Why do I have little red dots all over my leg?

Question

Hi doctor,

From young age, I have had little red dots all over my legs and not much hair. I am a 31-year-old male and I want to know the problem. There might be ingrown hairs, but I do not know. I have more of them hair especially on the back.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your concern and examined your given pictures (attachment removed to protect patient identity). With your given descriptions it looks like ingrown hairs. The most common cause of ingrown hairs is shaving, waxing, and tweezing unwanted facial and body hair. By removing hair and leaving the sharp tip of the hair so short and close to the skin surface, it is more prone to grow sideways or curl back into the hair follicle and get stuck under the skin surface, leading to irritation and inflammation of the overlying skin.

Treatment for ingrown hairs can vary and sometimes the ingrown hair will heal spontaneously without any specific treatment at all. You can use topical steroid cream like 0.1% Mometasone cream once daily. Application for one to two weeks will decrease inflammation. You can also use Retino-A 0.025% (Tretinoin) for local application during the night for the same duration to dislodge keratin so ingrown hairs come out. Consult your specific doctor, discuss with him or her, and take the medicine with consent. Review after two weeks for further management.

Thank you.