Smooth Your Bumpy Arms

Chicken skin

Also called Keratosis pilaris, KP, Bumps on your arms, Strawberry skin

3 min plan47 min with every studyUpdated Sep 28, 2026

Who it's forA man of 18 or over with rough, small bumps on the backs of his arms or thighs.

When to see a doctor

Call 911 now: spreading red or hot skin with a very high temperature or shivering. Or with a fast heartbeat or breathing, confusion, fainting, or cold, clammy skin.
Call 911 now: swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or trouble breathing, after any cream.
Urgent care: skin that is painful, hot and swollen. Or eczema that is weeping, crusted, has pus spots, or comes with a fever.
Your doctor: pimples or pus-filled pimples near the hair roots that come back, get worse or last longer than 2 or 3 days. It may be folliculitis.
Your doctor: you are not sure it is keratosis pilaris, or it is itchy and inflamed. A pharmacist can also advise.
Your doctor: new bumps with night blindness, a very restricted diet, weight-loss surgery or heavy drinking. A vitamin shortage can cause similar bumps.
A dermatologist: no change after 4 to 6 weeks on a plan, or scarring or hair loss where the bumps sit.
Stop the salicylic acid and see a doctor: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, ringing ears, hearing loss or fast breathing.

I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. Every dose and strength on this page is the one a trial or a label used, quoted from it. It is not a prescription. The prescription creams and the lasers are off-label for keratosis pilaris, and a 1% sirolimus cream is made up to a prescription. Talk to a physician who has your history before any prescription medicine. Sore, pus-filled or spreading bumps: see a doctor first.