Your skin is your body's largest organ. It's also the one most exposed to the surrounding environment, leaving it open to many conditions both from internal afflictions and external irritants. One of the common side effects of many skin conditions is the appearance of random red bumps.
Environmental Causes
Environmental causes such as overexposure to the sun may cause small red bumps. For example, actinic keratoses creates small red bumps on the skin, especially on the face, scalp and the backs of the hands due to overexposure to sunlight. Bug and parasite bites may also cause small red bumps on the skin. On the more serious side of the red-bump spectrum, precancerous lesions or cancerous melanoma can also manifest itself on the skin as small red bumps.
Infections Effects
Red bumps may also occur on the skin as a side effect of an infection. One of the most common infections that may create these bumps are acne pustules due to clogged skin follicles becoming infected with the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes, or P. acnes. Red bumps may also develop on the skin due to a staph infection, as seen with boils and folliculitis.
Allergen and Irritants Considerations
If you have mild to severe allergies, they may manifest themselves on the skin through red bumps. When the skin comes into contact with an allergen or irritant, the body's immune system reacts by releasing histamine into the bloodstream, which can result in bumps or welts appearing on the skin. Contact dermatitis is another common reason for red bumps in relation to irritants, especially in relation to skin contact with common irritants like harsh soaps, deodorants, poison ivy and weeds, suggests MayoClinic.com.
Dangers
In most cases red bumps are more of an annoyance than a serious health threat. However, any changes to your skin tissue should be looked at by your doctor to ensure they are not something more serious. For example, red bumps due to acne can become increasingly infected, resulting in acne cysts, nodules and even acne scarring from inflammation. Red bumps that change colors or grow in size or shape can be a sign of cancers such as melanoma and should be examined immediately.
Treatment
In many cases, avoiding whatever irritant is creating the red bumps will solve the skin problem. In other cases, an over-the-counter cream containing hydrocortisone can help reduce redness and relieve any itching associated with the bumps. For more serious cases where other treatment methods have been unsuccessful, your doctor may prescribe oral corticosteroids or antihistamines for treatment of the bumps.
