When I was in high school, I thought I knew everything there was to know about skin problems. I learned to love my stretch marks, conquered random rosacea outbreaks, and succumbed to the evil power of hormonal pimples. But there's one unresolved skin issue that I've ignored for years in this laissez-faire, "I'll be fine!" Just like when you have an underlying health problem, it's cheaper to ignore it than to diagnose it: Mine Tiny lumps on upper arms, mostly on the back. They had been there since I was a kid, but I didn't take them to heart. They don't itch or spread, so I'm fine with them. I'm a late bloomer when it comes to touching people's upper arms, so I just assumed everyone had an arm lump and no one talked about it because it was so common. Needless to say, not everyone has arm lumps, but many people who do have these attractive arm lumps don't know much about it.
When I was in high school, someone finally asked me, "What are those bumps on your arms?" The question came from a girl whose face I still remember, but whose name had been cleared from my brain, like so many The same painful high school memories. The sleeves of my workout clothes were rolled up, exposing my upper arms—bump and all. We walked outside to the track for physical torture. After years of living happily with my bump, someone finally spoke out to me. "Are you very cold now?"
I have a lot to say. Mostly, "Can you ask me some judgmental questions about the unexplained lump on my body?" But what worries me is that I didn't even choose to act pretentious and ask my nosy gym acquaintances Revealing some major arm bump knowledge because I really have no idea what a bump is. Will they get goosebumps forever? Is this an unexpected minor breakout? Allergic reaction? rash? The result in hexadecimal?
Those little bumps on my arms (and probably yours too) are called keratosis pilaris (KP). This may sound like an unusual hair product, but it's actually a harmless skin condition. People often refer to KP as "chicken skin" or "goose meat," but I personally think KP sounds cuter and more mysterious while avoiding the polarizing poultry vibe. Basically, if you have KP, you'll have some reddish, bumpy skin on your arms, legs, and even butt that resembles acne, but you shouldn't try to treat KP with the same methods you use to treat acne on your back.
Acne and KP may both be bothersome skin conditions, but that's where the similarities end. This means that you should not try to pop your KP under any circumstances. Unlike acne — which often leaves you frustratingly wondering why you’re breaking out — keratosis pilaris is caused by a buildup of keratin just below the skin’s surface, which creates those clogged hair follicles you see and feel. of lumps. When you get technical, skin stuff always sounds gross, doesn't it?
If you realize you have KP, the good news is that most people grow out of it. Things got better for me as I got older. At 24 years old, my KP has improved significantly compared to when I was younger. I'm lucky that my little bumps always blend in with my freckles, but not everyone is that lucky. Like anything else that shows up uninvited on your skin, you probably won't welcome KP with open arms. Fortunately, there are a number of different things you can try to help repair keratosis pilaris. The key to improving the condition of your bumps is exfoliation and moisturizing. There are a variety of homemade remedies to treat KP using readily available ingredients like coconut oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, or essential oils.
According to DERMAdoctor's blog, keratosis pilaris affects nearly 50% of the population, so we're not the only ones suffering from lumps on our arms. Even if you don’t have keratosis pilaris, you probably know at least one person who does. This is nothing to be embarrassed about and it doesn’t mean you need to spend more time cleaning your arms. Feel free to blame your parents for your bumps, since keratosis pilaris is something you inherit. It's in your genes, so don't think of KP as a serious hygiene defect on your part. Now that you're an expert on keratosis pilaris, you can skip one of those dramatic medical mystery TV shows and live your life knowing that you can confidently answer this question: "What are those bumps on your arms?"
Image: Author’s own; Jiffy
