When it comes to the body it's likely that we’ve all been pretty neglectful about body care as compared to our facial skin care routines. While you might not need a whole 10-step routine for your body, it’s good to nourish and treat all of your skin.
And, unfortunately keratosis pilaris is a thing. Also known as KP, or strawberry skin, keratosis pilaris is basically what happens when the body produces too much keratin that plugs up hair follicles creating the characteristic bumps that appear on the legs, thighs, and arms. The abundance of these small dots is why it’s also known as strawberry skin (and its other unfortunate nickname: chicken skin.)
While KP can sometimes look like small pimples, they are ultimately not the same as acne. If you try to squeeze or pop them you won’t really push anything out, but you may just end up irritating the skin. Besides, body acne is a very real thing on its own. Body acne can pop up almost anywhere on the body and pretty commonly on the back and chest.
How to tackle common skin concerns on the body
KP
Since KP is caused by the clogging of hair follicles, it stands to reason that exfoliating will help clear up the issue. Exfoliating the skin helps break up dead skin cells and elements that can clog up pores. Exfoliating ingredients including Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, and Urea can help smooth the skin to improve the bumpy texture created by KP.
And, if you generally exfoliate your skin, then you probably already have a product that contains Salicylic and/or Lactic Acid in it. Lots of pore-minimizing/exfoliating products highlight Salicylic Acid as a star ingredient for its ability to break up gunk trapped deep in pores. So, to help treat KP you can apply this facial skin care product to your legs or upper arms (or really anywhere else you have KP).
For example, our Pore Cleanser and Pore Serum contain Salicylic Acid to help gently exfoliate the pores. You can clean the skin with the Pore Cleanser and follow it up with the Pore Serum to help improve the look of KP on the skin.
Body Acne
Body acne can occur for a number of reasons including genetics, sweat, friction from tight clothing, hormones, or products that are comedogenic. And, much like facial acne, body acne can be treated by targeting the pore-clogging elements that can trigger breakouts.
Similar to KP, exfoliation is one of the treatments that you can turn to when it comes to body acne. So, whether your body acne is due to sweat or genetics, targeting your pores can help prevent future acne breakouts. As mentioned above, exfoliating ingredients like Salicylic Acid can really help clear up body acne.
So, aside from using our pore line on areas with body acne, you can also use our Custom Blemish Patch. The Custom Blemish Patch is an XL-sized patch that you can apply over areas with multiple blemishes or you can cut them up to target single blemishes. The hydrocolloid material then helps absorb the gunk from a pimple to help reduce the size of the spot.
Dryness
If you have a dry skin type, then you likely already have some pretty thick moisturizers in your arsenal. Dry skin typically needs a thicker moisturizer that is butter or oil-based to really help keep the skin moisturized.
That same thick moisturizer can also help with dry areas on the body. Lots of dry skin moisturizers have emollient ingredients like Shea Butter because they help retain moisture in the skin. These same ingredients help benefit all areas of dryness on the skin, including the body. This also includes typically dry areas like the hands and elbows.
But, it's also important to distinguish the type of dryness you experience on your skin. For example, if you have eczema then that’s a whole different situation. For more severe skin conditions it’s best to get treatment advice from a dermatologist.
In conclusion…
There is some crossover between treatment for your face and body. For example, KP and body acne can be treated by the same exfoliant you use on your face (as long as it has ingredients like Salicylic or Lactic Acid).
But it’s important to note that the crossover doesn’t necessarily go both ways. The body care products you already have on hand may not work well on your face. While a body scrub is great for smoothing rough body texture, it may be too abrasive for your face and could end up causing irritation. So, to be on the safe side remember that while facial skincare can be used on the body, skin care products exclusively for the body may not work well for your face.
