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Original poster

Dd's spotty arms

18 replies

Browbeaten · 19/04/2004 14:14

I have noticed recently that my 3 yo daughter's upper arms have goose pimply flesh. The spots are quite hard and dry though small. I was wondering if this was a sign of a vitamin deficiency. She seems a little young to need exfoliation so I wondered if anyone has any suggestions as to clearing it. I don't want to see a HV or Doctor as it is probably cosmetic not medical and they will think I'm mad.

OP posts:

roisin · 19/04/2004 14:21

Browbeaten - could it be molluscum contagiosum? Do the some of the pimples have white tops? Did it start with just one or two and then start spreading?

If it is molluscum there is no treatment, you just have to wait for it to go away. You catch it usually from swimming pools. Do you go there much? There's LOADS of stuff on here about it - do a search under health for 'molluscum'.

But it could be something else of course.

HTH

binkie · 19/04/2004 14:32

Or it could be that her skin just naturally overproduces keratin (what hair is made of I think) so that it clogs up her follicles? I've got this and so has ds. It doesn't look grisly like molluscum (which dd has, so we're the skin complaint family), just scattered minute tiny reddish/whitish dry bumps; feels sandpapery.

If it is that (and upper arms and thighs are the typical places to be affected), moisturising helps me a bit, but nothing permanent can be done about it. Seems to get much softer in the summer, though.

binkie · 19/04/2004 14:35

Oh, and ds and I have also got haystackly thick hair, which is I guess part of the same thing. What's your dd's hair like?

musica · 19/04/2004 14:50

I had this when I was little - don't know what it was, but when I was about 17 it went. My arms are fine now. I also had molluscum contagiosum, which was quite different - isolated growths.

kiwisbird · 19/04/2004 14:53

my son has these or soemthing similar, we were told it was hair follicles?

Janh · 19/04/2004 14:56

ds1 has this - little red spots. He has very dry skin anyway, plus eczema. Keep telling him to exfoliate and moisturise but that's not a very laddish thing to do! (he's 15.)

binkie, he also has haystack hair, it grows a mile a minute too, do you think there is a connection?

eddm · 19/04/2004 14:56

I've got the same thing as has my mum so guess is genetic. But have heard from several different sources that can also be a sign of Vitamin A deficiency. I'd want to check that out with a properly-qualified NHS dietitian before I changed a 3-yr old's diet though ? it is possible to have too much Vit A.

binkie · 19/04/2004 15:11

Janh, after years of this, it only just struck me when I was responding to Browbeaten: too much hair-making-substance = too much hair altogether. Ds (5) has just gone off for his 6-weekly haircut looking like a thatched cottage.

Janh · 19/04/2004 15:13

Don't suppose there's anything we can do about it...?

Original poster

Browbeaten · 19/04/2004 15:13

Roisin, I tried the search but nothing came up. Dd is at Nursery now so will have to have another good look at the spots when she comes home. I think what Binkie describes may be right. I get something similar but thought it was due to old dry skin and a bit of exfoliation and moisturising helps me but thought she'd be too young for that - she also has quite thick straight hair but not haystacky really.

OP posts:

Janh · 19/04/2004 15:19

This page has advice about diet etc for acne - same principle I suppose. ds1 doesn't drink nearly enough water anyway, will wave this under his nose!

officerdibble · 19/04/2004 15:24

could it be Keratosis Pilaris? DS1 (12 months) has got this on arms, legs and face - he has been prescribed a thick aqueous cream which is softening it but not clearing it

dermatology link about KP

Janh · 19/04/2004 15:28

That's it exactly, od. "No treatment" - oh dear!

binkie · 19/04/2004 16:21

Brilliant link OD - it's also explained ds's dusting of tiny raised reddish bumps between his eyebrows, which I've worried about a bit - now I see all part of the same thing. And it says what I've always noticed about its being worse in wintertime.

Thanks for starting this Browbeaten - I hope it's helped you too!

Original poster

Browbeaten · 19/04/2004 16:27

Janh and OD thanks for the links.

OP posts:

Original poster

Browbeaten · 19/04/2004 16:28

Bnkie, thanks it's been really informative.

OP posts:

GeorginaA · 19/04/2004 16:29

Oh... so that's what I've had all my life... did wonder!

Um, that's a "me too" ... obviously! Thanks for the link!

suedonim · 19/04/2004 17:18

Crumbs, more KP 'sufferers' here! I had that on my legs as a child and both dd's have had it on their arms to various extents. Dd1 says it gives her something to pick at while she's watching TV.

Dd2 is into her second year of molluscum atm, though they are now bursting before disappearing, one by one. She has a lot on the inside of one elbow and the whole area has deveopled an eczema-type rash. It looks quite gruesome.

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