If running your hand over your upper arm brings to mind the texture of sandpaper or ‘chicken skin’, you’re not alone. This rough, bumpy skin is known as keratosis pilaris, a harmless condition that affects around 40% of people. Though it’s more prevalent during the winter due to low humidity and central heating drying the skin, it’s in the summer – when you ditch the sleeves – that talk turns to the topic.
Affecting both adults and young people, keratosis pilaris is neither infectious nor painful. It’s determined only by its appearance on the skin and it can show up anywhere on the arms, thighs or bottom. Keratosis pilaris occurs when hair follicles become blocked with a build-up of cellular debris (dead skin and sebum gunk) and keratin (a type of protein contained in the skin that can accumulate in the opening of pores). In medical terms, this is due to the ‘abnormal keratinisation’ of the lining of the upper portion of the hair follicle.
Your chances of having keratosis pilaris is usually linked to your genes, and it can develop from as early as your teenage years into adult life. The condition cannot be cured but isn’t harmful.
If the appearance of ‘chicken skin’ is a concern, hydration and exfoliation are key. Look for emollients that contain urea (it helps to break down keratin) and ensure that you moisturise the skin twice a day within five minutes of showering, while the skin is still damp.
Dermatologists often recommend that you use ingredients with keratolytic properties, which exfoliate the skin to remove excess keratin. These include acids such as lactic, salicylic and glycolic or exfoliating retinoids such as adapalene, retinol and tazarotene. It can take four to eight weeks to see results from these treatments, so don’t give up. And in rare cases where these do
