Keratosis Pilaris: A common skin condition, also known as “chicken skin” or “goose flesh,” characterized by rough, bumpy skin on the upper arms and tops of the thighs.

If you’re experiencing an unwanted skin souvenir in the form of tiny, rough, slightly red bumps on your arms, thighs or backside, you are not alone. This condition is called keratosis pilaris and is estimated to affect approximately 40% of adults and up to 80% of adolescents. Keratosis pilaris is a build-up of a protein called keratin at the opening of the hair follicle. This build-up produces spiky overgrowths of skin that can worsen as weather turns cooler and drier.

As widespread as keratosis pilaris is, most people are too embarrassed to seek treatment from their physician or a dermatologist. Instead, they try a variety of self-treatments, such as attempting to scratch the bumps off or aggressively exfoliate them away. Unfortunately, neither…