Whaaaat are those red bumps on the back of my arms? Can you get rid of them? Yes. Here's How.

Ah, those! Medically, this is called keratosis pilaris, and some people mistakenly call them arm acne. First of all, they’re common and benign so while they may be cosmetically unappealing, they are medically harmless. Second of all, keratosis pilaris is not contagious. They appear on the upper arms and sometimes thighs. While the cause is mostly unknown outside of an overproduction of keratin and dry skin, we’re sure you still want them to go away; here’s how to help that.

Here’s how to battle those bumps:

• Use mild, non-drying soaps when bathing
• Avoid really hot water; this dries skin and can make bumps worse
• In the shower or tub gently exfoliate with a loofa or other at home exfoliating product
• Be sure your skin is well hydrated; this condition thrives on dry skin, so apply lotion immediately after showering and look for one containing urea and lactic acid
• Consider using an exfoliating lotion on your skin like PCA SKIN Body Therapy which has both the ingredients mentioned above.
• Professional treatments include applying exfoliating acids such as glycolic, salicylic or lactic acids
• Results are not immediate so be patient. You should see improvement in 4 to 6 weeks.