Lotion and cream with medicines such as salicylic acid, lactic acid, urea, or tretinoin can help reduce the bumps. Keeping your skin moisturized. Put lotion or cream regularly on the areas with bumps. You can also use petroleum jelly or cold cream to moisturize the skin.
Keratosis pilaris (ker-uh-TOE-sis pih-LAIR-is) is a common, harmless skin condition that causes dry, rough patches and tiny bumps, often on the upper arms, thighs, cheeks or buttocks. The bumps usually don't hurt or itch. Keratosis pilaris is often considered a variant of normal skin. It can't be cured or prevented.
Keratosis pilaris is caused by a buildup of keratin, the protein that protects skin from infections and other harmful things. The buildup forms a plug that blocks the opening of a hair follicle, but doctors don't know what triggers the buildup.
Keep in mind that your skin condition may take 4 to 6 weeks to clear. It may also flare up again in the future. Once your condition improves, your doctor will come up with a maintenance plan to keep your symptoms reduced or eliminated.
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.
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.
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.
Keratin plugs don't usually require medical treatment. However, it's understandable to want to get rid of them for aesthetic reasons, especially if they're located in a visible area of your body. First, it's important to never pick at, scratch, or attempt to pop keratin plugs. Doing so may only cause irritation.
Although there is no known cure for Keratosis Pilaris, an appropriate skincare routine and regular moisturizing with a Urea-rich product such as Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 10% Urea Lotion will help alleviate symptoms and smooth skin.
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.
Causes and risk factors
People with dry skin, eczema, and skin allergies are more likely to develop KP than others. During the winter months, when skin tends to be drier, people prone to KP may have more outbreaks. Dry, cold climates can also make KP worse. KP also appears to have a genetic component.
Avoid shaving or waxing skin with KP as it may cause more bumps to appear.
Some may notice that their keratosis pilaris may be slightly better in the summer — that's because sun exposure can help to calm outbreaks! During the winter months when your arms and legs are bundled up, skin barely sees the light of day.
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.
Use mild soaps like Cetaphil® bar soap, Dove® soap, or Lever 2000 antibacterial soap. Usually keratosis pilaris clears up as the person gets older.
A KP rash seldom itches, is never painful, and is similar in texture to coarse sandpaper. It is more common in people with dry skin, such as people with atopic dermatitis (eczema). It tends to arise or worsen during winter months when the air is dry.
Gently exfoliate skin with keratosis pilaris once a week.
You can exfoliate using a skin care product called a keratolytic — a type of chemical exfoliator. Look for one that contains one of the following ingredients: alpha hydroxy acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, a retinoid, salicylic acid, or urea.
“Chicken skin is fairly easy to treat with the correct knowledge,” says Eilidh. Rather than harsh scrubs, try lightly massaging your skin with a washcloth of gentle exfoliating mitt instead. Or try a chemical exfoliator like glycolic acid, lactic acid or salicylic acid.
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.
While lasers are certainly not a cure for keratosis pilaris, it has been the most successful treatment for reducing the rough texture and uneven appearance this skin condition presents. Most often, a combination of treatments is the only way to truly get keratosis pilaris under control.
In short, no – it does not. 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.
After applying an acid, you'll want to follow up with an “intense hydrator,” like First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream, which Green says is ideal for treating dry skin associated with keratosis pilaris. The cream contains colloidal oatmeal and shea butter, which offers soothing hydration to the skin.