KP Bumps & ‘Chicken Skin’ Are No Match For My Smoothing Shower Routine

One day, literally overnight, the bumps just arrived. During my briefing from the dermatologist about the side-effects of Accutane, not once did the possibility of excess KP (that’s keratosis pilaris) come up. My facial skin was totally spot-free, but much of the texture just migrated further south, with the built-up keratin popping up in little patches on the backs of my arms, tops of my thighs, and just below my butt. While flesh-colored and innocuous, I was over it. I’d already come so far in this all-out war for smooth skin — if finding the perfect KP solution products to be rid of bumps for good was the final battle, so be it.

While my “chicken skin” was triggered by medically-induced dryness (Accutane is designed to drastically decrease sebum production), for most, it’s just luck of the genetic draw. Board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare, Dr. Purvisha Patel, previously told TZR that it’s a typically an inherited trait that “prevents the skin from exfoliating — resulting in the keratin forming plugs over the hair follicles, causing a prickly feel and appearance of the skin.” Though it’s often worse in the winter thanks to drier air and clothing friction, summertime is when you want all your limbs on display. That makes a year-round KP-killing routine crucial for those prone to the bumps.

Ahead, everything in my arsenal for clearing keratosis pilaris bumps and keeping them at bay, through summer and well beyond.