I was recently reading Allure magazine and there was a small article about those pesky, red bumps that appear on the upper arms and thighs and wanted to share what I learned. Interestingly enough, they aren’t pimples but instead keratosis pilaris and are caused when the “skin’s keratin proteins form hard plugs at the hair follicles [instead of] shedding normally.”

I have them on the back side of my upper arms and have always been slightly embarrassed by them. I never knew how to get rid of them and would often find myself harshly scrubbing them with a loufa in the shower. Turns out, this was my first mistake because it causes them to inflame and then problem becomes worse.

Here are the steps for clearing up those pesky bumps:

Wash the skin with a glycolic acid cleanser. This will help dissolve the dead cells that are causing the plugs. Try DermaDoctor KP Duty Body Scrub.

Then apply an alpha hydroxy acid cream, like AmLactin. This loosens the keratin buildup while moisturizing the skin at the same time. It won’t happen immediately but you should see results after 3-4 weeks. Another moisturizer, one with glycolic acid, green tea extract, or urea, is also great like Eucerin Professional Repair Lotion.

If you’re still not getting the results you want you can pull out the big guns and do chemical peels over the course of three to five months. Vitalize Peel is a potent blend that is used but costs about $200 per treatment.

Allure, August 2013
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