Have you ever wondered why you have rough bumps on your upper arms or thigh that do not go away? Annoyingly, these chicken skin-like bumps can also be found on the cheeks, back and buttocks. They are ugly, chronic but really very common. You might not have it but I am pretty sure you know somebody who has it. This condition is called “Kera­tosis Pilaris” (KP). Keratosis Pila­ris is hereditary and affects more than 50% of children. KP affects 4 out of every 10 adults and women are slightly more prone to devel­oping the skin condition. Men who have it might not care at all simply because they don’t wear spaghetti straps!!

People with KP may also at times find themselves battling with eczema, dry scaly skin, asth­ma or hay fever. Just like eczema, KP is not contagious. KP is medi­cally harmless although I know for a fact that it is not aestheti­cally pleasing to the eyes and can create stress to people who have them, especially the ladies who are wanting to expose their upper arms in their sexy black dresses.

Keratosis Pilaris manifests as raised, rough, and bumpy with abrasive texture. The bumps are actually excess skin cells, which build up around individual hair follicles. Sometimes a hair is unable to find its way out to the surface and get trapped underneath the layers of dead skin. If millions of skin cells die each day, can you imagine the layers of dead skin that form on the surface that prevent the hairs to grow out? Some of the trapped hairs become “ingrown” hair with tiny heads of pus. Among teenag­ers, this condition triggers follicu­lar acne making Keratosis Pilaris bumps uglier and looking nastier than ever.

Since Keratosis Pilaris is he­reditary, cure may be far fetched but there are ways to improve the appearance of the skin. Some doctors recommend creams with Vit A but mind you, this will make you susceptible to solar damage especially if you are not applying sunscreen on your arms. Some doctors recommend AHA treat­ments (glycolic and lactic acid), and creams with urea and green tea. Trained professionals should perform these treatments and you should remember to wear SUNSCREEN if you decide to take these treatments.

When my clients come with KP, what I suggest is to gently exfoli­ate the skin with wet soapy baby face towels. I personally do not like using loofahs or the cheap exfoliating mitts because I find them too abrasive, especially bad for bumps with pus! If not prop­erly sanitized, the loofahs and mitts can promote bacterial and fungal growth, which can spread to the skin. You might then end up with more skin problems with­out realizing it! Jane Iredale has a “Magic Mitt” that you can use to gently exfoliate the skin. It doesn’t breed bacteria because of the mi­cro fibers that dry up fast in be­tween usage. It is originally used as a makeup remover mitt that does not affect the skin’s natural acid mantle. The microfibers are many times thinner than a human hair and are non-abrasive. After the exfoliation step, apply creams or body lotion most especially on the areas where you have the “chicken skin”.

Microdermabrasion (Diamond Peel) treatment for the arms is definitely an option to make smoother. But you have to re­member that since Keratosis Pila­ris is chronic, microdermabrasion does not cure KP. There are mild­er forms of facial AHA creams, which can definitely be used to smoothen the arms. You can pick up a free sample if you want to try the product.

And just as I am writing this article, I figured out that if skin tags are excess skin cells and are removed by electrocautery, then maybe zapping the KP bumps can possibly level off or smoothen the surface and get rid of the ugly bumps. If you are traumatized with KP, feel free to experiment this treatment option with me. I am positive this is worth a try!

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