What could cause inflamed keratosis pilaris on elbows and knees?

[LunaS]

I’ve been dealing with these persistent, rough patches of skin on my elbows and knees for months now. My regular moisturizer isn’t making a dent, and I’m starting to wonder if it could be a form of keratosis pilaris, but it looks a bit more inflamed than the typical “chicken skin” pictures I see online.

[Mia20]

I've had patches like that on my elbows too, and they got worse after I was hot or used scented soaps. I switched to a thick fragrance free moisturizer with ceramides and started a gentle weekly exfoliation with a 5% lactic acid product. It took a couple of weeks, but the roughness softened and the redness settled a bit. I also started using cooler showers and stopped shaving over the patches for a while to avoid irritation.

[Zachary.P]

I’m wondering if it could be keratosis pilaris. It usually feels rough and you can see little bumps, but inflamed patches aren’t unusual either. I’m not sure I’m looking at the same thing though. I tried a short course of a steroid cream on my own and didn’t see a real change, so I stopped. I’m not confident about any of this.

[Ronald13]

Have you noticed if it flares after using a new soap, detergent, or fabric softener?

[Madison.W]

I drifted into thinking about humidity and winter air; it dries my skin out so the patches look bigger. I kept a humidifier on and wore breathable fabrics. When I came back to the patches, I felt the irritation ease a bit on days I kept the air from getting too dry. Still, the patches stay stubborn, and I’m not sure what to do next.