Wrongly Diagnosed With Eczema For 39 Years

Ever since I can remember, I have had bumps on my arms.  When I was a kid, I would pick at them all the time and would be constantly reminded by my mother that it didn’t look lady like to be picking at my arms all day.  I couldn’t help it, it wasn’t that they bumps hurt me, or even itched, it was that they drove  me nuts and I just wanted them to go away.  They appear as small pimples, so why not pick them – that is coming from the mind of a child who was made fun of when other children felt the bumps on her arms.  Yup, that was me, the one with the bumpy arms – oh I hated that!  My childhood family doctor had told me that these bumps would go away when I turned 18, but not my luck.  They remained there and even got worse with pregnancy hormones.  So here I was stuck with aggravating and embarrassing bumpy arms all my life.  My husband encouraged me to see other dermatologists to see if they had any answers.  One dermatologist told me to wash with Dove soap and the other gave me a shot and said my symptoms should go away after my child had reached 5.  Well, my youngest child is now 7 and bumps are still there.

Not only do I have the “bumps” but so do both of my boys.  The bumps are apparent when the children are young, but grow defined once they are older.  I can see the definition in my 13 year old’s bumps, but he still doesn’t notice them, so I don’t ask him about them. Ever since I noticed that my children also had these bumps, I have been looking for products to help my boys once they are ready.  I don’t want them made fun of at school like I was.  I used to hate to get too close to people unless I had a long sleeve shirt on, in fear they’d feel my arms and make fun of me.  This past week I took my oldest son to the dermatologist and decided to ask the doctor about my arms when I was there.  I am SOOOO glad that I did.  He told me that I had Keratosis Pilaris and not eczema as I had been told by all the other doctors.  No wonder I never had any of the symptoms that are expressed through the Eczema commercials.

Two large tubes of lotion:  $45 without insurance, $15 with Walgreens Pharmacy Savings Club Card

Keratosis Pilaris is a hereditary skin condition passed from one generation to the next, but it can be easily calmed down with an inexpensive lotion from the pharmacy.  If you have redness, the lotion can’t take care of the redness, but it sure can keep your skin much smoother.  I was told that KP patients have a 50% chance of passing it to their children, and what do you know, I passed it on to both of my boys:(  This skin condition is most prominent on the upper arms and can also be found on the cheeks, legs and trunk.

Thank you Dr. Perri, I am so glad you correctly diagnosed my condition.  The moisturizer cream you prescribed works like a charm!  I wish I could’ve ran into you when I was being made fun of  during my school years!