How to get rid of strawberry legs, in London.

Keratosis pilaris is a very common, harmless skin condition in which keratin, a protein found in skin, hair and nails, builds up and plugs the hair follicles. It leaves patches of small, rough bumps that look and feel like permanent goose bumps, most often on the backs of the upper arms and the fronts of the thighs. It is not infectious. On the legs, it is one of the common causes of what people call strawberry legs or strawberry skin.

Groups of tiny bumps, each about 1 to 2 mm across, that make the skin look like goose bumps and feel rough, like sandpaper. The British Association of Dermatologists describes them as small plugs blocking the hair follicles, sometimes with some redness around them. The NHS notes the bumps are usually the colour of your skin, and can look red on white skin or darker on brown or black skin, so on deeper skin tones keratosis pilaris often shows as dark dots rather than red ones.

Keratin fills the opening of the hair follicle instead of shedding normally, and forms a small plug. Why this happens is not fully understood. The NHS and the British Association of Dermatologists both say it runs in families, and DermNet links it with changes in filaggrin, a protein that matters for the skin barrier. It is more common in people with dry skin conditions such as atopic eczema and ichthyosis vulgaris. It is harmless and not infectious.

Dryness is the common thread. The British Association of Dermatologists says it often gets worse in winter, because skin tends to dry out and rubs more against thick clothing, and DermNet links winter flares to drier air. The NHS advises avoiding hot baths and showers, perfumed soaps and bathing products, and scratching, picking or rubbing the skin, and says harsh scrubs can make it worse.

Often, yes. The British Association of Dermatologists says it is usually found in more than one member of a family and often follows an autosomal dominant pattern, which means each child of an affected parent has a 1 in 2 chance of inheriting it. The Primary Care Dermatology Society puts the share of cases with a genetic origin at 30 to 50 percent. Having it in the family does not mean you will get it.

A great many people. It affects 50 to 70 percent of teenagers and around 40 percent of adults, according to the British Association of Dermatologists and DermNet, and it appears on every skin tone. It is more common in people with atopic eczema or other dry skin conditions such as ichthyosis vulgaris, and it often runs in families. The Primary Care Dermatology Society also lists obesity and insulin-dependent diabetes among the associated conditions.

Usually in childhood. The British Association of Dermatologists and DermNet both say it tends to start in childhood and become more obvious in the teenage years and adulthood, and the Primary Care Dermatology Society notes it often becomes more exaggerated at puberty. The NHS says it can affect people of any age. If new bumps appear and you are not sure what they are, a pharmacist or GP can take a look.

Most often on the backs of the upper arms and the fronts of the thighs, usually on both sides of the body. The British Association of Dermatologists says it can also affect the buttocks, lower back and chest, and in less common forms the face and eyebrows. The cause is the same wherever it appears; the arms and thighs are simply where it is most common. On the legs, it is one of the causes of strawberry legs.

Yes, though it is less common. On the face it can show as redness and small rough bumps on the cheeks, sometimes called keratosis pilaris rubra faciei, and the Primary Care Dermatology Society describes a rare variant in pigmented skin that also darkens the cheeks and neck. DermNet and the Primary Care Dermatology Society describe rarer facial forms that involve the eyebrows and can leave small scar-like dents or thinning of the eyebrow hair. If you notice either, see your GP rather than treating it yourself.

It can be, occasionally. The NHS and the British Association of Dermatologists both say the skin can sometimes feel itchy, although for many people the bumps cause no symptoms at all. It tends to be worse when the skin is dry, which is one reason winter is often worse. Regular moisturising, lukewarm rather than hot showers and mild, unperfumed soap are the NHS's first steps, and it suggests speaking to a pharmacist if the skin becomes itchy or inflamed.

No. They are small plugs of keratin in the hair follicles rather than spots, which is why squeezing does not help. The NHS advises against scratching, picking or rubbing the skin. Picking also inflames the follicle, and on brown and black skin that inflammation can leave a darker mark that lasts longer than the bump. The recommended way to soften them is gentle exfoliation and a moisturiser containing urea, salicylic acid or lactic acid.

No. The NHS and the British Association of Dermatologists both describe it as harmless, and it is not infectious. The main effect is on how the skin looks and feels. The exceptions are some rare forms on the face, which DermNet notes can leave small scar-like dents or eyebrow hair loss. Other conditions can look similar, so if your bumps are sore, full of pus or spreading quickly, or you feel unwell, get them checked by a GP.

Not from person to person. The NHS says it is not infectious, so you cannot spread it or catch it. On your own body it does not spread the way an infection does, but it can become more noticeable, for example around puberty or in winter, and in some people it covers larger areas. That is a change in how visible it is, not something passing from one place to another.

