Apply an over-the-counter cream that contains urea, lactic acid, alpha hydroxy acid or salicylic acid. These creams help loosen and remove dead skin cells. They also moisturize and soften dry skin.
Keratosis pilaris develops when keratin forms a scaly plug that blocks the opening of the hair follicle. Usually plugs form in many hair follicles, causing patches of rough, bumpy skin. Keratosis pilaris is caused by the buildup of keratin — a hard protein that protects skin from harmful substances and infection.
There's no known cure for keratosis pilaris. It usually clears up on its own with age. There are some treatments you can try to alleviate the look of it, but keratosis pilaris is typically treatment-resistant. Improvement may take months, if the condition improves at all.
Treatment for keratosis pilaris
Usually no treatment is necessary for keratosis pilaris. Treatment may include: Using petroleum jelly with water, cold cream, urea cream, or salicylic acid (removes the top layer of skin) to flatten the pimples.
Even with treatment, it may take time for keratosis pilaris bumps to go away. If you follow your treatment plan, you should start seeing improvement within four to six weeks. Even without treatment, most cases of keratosis pilaris start to clear around your mid-20s, and usually completely disappears by age 30.
Despite what you might see on the internet, your diet does not cause keratosis pilaris. While doctors point to several reasons why someone might develop this skin condition, your diet is typically not one of them. Some of the more common triggers for developing keratosis pilaris include: your family's genes.
Key facts about treatment
When treating keratosis pilaris, it helps to keep the following in mind: Clearing takes time. If you fail to see improvement after following your treatment plan for 4 to 6 weeks, tell your dermatologist. Some patients need to try a few treatments before they find one that works.
Since keratosis pilaris is caused by plugged hair follicles, exfoliating can help clear things up. Dry brushing, gentle scrubs and exfoliating body brushes like the Clarisonic, can all help smooth skin. You can also go the chemical route.
We get keratosis pilaris when dead skin cells clog our pores. A pore is also called a hair follicle. Every hair on our body grows out of a hair follicle, so we have thousands of hair follicles. When dead skin cells clog many hair follicles, you feel the rough, dry patches of keratosis pilaris.
Exfoliate gently.
You can slough off these dead cells gently with a loofah, buff puff, or rough washcloth. Avoid scrubbing your skin, which tends to irritate the skin and worsen keratosis pilaris.
The easiest way to exfoliate your arms and legs is with a brush, sponge, or glove. This can help get rid of dead skin cells and stimulate circulation. Look for a body scrub at your local pharmacy or online and lather with it in the shower. You can also try dry brushing.
Use mild soaps like Cetaphil® bar soap, Dove® soap, or Lever 2000 antibacterial soap. Usually keratosis pilaris clears up as the person gets older.
Treating keratosis pilaris is about unclogging those pores, so don't waste your time with coconut oil. Jojoba oil is a milder oil and might help lessen redness and inflammation around KP bumps.
Can you treat keratosis pilaris with coconut oil? Yes! Coconut oil contains lauric acid which can help break keratin and avoid build-up – aka reduces the appearance of bumps on the back of the arms and body. It's also rich in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce redness.
Despite the difference in feel and appearance keratosis pillars is considered to be a variant of normal skin that does not require a cure or intervention. For this reason you can absolutely get a tattoo on it, but the considerations for tattooing over a scar apply here as well.
Vitamin A helps to regulate cell production and prevent a build up of cells. Both these effects may benefit to minimise Keratosis Pilaris and to improve the skin's appearance. There are many vitamin A supplements on the market but most of these tend to be dry powder forms of such as beta carotene.
The experts we spoke to all agreed that the best course of action for treating keratosis pilaris is through a one-two punch of exfoliation and hydration.
Avoid shaving or waxing skin with keratosis pilaris.
This can cause more bumps to appear. However, if you must shave the area, use a single-blade razor instead of a multi-blade razor.
"Gentle moisturizers and topical creams work best for keratosis pilaris," Rodney says. "Cetaphil and CeraVe moisturizers and lotions are safe, effective products. These contain many of the beneficial keratolytic ingredients."
Keratin is a tough, fibrous protein found in fingernails, hair, and skin. The body may produce extra keratin as a result of inflammation, as a protective response to pressure, or as a result of a genetic condition. Most forms of hyperkeratosis are treatable with preventive measures and medication.
If you have Keratosis pilaris (chicken skin), you may need to free your hair for sugaring. You can use a fiber brush or hair extraction tool to free your hair from the dead follicles. Keratosis pilaris or Chicken Skin is a skin condition that causes rough patches and small, acne-like bumps on the skin.
CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough and Bumpy Skin
"Works very well for body acne and keratosis pilaris," one reviewer wrote. The CeraVe Body Wash with Salicylic Acid, the lotion's counterpart, also currently sits among the top five bath and shower gels on Amazon and has more than 400 five-star reviews from verified shoppers.