Arm Acne

sallywilson06

Alright just curious but I have had this for most of my adult life and I want to know if others have it and how to get rid of it or what it is. It looks like a rash sometimes it looks like pimples goes away when I am tan but never fully goes away. I know that there are others who have it, but its embarrassing and I don't even like to wear T-shirts because of it.. any suggestions will be appreciated!

BerryH

Ugh, I've been cursed with this all my adult life. It's called Keratosis Pilaris and even regular exfoliation doesn't seem to cure it. I had some success using a body lotion with AHAs. Hope that helps! :flowerforyou:

Edit: I've also read you can use dandruff shampoo with salicylic acid to wash with.

pa_jorg

I have a mild form of it too. It has a clinical name (begins with a K, but I can't remember) but most people call it "chicken skin". Use soaps and creams with salycilic (sp?) acid and that will help reduce it. You can also probably get a Rx from your doctor. It isn't really acne, but a build up of protein on the skin. I think there is a brand of products called KP Duty that might help too.

sallywilson06

I have been using a Dove Beauty bar and I think it has gone down a bit but its still noticeable in some cases.. I don't want to go to the tanner just because my arms break out like nobody's business..lol

MrsLVF

Have you seen a DR to determine the cause?
It could be so many different things, even something as simple as an allergic reaction to the soap/shampoo/conditioner you use, or a food allergy. I had the same thing, it was from the artificial sweeter Splenda aka sucralose. Once I removed it from my diet it was gone in a few days.

PeaceCorpsKat

Proactive

inktink

I've heard exfoliation helps and that it's not really acne but something similiar. I have it a little but I exfoliate (just with a bath scrubbie) and I've found the clean and clear "splash" body wash has worked wonders on my skin. It even cleared up the horrible pregnancy bacne I started getting!

StarvingDiva

Definitely not acne. It's Keratosis Pilaris, I thiknk it's pretty common. I use KP Duty from Dermadoctor and it really helps to get rid of it. I try to do it at least once a week.

ChristiH4000

I deal with it too. I switched to Dove body wash about a year ago and it seems to help mine as long as I use a mild lotion that's not too heavily scented. When I'm in the sun more in the summer, it seems to help, but isn't recommended for my pale skin for obvious reasons. The doc said it's common, but requires a fairly difficult regimen to treat. She told me that if it doesn't bother me much, not to worry about trying to treat it. It's not so bad that I'm embarrassed to show my arms, so I haven't gone the dermatology route, but it does feed into my insecurities a little when I think about it.

Shweedog

My husband has this also (Keratosis Pilaris). He calls it chicken skin. His doc told him exfoliating daily helps and also eucerin cream. But basically all of the treatments (even rxs) are temporary fixes, as it typically reappears.

GinNouveau

I have it too. It's a lot milder than it used to be. I never would wear sleeveless shirts in highschool because of it. I never knew what caused it, but it apparently is a genetic condition. It does go away/get better with a tan and I use lotion before bed which seems to smooth it out. I still have some redness on the back of my arms, but it's less noticeable. Maybe doing some exercise outdoors while wearing sunscreen (you can still tan, but less likely to burn) may help you kill two birds with one stone. If it began all the sudden or seems to get worse, you may want to get it checked out because it may be an allergy.

GinNouveau

My husband has this also (Keratosis Pilaris). He calls it chicken skin. His doc told him exfoliating daily helps and also eucerin cream. But basically all of the treatments (even rxs) are temporary fixes, as it typically reappears.

Mine never goes away completely either but I've learned to ignore it since no one seems to notice it but me.

CoachJake83

I"ve heard this can be caused by higher amounts of sugar. Try to limit sugar intake. That doesn't mean you have to avoid carbs, just ones higher in sugar. One piece of fruit per day or less for example. Try to keep the rest as legumes, tubers, veggies etc.

sallywilson06

I never heard of the sugar intake thing before. However, I don't really like a lot of sweet items. Diabetes is a problem in my family but I know I don't have high sugar because I test it once in a while just to make sure..