If you try one beauty product, make it this cheap-as-chips fix for bumpy, rough body skin

As arms-out season stretches on, this week's Sunday Service is a shout-out to a stellar skin-smoothing cream

a marble backdrop containing an image of a hand with red painted fingernails, holding cetaphil SA exfoliating lotion, next to an image of beauty editor fiona mckim smiling with a yellow shirt on
(Image credit: Future / Fiona McKim)

I don't know who was put in charge of naming skin conditions back in the day, but some of them could do with a rebrand.

You've got your tricky to pronounce and even harder to spell ones; eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, et al. Your misleadingly disgusting ones (looking at you, nothing-to-do-with-worms ringworm!) Then, there's the apex of the genre, which boasts a mouthful medical title and revolting nickname - keratosis pilaris, aka chicken skin.

These red or brown bumps are as medically benign as they are mentally bothersome for the estimated 50% of the population who experience them. And, speaking from experience, I know they're tricky little rotters to shift - but I've found just the thing.

Why this cheap-as-chips body cream is my beauty buy of the week

To reassure you, I actually do know it was the Greeks and Romans who came up with most of our dermatological lingo. Shout out to Hippocrates for his pioneering medical research circa 400 BC.

In fairness, I prefer the ancient Keratosis Pilaris to the modern chicken skin, which is up there with bingo wings in implied bodily shame. As I said, half of us have this harmless build-up of keratin in our hair follicles; it's not an issue per se, and there is no reason you must learn how to 'fix' it unless you want to.

I do want to, though, especially as it's still the longest legs and arms-out season in recent memory. So here's something that's helped me:

An image of a hand with red painted fingernails, holding cetaphil SA exfoliating lotion, next to an image of a wrist with a blob of white cetaphil exfoliating cream on it

(Image credit: Future / Fiona McKim)

I'll admit I only discovered this earlier in the week. I'm a few days into my testing period, and I can feel textural improvements already, which is fast for that sort of product and solid motivation to keep going.

But look, I'm not going to lie to you (never could), this isn't a quick fix - nothing for keratosis pilaris, or any skin complaint, ever is. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is smooth skin.

I will say, if you apply this often and trust the process, over time, the bumps should soften and reduce pretty nicely. Sounds good? Great! Let's chat next Sunday.

Fiona McKim
Beauty Editor, womanandhome.com

As woman&home's Beauty Channel Editor, Fiona Mckim loves to share her 15+ years of industry intel on womanandhome.com and Instagram (@fionamckim if you like hair experiments and cute shih-tzus). After interning at ELLE, Fiona joined woman&home as Assistant Beauty Editor in 2013 under industry legend Jo GB, who taught her to understand ingredients and take a cynical approach to marketing claims. She has since covered every corner of the industry, interviewing dermatologists and celebrities from Davina McCall to Dame Joan Collins, reporting backstage at London Fashion Week and judging the w&h Beauty Awards.

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