What should you know about severe chicken skin?

Keratosis Pilaris develops when keratin collects around hair follicles, producing tiny rough bumps and sometimes pink or brown colour. The upper arms, thighs, cheeks, and buttocks are common sites. It is often rougher than it is painful and may vary with dry weather. A different pattern can point to Folliculitis, in which follicles become inflamed and may form tender, itchy, or pus-filled spots. Location, itch, pain, scale, and the presence of pus help a clinician tell these apart.

Use a gentle cleanser and short, warm showers. Apply a plain moisturiser after bathing and avoid scrubbing, squeezing, waxing over irritated skin, or using rough exfoliating tools. A clinician may suggest a product that loosens excess keratin or reduces inflammation, introduced gradually because overuse can sting and worsen redness. If spots are painful, pus-filled, or linked to sweating, friction, or shaving, ask about care for possible follicle inflammation. Improvement often requires consistent care rather than forceful exfoliation.

Book a dermatology review when bumps spread quickly, become painful, drain pus, crust, scar, or fail to improve with gentle care. Seek prompt help for rapidly spreading redness, warmth, marked swelling, fever, or feeling unwell. A sudden severe eruption after a new medicine or product also deserves timely medical advice.

Ask whether the pattern is Keratosis Pilaris, Folliculitis, eczema, or another condition; which ingredients may help; how often to apply them; and what signs mean you should stop. Mention shaving, sweating, friction, itch, pain, pus, and any scarring.