Keratosis Pilaris

[kimberlily]

Does anyone else have this problem? Here's info on it: http://www.keratosispilaris.org/
(I know it is a common problem, but someone put together a website/forum on it? :boggle: )

My whole family has it. DH has it on his arms & legs, I have it on my arms, DD has it on her arms & cheeks, and it looks like even DS is developing it :(

I don't remember having the bumps on my arms in my teens, and they seemed to appear around the time I met my DH (I was 24) so he thinks they're contagious, since he's always had them. They irritate me, and I pick at them, so I am embarassed to wear short sleeves (but it is too hot to wear long sleeves now).

Does anyone here have any advice? I'll check out the website I posted, but I thought I'd ask here too.

[Teacherbear]

You know, I've had problems with that in the past, but I don't right now. It seems I've heard it was viral or something. I don't recall exactly.

I'm not much help, but I thought I'd let you know that I have had problems with it in the past. :frog:

Tbear

[Niniane]

I have it on my arms. The past year I've been exfoliating in the shower (St Ives Apricot) and following up with AHA lotion (Peter Thomas Roth 12%). I had a bit of a flare up recently, and then I start to pick at it and it looks worse. Bad :irked:

I know there've been a couple threads on LHC about it. Recently Rain had some miraculous results with emu oil, it's in her journal.

[Meezer]

I have KP! It's worse for me during the summer months when I end up building a tan (thanks, Florida) and my skin needs to exfoliate more. My derm told me to use my Differin or Retin-A at night. I also use a sugar scrub in the shower (when I remember to).

[SpiralingWaves]

Ah yes, I have it on my upper arms and thighs. I didn't have it until after giving birth to DD (my first). It runs in my family though. My father and my sister had KP very badly. I can remember my sister crying over it when she was a teen.

KP is a build up of protein (keratin I believe) in the pores.

From what I understand, there is no *cure* for it. So if you have, you'll have it for life.:whyme: But you can find ways to minimize it, but it takes constant diligent maintenence. And what works for one person may not work for another. You just have to find what method/products work for you. But for the most part, exfoliation and moisturization is key. AHAs are good, but BHAs (salicylic acid) are supposed to be the best. BHAs clean out the pores.

With that said, here some things that have worked for me:

** Olay Daily Facials Clarity scrub and toner (both have 2% Salicylic Acid) ~ use scrub to wash KP areas. It isn't very *scrubby* so I would use this with a natural sea sponge or something more exfoliating. I only used the toner on days that I didn't use the Olay scrub.

** Kiss My Face Peaches & Cream Moisturizer w/Alpha Hydroxy Acids ~ Very moisturizing and has 4% AHA (there is a KMF oil free moisturizer that has 5% AHA but I don't remember the name - also there is a KMF In the Pink soap that has AHA as well)

Lately I've been dry brushing. That seems to be working the best so far for me. You just use a natural bristle body type brush and *brush* your dry body before you hop in the shower/bath (you have to start of brushing *lightly* then work toward a more vigorous brushing). Then I just wash with a regular soap (I use Chagrin Valley soaps) and follow up with KMF Peaches & Cream. My KP has almost cleared up doing this.

HTH a little! :flower:

[slcnewlife64]

I had KP for several years. I tried every single body lotion out there on the market with no drastic results, they hd worked for some time and then the KP came back. Until one day a friend of mine that live in Paris came to the US with a jar of Coconut oil for me. I started put it on my skin and let me tell you that was 8 months ago, now the KP is gone. That's my one and only body lotion after the shower and the only thing put on my skin at night before go to bed. Coconut oil is the only thing get rid of that horrid thing called KP.

[Isabella]

I got it at the onset of puberty, my parents promised it would go away once my body reached maturity. I am 21 and still no sign of going away. Some ladies on another forum had success with body brushing and coconut oil, I have seen tiny results thus far but nothing miraculous.

