They look a little like permanent goosebumps – tiny red or skin-coloured spots that stubbornly remain on the backs of the arms and thighs, no matter how much you moisturise.
For some people, they are barely noticeable. For others, they can cover large patches of skin, leaving it rough, red and sometimes itchy and irritated.
Yet many of those affected have no idea the spots are actually a recognised skin condition – or that as many as 40 per cent of adults are thought to have it.
Called keratosis pilaris, and often nicknamed ‘chicken skin’, it develops when, for reasons not fully understood, keratin – the protein that helps protect the skin – builds up and blocks the hair follicles.
And because the resulting bumps can look like dry, clogged skin, sufferers may assume the obvious solution is to scrub them away.
But according to skin specialist Dr Sabika Karim, that is one of the worst things you can do.
‘Keratosis pilaris is definitely one of the most common conditions that we see in clinic,’ says Dr Karim, a specialist aesthetic doctor and founder of Skin Medical.
‘Many people think it’s just dry skin or a result of not washing properly – but keratosis pilaris has nothing to do with hygiene and over-scrubbing can actually make it worse.’
Keratosis pilaris, often referred to as ‘chicken skin’, causes small, rough, skin-coloured or red bumps resembling permanent goosebumps to appear on the upper arms and thighs
Instead, she says most cases can be dramatically improved at home with a handful of inexpensive skincare ingredients – without resorting to costly laser treatment or professional chemical peels.
Here, Dr Karim reveals what to look for on the label, the £19 cream she recommends to patients and the everyday habits that could be making ‘chicken skin’ worse.
Start with a moisturiser – but check the label
The good news is that for most people, getting ‘chicken skin’ under control does not require a trip to a dermatologist.
‘For mild keratosis pilaris, home care is easy enough,’ says Dr Karim.
‘In fact, I don’t see many severe cases anymore because most people can manage it at home with skincare.’
The first step, she says, is to use an emollient – a moisturising treatment that helps soften and smooth the rough skin.
Dr Karim recommends looking for products containing lactic acid, glycolic acid or salicylic acid. These ingredients help loosen and remove the excess skin cells that can contribute to blocked hair follicles, gradually flattening the characteristic bumps.
Meanwhile, ingredients such as ceramides, glycerin and squalane help support the skin barrier – the protective outer layer that helps keep moisture in and irritants out.
And there is no need to spend a fortune.
One product Dr Karim recommends is Eucerin UreaRepair cream, which costs around £19 for 50ml and contains both urea and glycerin.
Urea is particularly useful because it both draws moisture into the skin and helps soften the hardened, rough skin on its surface.
The cream can be used daily, or as needed, to help keep the affected areas smooth.
But whatever treatment you choose, both experts stress that keratosis pilaris is not something that can usually be fixed once and forgotten.
The bumps can return, meaning regular skincare is more important than an occasional intensive treatment.
And there is one seemingly logical way of getting rid of them that can actually backfire.
Why you should never try to scrub it away
When skin feels rough and bumpy, reaching for a body scrub or exfoliating glove might seem like the obvious solution.
But vigorously scrubbing keratosis pilaris can have precisely the opposite effect.
That is because being too aggressive with the skin can cause irritation and inflammation, making the affected areas appear redder and more noticeable.
This does not mean exfoliation is completely off limits.
Dr Karim recommends gently running a soft, wet washcloth over affected areas in light, circular motions in the shower once or twice a week. The aim is to remove loose, dead skin cells – not to physically scrub away the bumps.
Professor Faisal Ali, of the British Association of Dermatologists, says gentle exfoliation can make the skin feel smoother initially, but warns that the effect may not last.
The bumps often return, he says, which is why regularly using moisturising treatments is a better long-term strategy.
And resist the temptation to pick or squeeze individual spots.
Dr Karim warns that doing so can damage the skin, potentially leading to permanent scarring, dark marks and painful bacterial infections.
For bumps that stubbornly refuse to shift despite regular skincare, however, doctors have another option.
What to try if the bumps won’t budge
If regular moisturising and gentle exfoliation fail to make a difference, stronger treatments may be worth considering.
For more stubborn cases, doctors can prescribe topical retinoids – medicines derived from vitamin A that are also commonly used to treat acne.
These work by speeding up the turnover of skin cells, helping to stop dead cells and keratin from building up and plugging the hair follicles.
But stronger does not necessarily mean better for everyone.
Retinoids themselves can cause dryness, redness and irritation, which is why they are often used alongside a thick moisturiser. They can also make skin more sensitive to sunlight, so sun protection is particularly important while using them.
Dr Karim says GPs may also prescribe stronger exfoliating treatments and, in some cases, mild topical steroids for moderate keratosis pilaris.
Only when the condition is particularly troublesome does she suggest considering more expensive treatments in a specialist clinic.
Dr Sabika Karim says keratosis pilaris can easily be managed through skincare
These include high-strength chemical peels, which use acids to remove surface skin cells and tackle the keratin ‘plugs’ blocking the follicles.
Laser treatment and laser hair removal can also be used in some cases to reduce redness and improve the bumpy texture by targeting the hair follicles.
However, these treatments come with drawbacks. As well as being considerably more expensive than creams, they can cause irritation, redness and changes in pigmentation – particularly if inappropriate laser settings are used on darker skin tones.
So for the vast majority of sufferers, the decidedly less glamorous answer remains the most important one: consistent skincare.
But there is another supposed ‘cure’ that both experts say you shouldn’t waste your time on.
Don’t waste time cutting out dairy
Another popular piece of advice found online is that changing your diet – particularly by giving up gluten or dairy – can make ‘chicken skin’ disappear.
But there is no good scientific evidence that cutting out either food group will treat keratosis pilaris.
Professor Ali says he would not recommend restricting major food groups in an attempt to clear the condition because it is unlikely to make a difference.
And unnecessarily cutting foods from your diet can make it harder to get all the nutrients you need.
So while someone with a diagnosed condition such as coeliac disease should, of course, follow the diet recommended by their doctor, there is no reason for the average person with keratosis pilaris to give up bread, milk or cheese in the hope of smoother skin.
So can you get rid of ‘chicken skin’ for good?
There is one catch to all of this: there is no guaranteed one-off cure for keratosis pilaris.
For some people, the bumps go away on their own. Dr Karim says this is often the case for teenagers who find the condition disappears as they get older.
But for others, they persist. Cold weather can also make keratosis pilaris more troublesome as the skin becomes drier, which makes maintaining a regular moisturising routine particularly important during winter.
And if the bumps are widespread, particularly troublesome or simply refuse to improve despite trying over-the-counter treatments, Dr Karim says it is worth asking for medical advice.
She says: ‘GPs are a great first point of contact but medical clinics can offer additional treatments like retinoids and high-strength chemical peels where people need them.
‘The goal is always to get the condition under control so the patient can manage it at home.’