No. The British Association of Dermatologists, the Primary Care Dermatology Society and DermNet all say there is no cure. Treatment can improve how the skin looks and feels, but only while you keep it up. The encouraging part is that it often, though not always, gets better on its own during adult life. Be wary of any product or clinic that promises to cure it.

Often, with time. The British Association of Dermatologists and DermNet say it often, but not always, clears up during adult life, and the NHS notes that most people have it for years and it may eventually go away by itself. The Primary Care Dermatology Society says it frequently improves with age but can persist in some adults. There is no reliable way to predict which group you will be in.

The sources describe the pattern more than the reason: it often becomes more noticeable around puberty and then often settles in adult life. DermNet's explanation is a practical one, that adults tend to be better at managing the condition with regular moisturising and gentle exfoliation.

Usually, if you stop looking after the skin. The British Association of Dermatologists says treatments improve it temporarily rather than getting rid of it, so the bumps tend to return when you stop. It also comes and goes with the seasons, better in summer and worse in winter, according to the NHS and the British Association of Dermatologists. Think of the routine as something to keep going rather than a course to finish.

Mostly home care. The British Association of Dermatologists and the NHS recommend mild or unperfumed soap, lukewarm rather than hot showers, moisturising often, and gentle exfoliation with a washcloth or mitt rather than a harsh scrub. Creams containing urea, salicylic acid or lactic acid can soften and flatten the bumps and are sold over the counter. If that is not enough, a pharmacist can advise, and a GP can prescribe creams where needed. Other options, including lasers and chemical peels, are not offered on the NHS because they have not been shown to be very effective.

You cannot get rid of it permanently, but you can usually improve how it looks and feels with the routine above: lukewarm showers, mild soap, gentle exfoliation, and a moisturiser containing urea, salicylic acid or lactic acid, used regularly. On the legs, check whether shaving is adding to it. Razor irritation and ingrown hairs cause dark and red dots of their own, and they respond to a change in hair removal rather than to moisturiser. The self-check higher up this page helps you tell them apart.

Look at the label rather than the brand. The British Association of Dermatologists names urea, salicylic acid and lactic acid, and DermNet adds alpha hydroxy acids, the group glycolic acid belongs to; they moisturise or help loosen the plugs in the follicles. A 2025 systematic review found lactic and glycolic acids the preferred topical options. They are sold over the counter, and a pharmacist can help you choose. Start gently, especially on brown or black skin, because irritated skin can leave darker marks.

Two recent reviews favour the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser, and one trial used an 810 nm diode laser, and DermNet lists pulsed dye laser and intense pulsed light for the redness. The trials are small, mostly on the upper arms, and mostly measured a few weeks after the last session; in one, two participants withdrew because of pigmentation after treatment. The British Association of Dermatologists and the NHS say lasers have not been shown to be very effective for keratosis pilaris, and they are not offered on the NHS. Melatone does not sell laser as a treatment for keratosis pilaris. If you also shave the area, laser hair removal can take shaving out of the picture, and we will be clear that it is the hair we are treating.

Most people manage it themselves. The NHS suggests a pharmacist as the first person to ask if self-care is not helping, the skin is itchy or inflamed, or you are not sure whether you need a GP. A GP can confirm the diagnosis, which is made by looking at the skin, and prescribe creams if needed, and may refer unusual or extensive forms, or facial forms with eyebrow hair loss or scarring, to a dermatologist. An aesthetic clinic, ours included, is not the right route for keratosis pilaris on its own.

They are different conditions. Keratosis pilaris is small plugs of keratin in the hair follicles. Psoriasis, as the NHS describes it, causes dry, itchy, sore patches of flaky skin that form scales, usually 1 to 2 cm across. The conditions keratosis pilaris is associated with are dry skin conditions such as atopic eczema and ichthyosis vulgaris, and none of the NHS, British Association of Dermatologists, Primary Care Dermatology Society or DermNet pages lists psoriasis among them. If you have scaly patches rather than tiny bumps, see your GP.

There is no support for that in UK guidance. The NHS, the British Association of Dermatologists, the Primary Care Dermatology Society and DermNet describe keratosis pilaris as a build-up of keratin in the follicles that often runs in families, and none of them lists gluten or diet as a cause. Gluten is linked to a different skin problem: the NHS says an autoimmune response to gluten can cause an itchy, blistering rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. If you suspect coeliac disease, see your GP before cutting out gluten, because the NHS says you need to keep eating gluten while you are being tested for the results to be accurate.

None of the sources we rely on, the NHS, the British Association of Dermatologists, the Primary Care Dermatology Society and DermNet, links keratosis pilaris to pregnancy, so we cannot give you a sourced reason. What they do link it to is dry skin, winter and a family tendency, and the NHS says it can affect people of any age. If new bumps appeared after pregnancy and you are not sure what they are, a pharmacist or GP can check them.