Chances Are You Have Keratosis Pilaris (Chicken Skin) & We Have A Surefire Way to Deal with It!
Have you heard of chicken skin? Well if you haven’t heard of it, you most definitely have seen it. Chicken Skin or Keratosis Pilaris are those small clusters of dead skin cells that gather around the hair follicles on your skin. This means that dead skin, instead of exfoliating off the skin naturally, gather around the hair follicles and block it. And they’re called chicken skin because the skin then resembles that of a chicken.
Now, Keratosis Pilaris can look different depending on your skin tone. If you are fair-skinned then it can appear reddish, but if you have darker skin, then it will appear the same as your skin tone or darker. And note that it can appear anywhere on the body, but mainly appears on areas like the back of the thigh, arms, elbows and the inner side of the knee.
What You Should Know
On how to treat Keratosis Pilaris, we have good news, not so good news and bad news. The bad news is – there is no cure. As a chronic skin condition, Keratosis Pilaris can only be managed because it stretches over a long period of time. So even though things may seem bleak right now, at least there is some solution.
Now for the not-so-good news, Keratosis Pilaris is hereditary, occurs mainly on dry, dehydrated or eczema-prone skin. So if you have it, then it’s probably because of one of these.
Some good news? It intensifies mainly in adolescence and weans off as you grow older.
Treatment
We have established that Keratosis Pilaris cannot be treated, but managed, and here’s how to manage it.
The first thing to note is that you have to have a consistent routine that has your Keratosis Pilaris in mind.
Exfoliate: Because this skin condition is caused by excess dead skin cells, it is important that you exfoliate the area to remove that dead skin. This would help smoothen the area over time and manage the situation better.
Cleanse: You need to use a gentle cleanser to clean the skin properly and ensure there are no clogs. remember the cleanser you use must be gentle.
Moisturize: Keratosis Pilaris commonly occurs on dry skin, so you need to moisturize to reduce the chances of it occurring intensely.
There’s so much more to note, so watch Aesthetician – Amaka Tina explain more on how to treat Keratosis Pilaris (Chicken Skin).
Photo Credit: The New York Times | WikiDoc
