bumps? anyone else???

Rapunzel · 08-30-2003, 04:19 PM

OK ive got a question ... i have these small ugly little bumps all over my legs..they are more noticable on my upper thighs rather than the bottom...Id have to describe them as chicken skin LOL...it almost looks like a whole lot of ingrown hairs...its so embarrassing, and thats why i wont wear shorts in the summer, even if its 100 degrees outside!!! Ive tried using cortizone cream, someone suggested noxema.. and using shaving cream when i shave...lotions every day and NOTHING HAS WORKED! a fellow cyster told me to try some stuff called Tend Skin, but i dont know if it will help. Also, could this be a sign of PCOS or IR or diabetes or something? Just curious because my dad had it too, and he was a diabetic....

Shazzer · 08-30-2003, 07:00 PM

I get little bumps on the tops of my thighs as well as the back of my arms. They are a tad unsightly and look like acne. Not zits, but just little red bumps. For me I think they are caused by a combination of normal hair growth and using too much lotion. I keep meaning to see a dermatologist about them.

beearrry · 09-01-2003, 09:56 PM

Hello! I am 39 years old and have suffered with bumps you describe all my life. I have learned it is an chronic skin condition called something like Pilaris Keratosis (or maybe it is Keratosis pilaris). It means your skin over-produces the protein keratin in your skin resulting in the bumps. This is also a heriditary chronic condition. My daughter who is 20 years old has the same condition. It is very common on your upper outter arms and upper thighs. I also have it on my buttocks. It has been a huge source of embarassment for me and I have found no cure. As you get older, the bumps are not as rough but still are noticeable. Usually in the summer time they get a little better in appearance but never go away. The winter months are when they are at their worst. This condition causes your skin to be very dry so make sure you use moisturizing soaps and lotions. One medicated lotion is called Lac-Hydrin which is often prescribed for the condition but I have found that it doesn't work all that great. It reduces the size of the bumps but doesn't make them go away totally. There is no cure and it is not life threatening, just ugly cosmetically in appearance. I don't know if this is related to PCOS, though I do have PCOS. I hope this helps answer your question.

KC1 · 09-02-2003, 02:37 PM

Some of the suggestions for this are: using a "buff puff " type sponge or natural sea sponge to exfoliate the skin (or a rough textured wash cloth), moisturizers, aloe vera gel.Thought I read somewhere that a vitamin or mineral deficiency also contributes to this, ? ( not positive about that )

beearrry · 09-02-2003, 04:11 PM

Yes, you are correct. The bumps are also possibly related to a vitamin deficiency. I've read a vitamin A deficiency, however, there is still no cure

for this skin condition. All the treatments only reduce the roughness of the bumps but don't make them disappear. The follicales will always appear prominent on the skin. I have had the skin condition since I was a little girl and now I am 39 years old. The way I have coped is to ignore the condition altogether and go on with life. I've worn shorts and short sleeves in my day but sometimes cover up too. I have had boyfriends and none have commented on this condition--at least not verbally to me. I tanned quite a bit as a young woman (year round) that helped the condition's appearance, however, I also developed melanomas on my skin later in life--a potentially life threatening form of cancer. I was lucky it was caught early. The choice is yours, but I don't tan at all anymore. In the 21st century we now have wonderful self-tanning lotions--use them! In the meantime, I agree using a loofah in the shower regularly in conjunction with moisturizers daily. I am sorry to say there is not much else that will work, except work on loving who you are because you are God's special creation and that is something to be proud of! :0) Have a wonderful life!

jamim · 09-02-2003, 04:22 PM

I get those......especially after shaving. You might try this - I soak in the tub, then exfoliate and shave with a sharp razor. My skin really burns if I shave in the shower. Also - I use the Mary Kay Timewise lotion. It is really for your face but I use it everywhere because it doesn't have any kind of perfume or irritant in it.

beearrry · 09-02-2003, 04:33 PM

Hello again. Oh yes, I almost forgot. For those suffering with Keratosis Pilaris: In addition to using a loofah and moisturizer regularily, I would also make sure my legs were shaved and that seemed to help the overall roughness as well. Of note, you can get bumps to appear like keratosis pilaris by just regular shaving, but this does not mean you have the hereditary condition. If you shave dry, your skin can become irritated and bumps (that look like keratosis pilaris) will appear on the skin. Therefore it is important to always wet your skin first before shaving or use a shaving foam. When shaving my bikini line, I would often get bumps as a result. If this is a recurring problem for you, I have learned to shave that area with the grow line and not against it and that helps prevent the bumps from appearing. Just know the shaving bump problem is different than keratosis pilaris--the shaving resultant bumps go away, the keratosis pilaris does not. Good day all.

secsll · 09-12-2003, 04:10 PM

I suffer from this condition mostly on the backs of my upper thighs....what I've noticed that helps in addition to soaking in the tub prior to shaving, is using lotions with glycolic acid or hydroxy lotions. They exfoliate dead skin, so it helps keep those clogged dead skin follicles clear. Again, not a cure, but a big help.

Take care everyone and God bless!

so confused · 09-16-2003, 04:27 AM

I get them too... mostly on the backs of my arms and on my thighs.. what i find is wierd is that when i'm shaving my legs, i'll notice that the backs of my legs always tend to feel like I can't get a close enough shave no matter how many times and how many directions the razor passes on the skin... and this is because of those annoying little bumps.

Susannah · 11-03-2003, 01:47 PM

Cysters,

Just wanted to share this information, since it has helped me with my keratosis pilaris so much, and it has only been about 4 days now. I started taking megadoses of Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5, 10 grams/day, it's water soluble, so you pee out what you don't need) and using Aloe Vera cream (94% Aloe Vera, made by Jason) with niacinamide (Vitamin B3) mixed in. You can also use gel if you feel cream might be too heavy. Here's more info on it, and where I got the idea:

Pantothenic Acid info
http://gmuntz.tripod.com/b5.html

Niacinamide Cream info
http://gmuntz.tripod.com/niacinamide.html

Anyway, I encourage you to try it. It's a really cheap thing to try (just have to buy B5 and B3 and some base cream or gel), and it really is working for me. I've been doing it for about 4 days, and my arms and knees feel smooth and soft. The red is fading, but they still look a tiny bit blotchy. I'm fairly certain that will go away, since it's already starting fading.

Susannah

Smeggle · 11-04-2003, 09:54 PM

I saw a dermatologist about this before and he was no help. But luckily, his assistant was there! She told me not to use loofas, you know the netty things. They hold bacteria and are bad for the skin in general and aggravate those symptoms. Then she said to use a lotion with Urea in it which helped allot for me. Compared to my other symptoms, this one doesn't bother me as much. But I did what she said, and it really lightened them, but its a constant process, messy and bothersome to me. The Urea lotion I used was super thick. It won't make them go away, but it should help enough that you aren't embarassed to wear shorts. Plus, when I lay out in the sun, it helps allot so the summer months are good. But I heard tanning beds aggravate the problem.