
Bawk, bawk bawk, bawwwk – I’ve always suffered from what is less-than-delightfully known as chicken skin. The actual skin condition, called Keratosis Pilaris (KP) is actually quite common and – you guessed it – makes your skin bumpy like that of a chicken. I didn’t lose any feathers recently, so what’s going on with the bumps?
KP is characterized by small, goosebump-like dots on the skin, usually on the outer parts of upper arms, but also on the back, thighs and bum, too. They are caused by the skin’s inability to exfoliate itself, and basically each bump is a clogged pore, surrounded by a protein called keratin. Unfortunately, there’s no “cure” for KP, because it’s in your genes. But there are treatments to make those unsightly bumps go away!
The first thing you have to do is un-clog those pores to get the bumps down. Select a grainy sugar scrub and massage it onto the affected area in a circular motion. Just be careful not to massage too aggressively, since this could irritate sensitive skin. Using a spray like Keracalm Smoothing Spray after the shower can help with any irritation and inflammation, and improve the texture and tone of the skin.