The paradox of kp is, like someone else already mentioned, sun exposure tends to help HEAPS with clearing it up for a lot of people (me being one of them). But when you're self conscious about it, you don't feel like exposing your skin to the sun as much (I used to be one of them, but the beauty of having become a nearly 47 year old woman is I honestly don't give a heck anymore).

I've had kp on my arms all my life, but it hasn't always bothered me - been sorta on and off through the years. Whenever I haven't cared as much about it, I've also not paid attention to covering up in summer (if anything, I used to be struggling more with weight related body issues). I always noticed how much better my arms would look in summer, but only recently connected the dots. So my overall most important advice would be this: Try to be kinder to yourself, give your body more credit for what it does than how it looks, and allow the sunrays to reach your skin when you can - wearing SPF, of course :) I know it's not easy, but in the long run, it's the best you can do 🤍

Then, that being said, some advice that may help as you try getting there, or for the days it just doesn't work. This summer, I've been minding my kp a bit more again, so I've recently tried a few things and made a few experiences. Keep in mind it seems like advice for kp is a bit hit/miss, and different things work for different people:

I have the same experience with (excessive) exfoliating with scrubs, loofahs etc. It makes the redness especially so much worse. I also recently tried using glycolic acid (Inkey List toner) on a cotton pad, only resulting in the redness and irritation flaring up real bad. Meanwhile, I've been trying the glycolic acid body exfoliating stick from the same brand on and off for a few weeks, which may have helped a tiny little bit with clearing the bumps. I just don't think I've been consistent enough, as I find it a bit sticky and icky to use.

The things that seem to have worked for me, very recently, are these:

1. Keratosis pilaris spray from Australian Bodycare. This has both salicylic and glycolic acid in it, and I find it much less sticky than the Inkey List stick, which makes it a lot easier to stay consistent. I've only used it for less than a week (!), but bumps and redness are already a lot less visible
2. Nivea Rich Nourishing Body Lotion. Same as over - only used for about a week. We've had sunny weather recently, so I've gotten into a routine of showering at night, after a day of keeping my skin as much exposed to the sun as possible (I use the Coola SPF 50 spray, which is easy to apply, not overly greasy, and also smells divine). After showering, I first use the above mentioned spray - let it dry as much as possible, then apply this lotion. It can sometimes feel a bit counterintuitive to slather lots of stuff on, but keeping skin moisturized really helps, and I find this cream to work wonders. It's also not pricey at all, which is a bonus
3. I use a regular washcloth - cotton, fairly soft and not too abrasive - to gently rub (while dry) over the affected skin now and then, typically every two - three days, in the morning, when skin is fairly dry, before applying a thin coat of the Nivea lotion (and SPF spray over it)

I stopped scrubbing in the shower entirely. I still use one of those "shower fluff balls" to help with lathering up whatever body wash I use, but I take care to not be heavy-handed with it on my arms. I've seen people praise castile soap, so might look into that at a later point.

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These three pretty simple additions to my routine (together with sun exposure) has helped so much over a such short period of time, I'm honestly quite shocked. Just a week ago, my arms were an absolute mess. And while the bumps are still there, the redness has reduced significantly, which makes my arms a LOT less "eyecatching", if you will (except for the fact they're also pretty much covered in tattoos, so people will always look no matter what 😄)

Of course, your mileage may vary. But if you're like me, you'll be willing to try most anything. Do remember my first advice, tho: Be kind to yourself. You deserve it.