Keratosis Pilaris

[*Bianca*]

Has anyone tried altering their diet? E.g gluten-free, dairy-free etc?

And if so, did you get results?

 

[Priestess]

I've gone gluten free and it made no difference. Dairy free made a difference but then again I have a mild dairy allergy so it gives me eczema on top of my kp. The only thing to have made a difference is getting a course of microdermabrasion on my face, neck, decolletage and upper arms. I maintain this at home by exfoliating my arms with an exfoliating scrub containing AHAs and BHAs and I use a scrub mitt to do it. Plus I use a body moisturiser that has AHAs and BHAs to do it. By the way, don't use the moisturiser after you're done the scrubbing thing because it will sting like hell.

I've only been doing this new routine for about two weeks, but it has already made a huge difference.

I've been getting the micro on my face for about 6 months though and it has made a huge difference there. My cheeks are actually less red and definitely smoother. My jawline is still too rough for my liking, but my therapist and I are working on it.

 

[australian_girl]

skin(upper arms) problem since birth..bumpy dry not excema

hey i just thought i'd see if anyone else had this problem, it's not excema (sp?) ,and i have been to many doctors/dermatoligists but none of them say i can do anything about it. it's like i have constant goosebumps on my upper arms. sometimes at night when people touch my arms they ask me if i shave. i guess because it feels funny. in the daylight sometimes people think i'm sunburnt! apparently it's very common, but i never notice it on anyone else.
it's red, but it's not irratating at all. i don't feel anything. i've had it since i was a kid and it's always in the same spot on my arm. there is a little space on each arm about the size of a quarter/ 5cent coin that is always smooth. i've never had it on my lower arm but since coming to america it has started there too.

i guess i'm just hoping someone knows of some miracle home remedy.
thanks!

 

[Priestess]

It sounds to me like you have keratosis pilaris. It's a very common skin condition, about 50% of the population has it. Here are some links for you to have a look at.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris
http://www.keratosispilaris.org/

Thing is, if you've seen a dermatologist, they should have been able to diagnose it. Anyway, have a look at the links and see if that's what you have. If you do have it, there's nothing you can do to cure it, however you can treat it. I have it too, it's very common.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

I hear that this stuff works well to control it...KP Duty by DermaDoctor. Also, I dont remember where (sorry) but there's either a thread here or discussion about keratosis pilaris somewhere...I'm sure a mod will merge this with it.
http://www.dermadoctor.com/product.asp?productid=850&WID={0AC9D107-D41D-4BED-9041-0A940C46DFCB}

 

[*Bianca*]

I have it too all over my upper arms. I've always been very self-conscious of it.

To decrease the bumpiness and dryness I try to exfoliate daily and use plenty of moisturiser. A good spray tan helps me mask the redness, but I'm usually too lazy for that, so I often opt for just covering up in long sleeve clothing...even in summer

I tried going off gluten to see if it'd make some sort of difference, but I couldn't stick to a gluten-free diet long enough to see any results.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

i have this problem too i exfoliate it with one of those sponges with the rough textured side and moisturise its not a fabulous solution and its still there but i dont really care since as pointed out alot of people have this problem.

 

[dumbfairy]

^I use the same type of sponge on mine,and right now I'm using St Ives Apricot scrub and it's working wonders

 

[australian_girl]

thanks everyone! i'm going to look through this old thread and try everyone's advice. i don't mind too much about how it looks with bare arms, i just get self conscious when i'm first meeting a guy when he touches me! my sister always use to touch my arm and go ewwww. b*tch haha.
someone told me not to use a sponge as it makes it worse. and than one doctor told me to scrub really hard with it, that seemed to make it worse!
i use st ives facial scrub, and i think i tried it a couple of times on my arms just to see, but it didn't do anything.
thanks for everyone's help! i'm relieved to see i'm not the only one, but i'm annoyed that doctors or dermatoligists never gave me the advice that you all got from yours!

 

[tangerine]

If a boy is repulsed by kp, you don't want him anyway.

Thanks for the merge alert, LTEC; I am going to let you address the St. Ives situation.

 

[australian_girl]

so it gets worse in winter? I go to a tanning salon, i know this is terrible and i'm very ashamed of my addiction haha but would this make my arms better getting more sun than they normally would in winter? i'm not suggesting that i go to the tanning salon just for my arms but if i'm already going anyway i mean.

i'm going to sephora tonight and buying derma doctor! I hope it works!

 

[SweetSpell]

i recently found out that you can pretty much get rid of kp with microdermabrasion... i dont know if anyone has posted this already. my dermatologist told me about it last week...

 

[australian_girl]

i bought the dermadoctor KP....sephora at herald square is so sh*t. all of them told me thay they don't stock the product and i should try bloomingdales (pretending they knew what i was talking about), than i found the product myself in their store....
anyway seems to be working good! thanks for the rec everyone : )

 

[elschic111]

You must give this a try---

I've had this all my life. It's genetic.

