Exfoliating Your KP and It Looks Angrier? Here’s What That Really Means
Main image – Nabitang/Stocksy
Dr Sonia Khorana is a GP with a special interest in dermatology and Live That Glow’s own skincare agony aunt. She is passionate about helping people feel confident in their own skin. In this month’s column, she advises on KP. Send it to columnists@livethatglow.com for a chance to have it featured.
I’ve had those tiny red bumps on the backs of my arms forever (pretty sure it’s KP?) and everyone says exfoliate, but whenever I use acids or scrubs it feels smoother for a bit then looks angrier. Am I meant to push through or is that a sign to stop?
Dr Sonia says:
This definitely sounds like keratosis pilaris (KP). It occurs due to a buildup of keratin within the hair follicle.
Exfoliation can help – but more is not more here.
If your skin feels smoother but then looks redder/angrier, more inflamed or irritated afterwards, that’s not something to “push through”. It’s your skin barrier telling you it’s overwhelmed.
With KP, we’re aiming for consistent, gentle exfoliation + moisturisation; not aggressive exfoliation. Here’s how I advise approaching it:
- Skip harsh physical scrubs – they often aggravate redness.
- Use a mild chemical exfoliant (like lactic acid or low-strength glycolic acid or salicylic acid) just 1–2 times per week to start. You can use this in a toner or in a wash/body cleanser
- On the other days, focus on barrier repair and hydration – hydration is key in managing KP – use urea-based (Eucerin is great) or ceramide-rich moisturisers (Cerave does some great ones).
- Apply your moisturiser to damp skin and be generous – KP skin generally tends to be dry.
If redness is your main concern, sometimes reducing inflammation is more important than increasing exfoliation. Overdoing acids can worsen the appearance even if the texture briefly improves.
Focus on barrier repair and hydration in this case and you can also explore pulse dye lasers to help with redness. Steady, low-grade maintenance works far better than aggressive treatments.
And one final reassurance – KP is incredibly common, completely harmless, and often improves with age.
Get Glowing!
