How to get rid of bumps on arms: keratosis pilaris care

You notice them in a sleeveless top, or when your hand runs down the back of your arm: a patch of skin that feels like fine sandpaper, dotted with small, sometimes reddish bumps. Searching how to get rid of bumps on arms turns up scrubs, oils and big promises in equal measure. The honest answer is less dramatic and more useful. These bumps can usually be made smoother and less visible, but they come back if you stop caring for them.

What are the bumps on the back of your arms?

They are most often keratosis pilaris, a common skin condition in which small plugs of keratin, the protein that makes up the outer layer of skin, build up around hair follicles. A 2008 review describes small, follicle-centered bumps that give the skin a gooseflesh-like, stippled look, usually with no symptoms beyond appearance or mild itch. People often call it chicken skin.

The arms are the classic site. In a 1994 British survey of 49 patients, 92% had keratosis pilaris on the arms, 59% on the legs and 41% on the face. In 39%, another family member had it too, which fits the 2008 review’s description of it as an inherited condition. A 2025 review adds that it often appears alongside dry skin and a weaker skin barrier.

If the bumps are painful, spreading quickly, pus-filled or appeared suddenly with other symptoms, they may be something else. A dermatologist can tell the difference in a few minutes.

What actually smooths keratosis pilaris?

Lotions or creams with exfoliating acids or urea, used consistently, are the cosmetic approach with the most support. They work by loosening the plugs and softening the rough surface, rather than scraping the bumps off.

The clearest trial is a 2015 randomized study from Thailand. People with keratosis pilaris applied either a 10% lactic acid cream or a 5% salicylic acid cream twice a day for 3 months. By the end, visible bumps had fallen by 66% on average in the lactic acid group and 52% in the salicylic acid group. Skin hydration, measured by an instrument, also rose in both groups and stayed higher four weeks after people stopped. Side effects were limited to mild, local irritation.

Dermatologists seem to agree on the starting point. In a 2023 survey of US board-certified dermatologists, topical lactic acid was the most used first choice (43.63% of respondents), followed by salicylic acid (20.72%). A 2025 systematic review of 27 studies likewise found lactic and glycolic acids were the preferred topicals.

A separate 2025 review of acids and urea for keratosis pilaris put it this way: “Topical keratolytics remain reasonable first-line, symptom-directed options for KP, with AHAs, BHAs, and urea all demonstrating potential benefit.” The same review is candid about the limits: the studies are small, short and measured in different ways. Our ingredient A–Z entries on lactic acid, salicylic acid and urea explain what each one does on the label.

What ingredients should a keratosis pilaris lotion have?

Look for lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid or urea near the top of the ingredient list, and check whether the product is meant for daily use on the body. These are the ingredients the trials and reviews above tested.

Strength is worth a second look. The 2015 trial used 10% lactic acid and 5% salicylic acid. A 2010 review of hydroxy acids notes that salicylic acid is added to cosmetic products at under 3%, so the salicylic acid cream in that trial was stronger than what most body lotions contain. The same review reports that the US Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel recommended keeping consumer alpha hydroxy acid products under 10% and at a pH of 3.5 or above to reduce irritation. If a lotion stings on freshly shaved or scratched skin, apply it to intact skin only, or switch to every other day.

Is scrubbing your arms the best way to remove the bumps?

Not on its own. The trials that showed smoother skin tested acid creams applied twice a day, not physical scrubbing, and the reviews describe the goal as softening the plugs and improving hydration.

That does not mean a scrub is forbidden. It means a gentle scrub is an extra, not the main tool. Scrubbing harder to flatten the bumps faster tends to leave skin raw before it leaves it smooth. Our guide to exfoliating your body without irritation covers how to pace physical and chemical exfoliation so they do not stack up on the same day.

Editor’s note

I love ttaemiri, the Korean body scrub done after a long soak at the bathhouse. It is one of my favorite rituals. For rough bumps on the arms, though, the research points to something less satisfying than one good scrub: a lotion used every day for weeks, and then kept up.

Why does keratosis pilaris come back?

Because the tendency to form these plugs stays even when the bumps fade. Care improves the look while you keep it up, and the bumps return gradually when you stop.

In the 2023 dermatologist survey, more than 60% of respondents saw the bumps recur within three months of patients stopping salicylic acid or over-the-counter moisturizer. Season plays a part too. In the 1994 survey, 80% of patients noticed their skin changed with the seasons. Of those, 49% improved in summer and 47% got worse in winter.

There is some good news over time. In the same survey, 35% said their keratosis pilaris had improved with age, 43% said it had stayed the same and 22% said it had worsened. The average age at which it improved was 16, so many adults will be managing it rather than waiting it out.

How do you build an arm routine for keratosis pilaris?

Build it around one exfoliating lotion, a moisturizer and patience, with adjustments for winter. Here is a working plan:

• Shower: use warm, not hot, water and a gentle wash, and keep it short. Our guide to why skin feels dry after showering explains why long, hot showers leave skin tighter.
• After drying off: apply a body lotion with lactic acid, salicylic acid or urea to the backs of the arms. Start every other day if your skin is reactive, then build toward daily use.
• On other days or other areas: use a plain moisturizer to keep the surrounding skin comfortable.
• During the day: use sunscreen on arms that are exposed. Glycolic acid, another alpha hydroxy acid, made skin more sensitive to UV light in a controlled study, and a cosmetic safety panel advised daily sun protection with these products.
• Give it time: the trial ran for 3 months, so judge progress over weeks, not days.

If you also have dark, dotted pores on your legs, our guide to strawberry legs covers a related but different concern.

The evidence for all of this is modest. It comes from small trials, one patient survey and reviews that call the research small and short, so the realistic goal is smoother-looking arms with steady care, not skin that never bumps again.

This article is for general cosmetic information and is not medical advice. If you have a skin condition, speak with a dermatologist.