A Brief Overview of Keratosis Pilaris

Considered one of the most unique skin conditions out there, keratosis pilaris, or commonly known as ‘chicken skin’, is a skin ailment that manifests as rough bumps all over the skin. These small bumps can be quite persistent and are in fact, dead skin cells that end up blocking the hair follicles.

At times, these bumps can have a red, or brownish appearance in color.

Chicken skin is normally concentrated on the cheeks, buttocks, or upper arms. Of note is that the skin condition is in no way contagious, and the said bumps do not have any feeling of discomfort, or itching in particular.

The skin condition can be particularly aggressive during winter, especially when the skin tends to be excessively dried out, and can particularly worsen during pregnancy.

No cure:-

There is no given cure for this genetic skin condition, although it is completely harmless. That being said, there are number of ways it can be treated, preventing it from worsening in the process.

Fortunately for many, keratosis pilaris normally clears up by the time one reaches the age of 30.

Common characteristics of keratosis pilaris symptoms:-

The most common symptom of keratosis is its distinct appearance. The visible bumps that are present on the skin have a goosebump-like resemblance. For this reason alone, the term ‘chicken skin’ became quite prevalent.

Other symptoms that manifest with this genetic ailment include;

• ·         Redness that appears as bumps with slight pinkness.
• ·         Irritable and itchy skin
• ·         Totally dry skin
• ·         Bumps that give the skin a sand-paper feeling
• ·     Bumps that can look like different colors depending on the skin-tone e.g. (flesh-colored, pink, red, brown, or white)

Causes of keratosis pilaris:-

This skin condition is caused by the buildup of a specific hair protein known as keratin which is found in the pores. Moreover, if one has an aggressive eruption of chicken skin, the keratin of one’s body hair gets clogged in the pores, resulting in blockage of hair follicles that are currently growing.

The result? A small bump will form over the place that hair was initially meant to be. So if one was to prick the bump in question, they would notice the emergence of their body hairs, though ones that would still be quite young.

Because the exact cause of keratin buildup is not known, doctors have a strong feeling that it could be related with another skin condition such as a genetic disease, or the likes of atopic dermatitis.

An effective condition for treating chicken skin would be Glycolic Peel For Keratosis Pilaris.

What type of people can develop this skin condition?

Chicken skin is pretty prevalent with people that suffer from the following conditions:

• ·         Celtic ancestry
• ·         Dry skin
• ·         Melanoma
• ·         Hay fever
• ·         Obesity
• ·         Women
• ·         Ichthyosis

That being said, pretty anyone can be susceptible to this given skin condition. However, it normally clears off by the time someone gets to the age of 30.

Of note is that hormonal changes can result in flare-ups, especially in the cases where the woman in question is pregnant. The condition is also common in people that happen to have fair skin.