How to Get Rid of Keratosis Pilaris Naturally: What the Bumps on Your Arms Are Telling You

Short answer: Keratosis pilaris is a buildup of keratin that plugs your hair follicles and leaves small, rough bumps, most often on the backs of your arms and thighs. Scrubbing and lotions smooth the surface for a while, but the bumps come back because the plugging starts underneath. In my practice I look at a dry, fragile skin barrier, low essential fats and vitamin A, a slow thyroid, and gut and food triggers. When you address those, your skin can turn over properly and the bumps often soften.

What keratosis pilaris is

Keratosis pilaris, often called KP or "chicken skin," shows up as small bumps that feel like sandpaper. They can be skin-colored, white, red or brown. You usually see them on the backs of your upper arms, your thighs and buttocks, and sometimes your cheeks.

Each bump is a hair follicle blocked by a plug of keratin, the protein that makes up the outer layer of your skin. Your skin is supposed to shed this layer on a steady schedule. When it does not, the dead cells pile up at the follicle opening.

DermNet, the New Zealand dermatology reference, describes KP as common and harmless. It estimates KP affects about 40% of adults, notes that it is often worse in winter when the air is dry, and lists an association with eczema. It also states that the exact cause is not fully understood and that it tends to run in families.

Why the bumps keep coming back

Exfoliating scrubs, acids and thick creams loosen the plugs that are already there. They do not change why your skin keeps making them. When you stop, or when winter arrives, the bumps return.

A family tendency is real, but it does not mean nothing can change. Your genes set the tendency. Your nutrients, hormones, gut and environment decide how much of it shows. These are the five areas I check first.

1. A dry, weak skin barrier

Your skin barrier holds water in and keeps irritants out. When it is weak, your skin dries out and sheds unevenly, and keratin builds up in the follicles. This is why KP often travels with eczema and why it flares in cold, dry months.

Signs your barrier needs support:

• Your skin feels tight after a shower
• You also have patches of eczema or very dry shins
• Your bumps get worse in winter or after hot showers
• Fragranced soaps and laundry products make you itch

2. Low essential fats and vitamin A

Your skin needs fat to build its barrier and vitamin A to regulate how skin cells grow and shed. When either runs low, your skin turns over poorly. A low-fat diet, a diet low in fish, eggs and colorful vegetables, or poor fat absorption can all leave you short.

Fat absorption depends on your gallbladder and liver. If you get pale or floating stools, feel heavy after fatty meals or have had your gallbladder removed, you may not be absorbing fat-soluble vitamins well even when you eat them.

Vitamin A builds up in your body and too much can be harmful. Test before you supplement it, and do not add high doses on your own.

3. A slow thyroid

Your thyroid sets the pace for every cell in your body, including skin cells. When it runs low, your skin turns over more slowly and becomes dry and rough. If your KP comes with fatigue, feeling cold, thinning hair or constipation, have your thyroid checked with a full panel, not just TSH.

Read Natural Medicine for Thyroid Disease, and visit the thyroid page for how I work with it.

4. Gut health and food triggers

Your skin is an elimination organ. When your gut lining is irritated or you are reacting to foods you eat every day, the inflammation often shows on your skin. In my practice, dairy and gluten are the triggers I see most often.

Signs your gut is involved:

• You bloat or feel uncomfortable after meals
• Your bowels do not move every day
• Your skin gets worse after certain foods
• You also have eczema, hives or other skin reactions

Read my leaky gut article for how your gut lining breaks down and how to support its repair.

5. Blood sugar and hormone shifts

KP often appears or gets worse at puberty and during pregnancy, which points to a hormone link. Insulin also affects how fast your skin cells grow. If you crave sugar, crash after meals or have signs of PCOS, include blood sugar and hormones in your testing.

What about prescription creams?

Prescribed creams can smooth the bumps on the surface. Like scrubs, they work on the plug, not on why your skin keeps making it. If you are using a prescribed cream, do not stop or change it on your own. Any change happens with your prescribing practitioner's supervision.

The labs to start with

Test first so you are not guessing. These are the labs I use most often for KP:

• Full thyroid panel: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies
• Nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc and an omega-3 index
• Food sensitivity testing: IgG for sensitivities and IgE for allergies
• Microbiome panel: when your gut symptoms point to it
• Blood sugar and hormones: fasting insulin and glucose, plus a hormone panel when your symptoms track your cycle

Read The 3 Essential Labs for Eczema and Psoriasis. The same testing logic applies to KP. You can order labs here.

What you can do this week

1. Take shorter, warm showers. Hot water strips the oils your barrier needs.
2. Moisturize within a few minutes of drying off. Use a fragrance-free cream while your skin is still slightly damp.
3. Exfoliate gently. Use a soft cloth two or three times a week. Hard scrubbing irritates the follicles and makes the redness worse.
4. Eat your fats. Add wild salmon, sardines, eggs, avocado and olive oil, and eat orange and dark green vegetables every day.
5. Run a humidifier at night in the dry months.
6. Track your foods for two weeks. Write down what you eat and when your bumps look redder.
7. Test before you add supplements. Vitamin A, zinc and other nutrients affect each other. It's important to get them in the correct order to prevent you from feeling worse.

Get to the root of your skin

The skin program works on your barrier, your gut, your nutrient levels and your personal triggers, with labs included. Plan on three to six months for lasting change, because your skin needs several turnover cycles to show it.

Not sure where to start? Take the free quiz. It takes a few minutes and shows you which area to look at first: thyroid, gut, hormones, energy, skin or sleep and stress.

If you would rather talk it through, book a free 15-minute call. We will go over your symptoms and the labs that make sense for you.