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Real talk: I've had bumpy arms for as long as I can remember. Despite having tried every treatment under the sun — really, I even tried the sun — my red, patchy keratosis pilaris (or "chicken skin," as my grandmother so sweetly calls it) plagued my younger years. I wore cardigans to school year-round, I methodically coated the backs of my arms in Sally Hansen's Airbrush Legs spray, and I spent a decade wondering why every boy I dated insisted on swaddling me in blankets, until I realized they mistook my KP for perpetual goosebumps.
"Keratosis pilaris is a build-up of keratin — a hair protein — in the pores that clogs up and blocks the opening of growing hair follicles," dermatologist Doris Day tells Allure. "As a result, small bumps form over where the hair should be."
Symptoms, treatment options, and personal experiences for various physical, mental, and health conditions and concerns.
Even now, I'm still dreading the summer months when I'll be forced to bare my arms and abandon the comfort of sleeves. So instead of spending another season hating on my skin for having KP, I decided to go to the pros to find out exactly how to eradicate keratosis pilaris once and for all.
"You can't eradicate keratosis pilaris," says Day. (Editorial note: Bummer.) "It's a genetic condition where, for some reason, the follicles on the outer arms and thighs get clogged and don't naturally exfoliate," she explains. But that doesn't mean you should run out and buy a loofah. "We used to think if you exfoliated enough, you'd be able to undo KP," says Day. "But exfoliating can actually irritate the bumps and make them much worse."
"There isn't a permanent fix, but you can make the bumps go away for a while with glycolic and lactic acid treatments, which will diminish buildup and make your skin feel softer," says Kenneth Beer, a Palm Beach dermatologist. We like Skinfix's Renewing Body Scrub & Cream combo, as well as Dermadoctor's KP Duty Body Scrub with Chemical + Physical Exfoliation.
Try swapping your body scrub for a Clarisonic facial brush and a salicylic acid cleanser, like Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Body Wash, which has 2 percent salicylic acid to penetrate follicles and chamomile to soothe skin.
Post-shower, Day recommends applying AmLactin body lotion, with 12 percent lactic acid. "Lactic acid is great for KP because it loosens cells over time to gently exfoliate skin," she says. "It's also a humectant, which means it will add moisture and minimize irritation." Make sure to slather it on every day and you should notice smoother skin within a week or two, she notes.
Another excellent option is SkinMedica's AHA-BHA Cream, featuring lactic acid, malic acid, and glycolic acid, as well as vitamin C, aloe vera, and soothing squalane oil.
If at-home treatments still aren't cutting it, make an appointment with your physician. "Your dermatologist can greatly reduce the appearance of keratosis pilaris with just a few in-office laser treatments, which help to exfoliate the deepest layers of your skin," says Day.
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Now read more about skin bumps:
- Those Tiny White Bumps on Your Face Aren't Acne
- 4 Steps to Getting Rid of a Cystic Pimple, Fast
- This Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Those Deep, Painful Pimples, According to Top Dermatologists
Done reading? Find out what makes this cystic acne sufferer feel confident:
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