thing, across the backs of my upper arm and the tops of my shoulders. Thanks for whoever linked that wiki article, makes me feel better.

ANTVGM64

I have the exact same thing, across the backs of my upper arm and the tops of my shoulders.

Yeah, that's where my buddy has his too...Also, they just have puss in them, it's his upper arms and shoulders.

And that was an awkward conversation.

bowen

I have them on my upper arms too. They look like tiny zits.

EggyToast

My wife has little white spots on her upper chest, and the keratosis stuff on her arms. It's benign and very common; hardly a "fucked up problem." It's like saying that freckles are fatal.

life3

The wikipedia article calls it "chicken skin", but around here we call it "carpenter skin" and it's manly. Wear it like a badge of honor!

ceres

Esh wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris


Tada.

Bingo.

You can get it reduced with treatment, but it's not really harmful in anyway, and the treatments for it are largely not worth it because they can be.

Premier kakos

ANTVGM64 wrote: »

Are they filled with Puss?

A buddy of mine has this issue where his arms, specifically the back of them and sometimes his fore-arms have little white bumps with puss in them.

Don't know what that is, don't want to know, either.

Probably just sebaceous cysts. They're usually nothing to be worried about and often appear on teenagers due to the shifts in hormone levels.

AresProphet

Well the wiki article lists some treatments you could try:

There is currently no known cure for keratosis pilaris, however, there are effective treatments available which make its symptoms less apparent. The condition often improves with age and can even disappear completely in adulthood, though some will show signs of keratosis pilaris for life. Some treatments are largely symptomatic and may need repeating. Regardless, exfoliation, intensive moisturizing cremes, lac-hydrin, topical retinoids such as Retin A and medicated lotions containing alpha hydroxy acids or urea may be used to temporarily improve the appearance and texture of affected skin.

I really hope that bolded one doesn't mean what I think it means, though.

Judge-Z

AresProphet wrote: »

Well the wiki article lists some treatments you could try:

There is currently no known cure for keratosis pilaris, however, there are effective treatments available which make its symptoms less apparent. The condition often improves with age and can even disappear completely in adulthood, though some will show signs of keratosis pilaris for life. Some treatments are largely symptomatic and may need repeating. Regardless, exfoliation, intensive moisturizing cremes, lac-hydrin, topical retinoids such as Retin A and medicated lotions containing alpha hydroxy acids or urea may be used to temporarily improve the appearance and texture of affected skin.

I really hope that bolded one doesn't mean what I think it means, though.

It does.

Seriously, this post makes me feel a whole lot better too. I've had the same problem and have kept trying different cleansers etc. thinking it was acne. Guess I can relax, now! Thanks for posting about it Fizban!

Esh

10% sulfur soap is supposed to help as well.

EggyToast

My wife likes vacations involving sunny locales because she lathers on sunscreen a couple times each day, which has a side effect of drastically reducing the roughness on the back of her arms.

It would probably work for all of you guys as well, but you may have the same problem that she has during the rest of the year -- it's annoying to put lotion on your arms all the damn time ;D

Thylacine

We talked about this stuff when I got my Esthetics(skin care) license. It's common 50-80% of children have it, and 40% of adults do as well.

Use lotions to prevent skin dryness and use of mild cleansers (Dove, Cetaphil etc) can help soften it and make the skin feel less scratchy.

Also, use gentle manual exfoliation with a loofah sponge or Buf-Puff sponge...basically a somewhat rough sponge that isn't going to damage your skin but will scrape off dead skin cells.

Not a 100% cure, but it will improve it quite a bit. There are other treatments, but these two are the cheapest and you can do them yourself.

Edit: It can be annoying to have to put lotion on frequently and have to scrub, but just make it part of your shower routine, and it won't take much time at all.