What the Heck is Keratosis Pilaris?
Growing up in the hot, humid summers of Atlanta, Georgia, summers were full of tennis, swim team practice, climbing trees, and vacation bible school. I remember going through puberty and some cute older boy on my swim team asked me why I had pimples all over my arms. Whaaaat?! Tears welled up in my eyes. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it until he pointed it out…all summer long. Thanks a lot jerk.
So as you can imagine, this started my obsession with getting rid of it. At that age it just wasn’t fair. Why me? This was literally the end of my world.
What the heck is Keratosis Pilaris (ker-uh-TOE-sis pih-LAIR-is) aka chicken skin? It is actually pretty common and can appear on your arms, thighs, cheeks and back side. Tiny little bumps, that look like pimples. They are caused by an over build up of protein, that clogs the hair follicles. KP is actually dead skin cells. Not contagious, itchy or uncomfortable. Just red and annoying, but not the end of your world. Read on my friend.
How do you treat KP?
Exfoliate. You don’t want to be aggressive. Using a combination of physical and chemical exfoliation will help so much. Please don’t pick, this will not help at all.
Retinol. Skincare does not need to be saved for the face. Choose a product with retinol or salicylic acid. This will help heal and speed up your results. You will see softer, smoother skin in literally no time.
Moisturize. Same rule applies here. Use your best face moisturizer on the dry areas.
Professional treatments. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion can really help you on your way faster to smoother skin.
Tinted Moisturizer. Tricks of the trade. While celebrities have been using body makeup for years for special events etc…you too can have a even smoother appearance to your skin. A little tinted moisturizer on the area, and just like magic, bye-bye bumps.
A little self tanner helps blend any discoloration you might have.
The good news is Keratosis Pilaris usually gets better with age. I still follow all the steps above for smoother skin. I like to think of all the years KP built character for me and got me to love the skin I am in.