Small, rough bumps on the backs of your upper arms, thighs, or buttocks. They feel like sandpaper and look like skin that got a permanent case of the chills. There's a name for this: keratosis pilaris, commonly known as "chicken skin" or "goosebump skin." It's extremely common, especially among people with dry skin, and almost always bothers the eye far more than it bothers your health.
Quick summary if you're short on time
- A bump forms when a plug of dead skin cells blocks the opening of a hair follicle. It's not dirt and it's not an infection — scrubbing it away with a loofah won't work.
- Cold weather, dry indoor air, and hot showers all make it worse. Summer usually brings some relief.
- Two things work together: gently dissolving the plugs (urea, lactic acid) and moisturising every single day.
- Harsh scrubs and vigorous loofah use only make things worse — skin reddens and bumps become inflamed.
- Keratosis pilaris doesn't disappear permanently, but with consistent care skin becomes noticeably smoother within 2–4 weeks.
Where the bumps come from
Skin constantly renews itself: surface cells die off and shed. With keratosis pilaris, keratin builds up inside the hair follicle opening faster than it can clear away. The result is a dense plug, with a small bump sitting on top of it. Sometimes a pinkish or brownish ring forms around it; sometimes a coiled hair is visible inside.
The tendency is often hereditary — parents and children tend to get "goosebump skin" in exactly the same spots. Dry and atopic skin is another frequent companion to keratosis pilaris. That's precisely why it flares so visibly in cold weather, when indoor heating parches the air.
Keratosis pilaris is not contagious. It has nothing to do with hygiene: people who shower twice a day get it just as often.
Why scrubs don't help
Everyone's first instinct is the same: rough skin needs to be buffed. A scrub does shave off the tops of the bumps, and for an hour or two skin feels smoother. But the plug sits inside the follicle opening, deeper than any exfoliating particle can reach. Meanwhile, the friction irritates the skin, causing redness and inflamed spots that actually make the bumps more noticeable.
A gentle scrub once a week is fine if your skin is calm. We covered how to choose one and how to use it in our article on body scrubs. Even so, daily care does the real work.
What actually works
Urea. At around 10% concentration it draws water into the skin and weakens the bonds holding dead cells together. Plugs soften and gradually clear on their own — no scrubbing required. We went into detail about urea concentrations in our article on urea cream.
Lactic acid and sodium lactate. Both are part of the skin's natural moisturising factor. Lactic acid exfoliates gently; sodium lactate locks in moisture. Paired with urea, they smooth skin without irritation.
Salicylic acid. Dissolves sebum and the keratin plugs inside follicles. It's more commonly used in facial and scalp products, but it works on the body too.
Emollients. Shea butter, squalane, and other softening ingredients coat the skin with a fine film and prevent water from evaporating. Without them, keratolytics dry skin out. Learn more about these ingredients in our article on emollients.
Building a routine
- Warm showers, not hot. Hot water and soap strip the skin's lipids. Use a gentle shower gel — ideally sulphate-free.
- Pat dry, don't rub. Skin should still be slightly damp.
- Apply lotion within the first 2–3 minutes. A urea product absorbs better and retains more moisture on damp skin. Upper arms, thighs, buttocks, elbows — every day.
- Be patient. You'll notice the first changes within a week; genuinely smooth skin takes 2–4 weeks. Stop the routine and the bumps return within a couple of weeks — the underlying tendency doesn't go away.
- Use a humidifier in winter. When indoor humidity drops below 30%, no lotion can fully compensate for the moisture the skin loses.
Products containing urea can sting on freshly shaved skin. If you shave your legs in the evening, apply the lotion in the morning instead.
When to see a doctor
A dermatologist can diagnose keratosis pilaris at a routine appointment. It's worth going if the bumps are inflamed, weeping, or intensely itchy; if the rash is spreading quickly or appeared suddenly in adulthood; or if a child has dry, itchy skin with any oozing. Other conditions — folliculitis, atopic dermatitis, and others — can look similar but require different treatment.
Cosmex products that help
- Body Lotion REPAIR, urea 10%. A cream-lotion for very dry and keratosis-prone skin. Key ingredients: urea 10%, hydroxyethyl urea, lactic acid, sodium lactate, shea butter, squalane, allantoin, and Panthenol. 500 ml with a pump dispenser.
- Body Lotion HYDRA. Ideal for maintenance once skin has smoothed out, and for areas without bumps: Panthenol 3%, hydroxyethyl urea, shea butter, squalane, niacinamide.
- Derma Set: Nourish shower gel and REPAIR lotion. A ready-made treatment duo: a sulphate-free gel with Panthenol 3% and a urea lotion, 500 ml each.
All body lotions are gathered in our body lotions and creams collection. For a breakdown of how a lotion differs from a cream and which to choose by season, see our article lotion or body cream.
