What the heck is wrong with my arms?!
Question:
What the heck is wrong with my arms?
My upper arms are constantly red, and people always ask me why, which is really uncomfortable. Even my best friend asks, and I just can't take it anymore!
Lately I've been getting these red itchy spots all over my arms, and I know it isn't chicken pox, but I have no idea how to make them go away! Should I see a doctor?
Answers:
You should definitely see a dermatologist, but until then...It's probably psoriasis, ezcema or a related condition called keratosis polaris (I probably spelled all of those wrong). If it's KP, you'll have a lot of little red bumps on your upper arms and probably upper legs as well. Dermadoctor.com has good articles on all of those conditions, and recommends over the counter products for each of those, most of which are moisturizers with urea, lactic acid, or glycolic acid. If those don't work, you probably need something of prescription strength, like Elidel. For the itching, hydrocortisone cream, Aveeno baths, lotion, etc. will help until you can get something stronger.
By the way, I'm not a huge fan of dermatologists - it took me visiting 3 different ones before I got diagnosed correctly. Do some research before you go so you can ask the right questions.