Life Insurance With Keratosis Pilaris
This is on the list because people ask about it, and the useful thing we can do is say plainly how little there is to it.
Keratosis pilaris is extremely common, harmless in itself, and most people who have it have never mentioned it to a doctor. It is often described as chicken skin.
If an application asks about skin conditions and you have it, say so. That really is the extent of it.
The short answer
Keratosis pilaris is the rough, bumpy skin most often seen on the upper arms and thighs, caused by keratin blocking hair follicles. It affects a very large share of the population, is not an illness, is usually never treated and is one of the few things on a list like this where the honest answer is that there is almost nothing to declare.
What it is
Keratin, the protein that makes up the outer layer of skin, builds up and plugs hair follicles, producing small firm bumps with a rough texture. It most often appears on the backs of the upper arms, the thighs and sometimes the cheeks.
It is frequently more noticeable in winter and in dry conditions, and it commonly improves with age. There is no cure and no need for one. Where people do treat it, it is usually with moisturisers and gentle exfoliation rather than anything prescribed.
Why it comes up on an application
- It is a variation in how skin behaves rather than a disease process, so there is no diagnosis event, no progression and usually no treatment to report.
- It is associated with having dry skin generally and is more common in people who also have atopic eczema or asthma, so if either of those applies to you, that is the entry with substance in it.
- Because it is rarely taken to a doctor, there is often nothing in a medical record about it at all, and that is a normal answer rather than a problem.
- If you have ever had it looked at and something else was considered, the investigation counts as an investigation, as always.
What we would ask you
- Whether you have it, and roughly where on your body
- Whether you have ever seen a doctor about it or had any treatment prescribed
- Whether you also have eczema, asthma or hay fever
- Have you ever had cancer, a heart condition (including heart attack), stroke or brain injury, MS or a neurological condition, or Type 1 or 2 diabetes?
- Do you have any other medical conditions? (please state condition and any treatment taken)
- Are you waiting any medical tests, appointments or treatment?
- Date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY)
- Do you smoke?
We Are Not Going To Pretend This Is Complicated
There is a temptation, writing a page per condition, to give every one the same weight. That would be misleading, and on this one it would be obviously so.
Keratosis pilaris is a very common, harmless variation in skin texture. It does not progress to anything, it does not require treatment, and most people with it have never discussed it with a clinician. If an application asks about skin conditions, say you have it, and move on to the questions that matter.
The reason this page exists at all is that people search for it and deserve a straight answer rather than a page implying there is a problem to solve.
What It Sometimes Travels With
The one thing worth knowing is the company it keeps.
Keratosis pilaris is more common in people with generally dry skin and in those who have atopic eczema, and eczema often sits alongside asthma and hay fever. Those are the conditions an application genuinely wants to know about.
So if you are filling in a form and this is your only skin entry, fine. If it sits alongside eczema or asthma, lead with those, because they are the ones with a treatment history and a bearing on your overall picture.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point, and this is not a factor in it. What is available depends on your overall health rather than on the texture of your arms.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and this is emphatically not one. Arrange it for the risks it does cover.
Replaces earnings if illness or injury stops you working, which this does not. Worth having for everything else.
Common questions
Do I need to declare keratosis pilaris?+
If you are asked about skin conditions, say you have it. It takes a line. It is a very common, harmless variation in skin texture rather than an illness, and it is not the part of an application that requires thought.
Will it affect my life insurance?+
What any insurer decides rests on your whole health picture and is their call, so we will not predict it. What we can say honestly is that this is not the sort of entry that usually features in that decision.
I have never seen a doctor about it. Is that a problem?+
No, and it is the normal situation. Most people with keratosis pilaris have never mentioned it to a clinician, so there is often nothing in a medical record. Saying that is a complete answer.
Is it related to eczema?+
It is more common in people with generally dry skin and in those with atopic eczema, and eczema frequently travels with asthma and hay fever. If any of those apply to you, they are the entries with a treatment history behind them.
Can I get life insurance with it?+
We never promise acceptance, because that is always the insurer's decision. What we would say is that this condition is rarely the obstacle, and the sensible step is to let us put your actual details forward and come back with what is available.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.