Keratosis Pilaris (KP) is something I have had as long as I can remember. For years I have searched for “cures” and ways to instantly irradiate KP and nothing really worked “miracles,” as the sites claimed.
What is Keratosis Pilaris?
Keratosis Pilaris is a common skin condition, which is often inherited. Some people describe it as “chicken skin” “goose bumps” or “gooseflesh.” Personally I just call them annoying red bumps. As far as I can work out the reason we get bumps is because of a excessive build up of keratin in individual hair follicles.
If you are not sure what KP looks like, here is a photo of my arm. I suffer from redness worst on the top half of my arm. For me, skin dryness and KP run hand in hand. It used to feel like I constantly had really dry arms with angry, red, irritated bumps. However after trying many products I have found a combination that has really improved the appearance and feel of my KP. I am not saying that I am cured (I am still looking for that cure) but sticking to this routine with the products listed below have really helped me, without breaking the bank. If you are looking for something to reduce the redness and improve the dryness of your KP, I hope this easy routine will help you.
So without further ado here is the four step skin regime I follow, which has improved the appearance and texture of my Keratosis Pilaris!
Step 1: Exfoliate, exfoliate, and exfoliate
- Look for an exfoliator that is for sensitive skin – I have found that products that use coconut, argan oil or Macadamia oil are best on my skin, as they are gentle enough not to further irritate the skin. If your KP is dry like mine, moisturising alone might not reduce the redness as dead skin might be further clogging the already aggravated hair follicle.
- Scrub, but do not over scrub – It has took my skin about a month of following this routine to become softer, make sure you don’t scrub too hard as this can just end up making the area more irritated and red. I now exfoliate my KP arms every other day in the shower. At first it did make my arms slightly redder, but as I persisted then continued with the rest of my KP battling skin care regime, my arms to touch now are so much softer and I can hardly feel the bumps!
One of my favourites is Coconut Body scrub – The Body Shop because contains organic virgin coconut oil, and coconut oil can be used to reduce inflammation, hence in my case it didn’t irritate my KP arms. The scent is not too strong either and suited my sensitive skin.
At the moment I am using Macadamia Nut Oil Face & Body Scrub- Bio Glow as a cheaper alternative (Available online, however I bought mine from B&M)
Step 2: Avoid the fragrance shower products
- Have you ever noticed a correlation with using fragranced shower gels and increased KP redness? Would you put fragranced products on red, irritated skin?
- Start treating your KP as sensitive skin and switch to a no fragrance, no soap shower gel for you KP afflicted area.
- Since switching to a no soap, no fragrance shower gel my skin in general seems less red and itchy, and less irritated.
My favourite shower gel to use is Zero % – Sanex shower gel as it is free from parabens, colourants, fragrance and soap. It is perfect for sensitive skin and it leaves me feeling nice and clean without skin irritation. I am not a fan of strong fragrance products (neither is my skin) so this will always be a bathroom essential.
Another product I like is Wild Argan Oil Shower Gel – The Body Shop. However this shower gel does have a distinct smell, but it didn’t irritate my skin and it did leave my skin feeling moisturised after showering. I have used Argan oil in my hair for a while and did see the same benefit on my overall skin, as well as my KP.
Step 3: Moisturise
- Timing is everything- Once I became dedicated to moisturising straight after I came out of the shower it became a massive game changer. Find a time that suits your life, I moisturise at night so that it can properly sink into my skin while I sleep (like a night cream for my body.)
- Moisturise your skin daily– It might seem an obvious one but we wouldn’t go out without moisturising our faces so why not give our body’s that dedication too. If I don’t have time to moisturise my whole body, I will make sure I put an intensive moisturiser just on my arm area.
- Always moisturise after a shower- Even if you have used a shower gel for sensitive skin you still need to moisturise or your KP is going to flare up even more in protest. The hot water from the shower on my KP seems to make it redder, so if you exfoliated too it’s absolutely essential to restore that moisture!
- Invest in a moisturiser designed for dry skin– From what I have read the reason why the bumps are so noticeable is because of the build up on keratin. Now that we have tried to scrub away the dead skin, its important that that skin gets properly moisturised. For years I found constant moisturising so difficult, I’d rub in moisturiser only to find after an hour my skin was dry again and KP redder then ever.
I believe I have truly found the holy grail of moisturisers! QV Cream (dare I say it) is the most hydrating moisturiser I have ever used, and has been a key product it keeping my skin hydrated and KP soft. Once I started using this I saw an overnight difference. My skin wasn’t unbearably dry, my KP wasn’t as red, and my skin actually felt soft! One bottle lasted me about 6 months using it on my arms and legs each time I came out of the shower. I don’t always use it on my entire body, (at first I did as I couldn’t believe the results) the skin on the rest of my body isn’t as dry but is still sensitive. I like to use E45 Cream or Shea Nourishing Body Butter- The Body Shop for the rest of my body.
Step 4: Nourish your skin
- Reduce the redness- For me one of the things I hate most about my KP is how red it is. I have very pale skin and I have always been so conscious of my arms. Using fragrance free products did a lot for my skin in reducing the redness. After reading up on products that have an anti-redness results I came across Rosehip Oil. Rosehip oil is used to treat scars , burns and have anti-inflammatory properties, so I thought why not give it a go on KP and see if it reduces my redness.
- Use an oil regularly- I use Rose Hip oil twice a week, before bed, after completing the above routine on my KP inflicted arm area.
At the moment I am loving the really affordable 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil 30ml – The Ordinary. At the price I thought I would give it ago and am so glad I did. The difference after using this, wow! My arms much less red and irritated in the morning and I am sure this product is particularly to blame. This product claims that the product is meant to be used on your face and has anti-aging properties (always a plus!) To compare I used this on my face too, to see how it worked at reducing my facial redness. This product was too oily for my facial skin, but did slightly reduce the pigmentation of my cheeks. I do not use this product on my face regularly but on my KP it really does seem to nourish it, and reduce the redness!
As a take away I would say don’t let KP get you down! It doesn’t seem like there is a miracle cure for this common skin condition (yet!) What we can do is make sure that we look after our skin, so it starts to feel a lot better! It can be hard not to worry about it especially if you have a big event planned and you want to show your arms. I still tend to try and cover the redness with fake tan (who else has tried this?) However my skin is so much smoother lately, that the fake tan cover up is working even better!
I hope that these products can help you as much as they have helped me! Let me know how you get on and if you have any KP tips feel free to share your comments!
Love Lizzie xxx
Cosmetic Revelations 