Our skin is a wondrous thing, our body’s largest organ. We spend an obscene amount of time obsessing, admiring, and lamenting over it—especially when it tends to act in a way we don’t understand. Our skin is dealing with different issues that we don’t know how to start treating them. One of the skin conditions some people are suffering from is Keratosis Pilaris. Some would be self-conscious about how they look that they never wore shorts or skirts. They have to constantly keep their legs covered because the Keratosis Pilaris was so noticeable. Thus, how do we manage Keratosis Pilaris on legs that covering them won’t be an option?

What is “Strawberry Leg” Caused by Keratosis Pilaris?

Keratosis Pilaris can appear as tiny bumps in the surface of the skin which is why it is also referred to as “chicken skin”. It can also be referred to as “strawberry legs” as you can see a pigmentation difference either a pinkness if you have fair skin or dark or more pigmented if you have a deeper skin tone. Usually, most people with lifelong “strawberry legs” are dealing with keratosis pilaris—which, annoyingly, is genetic.

Basically, this condition develops when your body produces too much of a protein called Keratin. That Keratin is a hard protein so, it also protects. However, that Keratin is also what’s blocking the follicle or the pore. This is another reason why you are more susceptible to ingrown hairs because essentially, hair cannot grow out of the follicle, and it just gets trapped underneath all the layers of skin.

Protein or amino acids are what your body uses as building blocks or Legos. Basically, it is how your body repairs all the cells in it.  

What is the Best Way to Manage Keratosis Pilaris on Legs?

The first thing that you’d probably want is to exfoliate because when you have Keratosis Pilaris, you have a bunch of layers of dead skin cells that you just don’t need. But, to effectively do that, you can’t be so abrasive that you just cause more inflammation and damage to the skin. Remember, those building blocks are there for a reason. The body feels like it needs to protect itself or repair itself from some other damage that’s already been triggered so, the last thing we want to do is to make it worse.

There are two different types of exfoliators. First, there are physical exfoliants. These are like sugar scrubs or coffee scrubs pretty much anything that manually removes dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. Then, there are chemical exfoliants. Generally, they are in the form of Alpha Hydroxy Acid or Beta Hydroxy Acid. What they do is loosen the quote-unquote glue that makes your dead skin cells stick together. Alpha Hydroxy Acids exfoliates the skin but on a much deeper level in a way that you just can’t do physically. So, using an AHA or BHA can do more than just exfoliate the skin. There are also different types of AHA’s and BHA’s. These products use Lactic Acid and the reason that this is so great is that not only it does exfoliate but it also increased the moisture levels in your skin. Keratosis Pilaris is exasperated by dryness. So, if you don’t keep the skin properly hydrated your Keratosis Pilaris can worsen. Lactic Acid is also quite gentle compared to some other ones so, it makes it even more ideal for this condition. Remember to avoid the temptation to aggressively exfoliate, as this may lead to more dryness and redness.

To keep your skin hydrated, you need to use moisturizers like body lotion. In case you didn’t know, the list of ingredients that’s on the back of your products is listed in order of the highest content to the smallest content. So, anything at the top of the list is primarily what it’s made up of. The number one ingredient that you will always find in lotion is usually water. But you might also want to consider products that are high in aloe which you probably know is the answer to everything. Not only is aloe super hydrating, but it’s also very calming and soothing.

So, after giving your skin time to absorb the serum, apply a lotion, and then on top of this, you have to put oil as a final step. You might want to use products with shea butter. The reason for this is that lotion is made up of predominantly water. To hold that moisture in you, you need to create a barrier. The way to do that is to use shea butter. This oil will sit on the surface of the skin and create a sheet that is impermeable by water until your skin eventually absorbs it.

You can’t just use a body scrub and expect it to get rid of your problems. If you continue to just pick at your Keratosis Pilaris or use harsh scrubs, your skin could be even more irritated and inflamed.

Keratosis Pilaris is an ongoing battle because you have to figure out what’s going on inside your body. So, after using these products, your symptoms might not be gone but your skin would drastically improve.

Don’t simply rely on things you put on your skin because often, it will leave you disappointed. Therefore, you have to work from the inside out because let’s not forget, that symptoms are telling of a deeper meaning. So, there must be a cause.  It sounds like they are a reaction that the body has developed to protect itself from something. So, the body must be creating these plugs as defense mechanisms.

Treat your skin with exfoliation and hydration at least a few times a week. Since you cannot cure Keratosis Pilaris, this maintenance regimen is key.For stubborn or more extensive Keratosis Pilaris, see your dermatologist for a customized therapeutic approach.  Talk about which prescription medications and lifestyle changes would improve your condition. Even though this condition is not serious, you can still seek medical advice and treatments to help with your problem.