Top Five Tips for Reducing Chicken Skin
Written for Walgreens.com
If you have permanent goose-bumps on your skin, you may be dealing with a skin condition that effects more than 40% of the adult population. It’s called keratosis pilaris, or more commonly, chicken skin. The bumps normally appear on the backs of the upper arms, the thighs, or the bottom. They are caused by a buildup of keratin in the hair follicle, which forms a plug that on the surface looks like mild acne. It can be an embarrassing condition, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s because we’ve complied a list of our top five tips for reducing chicken skin.
1. Exfoliate
One of the main causes of chicken skin is the skin’s inability to exfoliate itself. So help your skin out and exfoliate at least a couple of times a week. There are many methods out there that will work. Some people prefer rubbing on exfoliating creams or body scrubs. You can even make your own scrub by combining olive oil and sugar. Others prefer more physical exfoliants, such as loofahs. Another popular method is dry brushing, where you take a dry exfoliating brush and massage it gently across your dry skin to exfoliate away dead skin cells and increase circulation. Regardless of the method you choose, make exfoliation a habit.
2. Moisturize
Once you’ve exfoliated away dead skin cells, apply a good moisturizer to combat the dry skin that goes along with keratosis pilaris. Look for a formula that is thick and contains ingredients such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, or avocado oil. These can help soothe irritated skin and reduce the appearance of chicken skin.
3. Medicate
There are several OTC creams to treat chicken skin. It can be helpful to lather one on twice a day. These creams typically contain urea, alpha-hydroxy acids, and lactic acid. These ingredients help dissolve excess keratin on the skin, as well as continue the process of exfoliation that you’ve already started. Some doctors also recommend treating chicken skin with an OTC corticosteroid, which can help reduce inflammation.
4. Sun
Chicken skin is normally worse in the winter months than in the summer months, and many sufferers get some relief when they expose their chicken skin to moderate amounts of sunlight. This can mean anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Just make sure not to stay out in the sun for too long or you’ll dry up your skin and further exacerbate the dry skin problem that goes along with chicken skin.
5. Treatment
If you’d like to see even more relief from chicken skin, schedule a visit with your dermatologist. Although there is no cure for chicken skin, a dermatologist can do more advanced treatments on the skin than what is available at home, which can lead to faster results. Typically, doctors rely on a combination of massage, hydra-dermabrasion, radio-frequency treatment, red light therapy, and thorough moisturizing.
With a few changes to your beauty routine, you can keep chicken skin at bay. So bring on the tank tops and the shorts; pretty soon, you are going to love the skin you’re in.