Keratosis pilaris
| Acne | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Dermatology |
| ICD-9-CM | 757.39 |
| OMIM | 604093 |
| DiseasesDB | 32387 |
| MedlinePlus | 001462 |
| eMedicine | ped/1246 derm/211 |
Keratosis pilaris (KP) (also follicular keratosis, lichen pilaris, or colloquially "chicken skin") is a common, autosomal dominant, genetic follicular condition characterized by the appearance of rough, slightly red bumps on light skin and brown bumps on darker skin. It most often appears on the back, outer sides of the upper arm (though the forearm can also be affected), face, thighs, and ; KP can also occur on the hands, and tops of legs, sides, or any body part except glabrous skin (like the palms or soles of feet). Often the lesions will appear on the face, which may be mistaken for acne.
Keratosis pilaris results in small bumps on the skin that feel like rough sandpaper. They are skin-colored bumps the size of a grain of sand, many of which are surrounded by a slight pink color in light skinned people and dark spots in dark skinned people. Most people with keratosis pilaris do not have symptoms but the bumps in the skin can occasionally be itchy.
Though people with keratosis pilaris experience the condition year-round, the problem can become exacerbated and the bumps are likely to look and feel more pronounced in color and texture during the colder months when moisture levels in the air are lower. The symptoms may also worsen during pregnancy or after childbirth.
Keratosis pilaris occurs when the human body produces excess amounts of the skin protein keratin, resulting in the formation of small, raised bumps in the skin often with surrounding redness. The excess keratin, which is the color of the person's natural skin tone, surrounds and entraps the hair follicles in the pore. This causes the formation of hard plugs (process known as hyperkeratinization). Many KP bumps contain an ingrown hair that has coiled. This is a result of the keratinized skin's "capping off" the hair follicle, preventing the hair from exiting. The hair grows encapsulated inside the follicle.
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