Simple things you can do to help treat your keratosis pilaris and get healthier skin! Help get rid of those pesky bumps
Keratosis pilaris (or also called follicular keratosis or sometimes “chicken skin”) is very common among people. Keratosis pilaris is those bumps you get on your skin. They are small, hard bumps. The color can be white, red, skin tone…colors can vary. It is harmless and non-irritating so far as symptoms go. It is usually on your thighs, upper arms, cheeks, and bum.
What Is It?
I have had people who have this tell me that this was eczema–it isn’t. Anyone who has had (or had a child whose had) real eczema can quickly see the two are very different.
I have keratosis pilaris. So do Kaitlyn and Brinley. If you read up on this condition, you will read things like that it will eventually go away–typically by 30. I have not found this to be true in my case.
It really isn’t more than a cosmetic issue. I haven’t worried much about it. Kaitlyn has it on her forearms, and she has grown into an age where she is concerned about things like that. The forearms are definitely more noticeable than the upper arms or thighs. Because she wasn’t liking it, I did some consulting with her doctor and some reading up on it.
Keratosis pilaris is basically when your body has a build-up of kertin. This keratin blocks a hair follicle so it plugs up. Dry skin seems to make the problem worse.
How Do You Fix Keratosis Pilaris?
You can’t fix it, but you can improve it.
There are prescription creams your doctor can prescribe to you. I have opted to just do what we can to mitigate the problem with over-the-counter solutions.
I figured since it is worsened by dry skin, a good effort would be to alleviate the dry skin. Our pediatrician agreed. You can do that with (This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. This does not increase your cost):
- Essential Oils (lavender
is a good one)
- Lotions (I think good lotion varies from skin to skin. I really like Jergens Ultra Healing
. My kids have also used Vanicream
and that works well).
- Humidifier
will help keep moisture in the air. This is super helpful if you live in a dry climate. We must use this in the winter for our skin where we live.
An essential step I have found is some form of exfoliation. I like to use a Pouf Bath Sponge
You wash well using those two items. You then lotion up well afterward. Once I revisited this method (used it years ago, but let’s be honest. A pouf (loofah) just takes a longer time to rinse out than you want to spend as a mom), I quickly saw that it worked well.
Santa brought a loofa and some Dove body wash to each of my girls. Since then, they have been using this and their keratosis pilaris is noticeably improved.
Conclusion
Keratosis pilaris is something you have to accept in life, but there are a few simple things you can do to help minimize the symptoms. Give it a try and I am sure you will see improvement!
Of course, always consult with your doctor on medical conditions. This is not a substitute for a doctor.
Do you have any tricks to help with keratosis pilaris?
