HEALTH

Ew! I have little bumps on my arms. My guy friend was hugging me one day and he totally freaked out--he said my arms feel like sandpaper. Not cool. What's the deal?!

Chill. What you probably have is a harmless condition called keratosis pilaris. It looks like little dots that are usually white but sometimes red. As your guy friend found out, the area feels bumpy, dry and sandpapery. It strikes the upper arms, buttocks and thighs. Why? The genetic condition happens because dry skin doesn’t flake off like it should. Instead, it gets plugged up in hair follicles and forms little bumps, explains Dr. Irwin. Moisturize your arms with Vaseline after you shower. If it doesn’t clear up within a week, move on to stronger stuff. After bathing, slick on a glycolic acid lotion mixed with a dab of hydrocortisone (the .5-percent kind sold over-the-counter at drugstores). If that doesn’t do the trick, see a dermatologist for an Rx.

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by GL | 2/1/2016