Any number of skin conditions can cause red, pimple-like bumps that inflame, clog or irritate your skin. According to MedlinePlus, immunity problems, genetics, allergies and environmental factors all can influence the skin's reactions. Skin conditions that often develop small red bumps include hives, rashes and dermatitis. Acne also can spread throughout the body and form pimples from clogged pores.
Effects
Babies can develop a variety of rashes, most of which are harmless and disappear in time, according to MedlinePlus. The urine and feces that sit in their diapers can cause the small red bumps on a babies' bottoms. A rash that more closely resembles pimples is called candida and requires medication to clear up. Usually candida appears on the outer edges of a diaper rash and also can lead to thrush, an infection of the mouth.
Types
Heat rash is a condition that commonly affects babies, but also can develop into small red pustules in adults, according to MedlinePlus. Because babies don't sweat, the pores become clogged when they become overheated. Baby acne is common in the first weeks after birth and is caused by the mother's hormones. A harmless rash that affects nearly half of all newborns is called erythema toxicum and presents as a red splotch with a white bump in the middle, making it look like a pimple, reports MedlinePlus.
Features
Small bugs called mites can burrow under the skin in children and adults and produce tiny red bumps, often mistaken for pimples. Scabies also produce severe itching and easily are spread from person to person, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The red pimple-like bumps usually appear in the folds of the skin at the bend in the knees or elbows, between fingers and toes or the folds in the abdomen. Scabies from mites also appear in the genitals and around women's nipples.
Potential
Chiggers are another type of bug that burrows under the skin and bites, causing red pimple-like bumps. According to MedlinePlus, chiggers attack humans when they are in their larvae form. They are wingless and have six legs. You can pick up chiggers in berry patches, woods and tall weeds and grass. According to the University of Florida Extension, chiggers mainly live in areas that are damp and low, with heavy vegetation. They often are abundant in the same areas you find rodents, where trees and shrubs cover the ground. The bumps from chigger bites usually go away within a couple weeks on their own, but corticosteroid creams and antihistamines can relieve the itching they cause.
Warning
Unusual red bumps that don't respond to home remedies and persist over a long period often appear as a symptom of the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The red pimple-like bumps occur as a result of a compromised immune system. Karposi's sarcoma, a cancer often linked to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, causes lesions that take on the appearance of dark red pimple-like bumps that can range in size from a pinhead to a silver dollar.