The only thing that I've tried that has ever worked is a brilliant product by Aqua Glycolic. Available on drugstore.com. The Shampoo-slash-Bodywash to be exact. I swear by it.

I've tried other products containing alpha glycolic acid and they have not worked for me and often caused irritation. I'm sure this is personal to a degree, but this product is free of any perfumes or other irritating ingredients...and as soon as I switch to other bw/soap I see the difference.

(In the past I've tried moisturizing bodywashes, moisturizing lotions, Cetaphil, the Neutrogena anti-bumps lotion, lotions with AHA, lotions with alpha glycolic acid, plain old soap, rough exfoliating scrubs...to no avail.)

One thing I will note though: I'm fairly sure that those of us who really have keratosis pilaris can't expect to completely eradicate it. I currently have no redness, and while the bumps are greatly reduced--to the extent where no one notices and my arms are pretty darn smooth to the touch--I know I'll never have perfect, 100% silky smooth, creamy skin on my forearms and upper arms. It's just not in the cards.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

since like 50% of people have this type of skin condition i just wondered if its ok to tattoo over it? are they any disadvantages? big no no? or makes no difference what so ever?

i have it just on the back of my upper arms, its not red just a bumpy texture so not very severe.

 

[Sav_]

elschic111 Have you tried their body lotion also?

 

[Tatika]

i got rid of this about 98% in about 3 days by using the new product from Eucerin, called Calming body wash...it comes in a gold bottle and it smells like omega gel supplements, but oh my god does it work!!!!

please try it!!!!

 

[CarolineRose]

About AmLactin- I like it a lot, it got rid of all but one or two bumps on my legs and definitely helped my upper arms, which is where I have KP the worst. You are NOT supposed to put it on wet skin, though. Wait at least 15 minutes after showering. It's a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture in the air, so you aren't locking any in by putting it on wet skin, and doing so actually prevents it from working as well. It also makes you more sensitive to sun so you HAVE to protect yourself when you go outside. I got a mild sunburn on my legs from sitting in my backyard for a few hours and I never ever burn.

But personally, I have had pretty bad KP on my upper arms for a long time. The biggest problem was that I didn't know what it was and so I scratched at it like a rash and now I have scars. Still, here's what I've found has worked for me:

1) Moisturize like mad. I use AmLactin every other day or so, I don't want to use too much of it because I don't want my skin to be too sun sensitive. I'm currently trying to use up the lotions that I have instead of buying new ones, but normally I like Lubriderm- no smell and it sinks in really fast. When I don't use AmLactin, I mix extra virgin olive oil or Vitamin E oil (Jason Naturals 5000 concentration, which is also a nice facial moisturizer) with the lotion. I especially love olive oil for my skin but I have to use it only at night because it takes so long to absorb. It does make your skin feel lovely, just don't use it right before shaving (gunks up your razor and your shave isn't as close) and make sure you use extra-virgin.

2) Exfoliate. I use St. Ives every week or two because someone gave me some, and sometimes I use baking soda. I'm admittedly really lazy about this and I am still looking for a really good but gentle scrub, so please give me any recommendations if you have any!

3) Get some sun. Obviously still wear sunscreen, but a light tan helps cover a lot of redness. Also, for me, the heat calms my skin and it's not as bumpy.

4) Weight training and pilates. Not only does this improve blood flow to your arms, which has helped my KP, but it also tones your biceps and triceps and makes your more confident about your body.

5) Most importantly, DON'T TOUCH IT OR PICK AT IT!!! This was my greatest mistake and I still have scars. I didn't know what KP was and I would just try to get all the bumps off. Now whenever I have the habit to pick, I try to moisturize instead so I have something to distract my hands.

I've made my skin a priority and it's so nice to be able to wear t-shirts and skirts now that summer's coming. I will never have perfect skin but as long as it's healthy that's ok with me. Once I am not a starving student anymore I also want to find a good derm of course.
I want to try dry brushing for my skin, too, so I'll post the results of that once I've experimented.

But most of all, I think, just try to forget about it. It's exceptionally common and I think we girls tend to focus on minutiae too much. I'm still working on being comfortable wearing tank tops, and even though I still have scars, I always remind myself that nobody else can see them unless they're two inches away- and if they're that close, I hope they love me for another reason anyways

 

[Tatika]

just an update:
i started taking a fish oil supplement (nature's bounty double strength omega 3/6 fish oil). i take 1 capsule every other day, and i noticed that with just that alone my keratosis pilaris is 95 % better-my skin feels almost completely smooth. I also couple this regimen with scrubbing with giovanni hot chocolate sugar scrub (once weekly) and then Eucerin's calming body wash daily shower oil every day. my skin is 98% better than it was. im very pleased.!

 

[etceteraism]

I use something called LacHydra (as well as scrubbing the area with one of those scratchy scrubbing mitts) and that does the trick.