Chicken Skin: Do You Have Keratosis Pilaris, Or Something Else?

Dr. Andrea Suarez explains how to stop this from happening:

Keratin, Kerat-out

Dry skin cannot shed keratin properly, so it accumulates around hair follicles, creating small, rough, sandpaper-like bumps. Depending on various conditions (and your baseline skin pigmentation), can be anywhere from pale white (dead skin) through to dark brown. If it’s unusually pink or red, that’s probably inflammation.

Notably, the bumps are dry and rough rather than painful, and any itch is usually mild unless your skin is extremely dry, and there may be no itch at all.

There are some lookalikes, which are either related conditions (like folliculitis) or unrelated (like acne). Here’s what to watch out for.

• Folliculitis: inflamed hair follicles caused by bacteria, yeast, or irritation, often red, tender, itchy, or pus-filled, and commonly triggered by shaving, sweating, or friction.
• Follicular erythema from hair removal: redness around hair follicles that appears shortly after shaving, waxing, or plucking and usually settles within a few days, unlike keratosis pilaris which lingers.
• Eczema (atopic dermatitis): can resemble keratosis pilaris but is typically very itchy, may ooze or weep, and involves inflamed skin beyond the hair follicle itself.
• Pityrosporum folliculitis (fungal acne): uniform, itchy red bumps caused by yeast overgrowth, often worsens with heat, humidity, and sweating, and commonly affects the forehead, chest, and upper back.
• Milia: tiny white keratin-filled cysts that are not linked to a hair follicle, are not inflamed, and do not respond to moisturizers or exfoliating acids.
• Acne: larger, deeper, often painful or pus-filled lesions that may scar or leave dark marks, which is not typical of keratosis pilaris.

So, if it is keratosis pilaris, how to deal with it?

The main thing is consistent use of moisturizers containing keratolytics such as urea, lactic acid, glycolic acid, and/or salicylic acid to smooth skin and improve hydration.

Improvement usually takes 4–6 weeks of regular use, and ongoing maintenance is needed because the condition tends to recur if left unchecked. You can also help reduce its recurrence if you keep showers short and not too hot, pat your skin dry instead of rubbing, moisturize immediately after bathing, and use a humidifier in otherwise dry environments.

When to see a dermatologist: if the bumps are painful, itchy, spreading, or unresponsive to over-the-counter treatments, or if it is unclear what condition is present, then it’s time to let a professional take a look.

For more on all of this plus some visual illustrations, enjoy:

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Take care!