[melikai]

I've had this since my early 20's. What got rid of it was a strong glycolic acid cream, applied twice a day. Lactic acid creams didn't work to get rid of it, however they do help with preventing it. I also find that keeping the skin moisturized as much as possible helps.
I also highly recommend dry brushing!

[OhioSKy]

Dry brushing is a miracle for skin in general, and definitely helps with KP, but darnitall if I could only remember to do it. :purplex:

I find lots and LOTS of exfoliating to work the best. Like, a PITA amount of scrubbing with this (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/accessories.htm)washcloth from CV every time I shower, followed by the same with a normal washcloth. No, it doesn't work with only one of them.

I bought a lotion from Alba that has AHAs in it after reading the thread on LHC about how much AHAs helped some people with it, but it's not doing that much for me. What helps me as far as moisturizers go is to use coconut oil and shea, and a thick body butter in alternation to keep things super moisturized.

But mine is pretty mild, I only have it a little bit on the back of my upper arms and on on the back of my very upper thighs, and not the angry red bumps like some have.

[Tapioca]

I get it on my upper arms. What works for me is daily use of a coconut oil and sugar scrub. I get very dry itchy winter skin, and the scrub keeps everything happy.

[rose_in_bloom]

I have this as well. It is so embarrassing! :( I have it all over my chest, upper arms, and thighs. I haven't worn a tank top in years. I've never been able to make it go away completely, but occasionally I grind up some oatmeal and use it as a scrub in the shower, and that helps to soften the skin a little bit, but it doesn't make the redness go away. I think I'll give coconut oil a try.

Does anyone have any tips for relieving the discomfort? Mine is very tender and sore. It hurts to dry off after a shower and to put clothes on!

~Erin

[OhioSKy]

Mine has never been painful, but I have it pretty mildly. Perhaps there is a lotion or something that could help with that, but I wouldn't know which one. Have you asked your doctor?

I've been doing pretty good fighting mine. I use an exfoliating cloth from CV to scrub the areas, and then a regular cloth as well. I have been using the Dairy Whip from Flower Moon Soaps and it is amazing at softening the skin. Then I follow up my shower by moisturizing with shea butter and coconut oil or jojoba oil. I have had no problems on my arms at all lately, and only small problems on my upper thighs.

[claygin]

All the women in my family have KP along the upper arms and upper thighs! It's so annoying! I hate when anyone brushes my skin-I know it feels like a porcupine! I personally have tried the expensive glycolic acid lotions, and bath products with Vit C and lots of scrubbing in the shower, but it only made a slight difference. I just couldn't justify paying out the nose anymore for it. But over the past year, the bumps on my arms were getting worse and looked like tiny white filled pimples. I soon realized they weren't. Do not mess with those because those buggers can leave nasty scars quite easily!:pissed:

After finding this site and trying the OCM on my face I decided to try it on my body to see if it helped with my rough skin. I figured if the condition is caused by a misfiring of your body's natural exfoliation process and dry skin conditions then maybe there was a chance the oils could help. So I tweaked the recipe a bit and made a small batch of organic EVOO with a little castor oil (80/20). I added sugar for texture and lavender EO for a relaxing aroma. I then did a full body scrub (concentrating on the upper arms and thighs) before hopping in the shower. After 2 applications, (a day apart-I didn't want to overdo it) there was a significant difference that no pricey products have compared to! My husband was as shocked as I was! I love that I can save my money and make this at home whenever I need to! I'm gonna make batches experimenting with sunflower oil and different EO's for a variety of fragrances, I figured they'd made a great gift for my sisters! :whoohoo:

So give it a try if you suffer from tank top anxiety this summer like I did!

[Distinguished]

I have it as well and the only thing that has worked for me to sooth my skin and calm down the redness are herbal bath teas and real shea butter. It is very easy for me because I take baths frequently so I just dip my bath tea bag in the water and i use shea butter daily as my moisturizer. I would highly recommend both, but make sure your bath tea has lavender in it and your shea butter is unrefined and pure. <deleted url - do not spam TBB>

[emmabovary]

I think I might have/have had a mild form of KP. It used to be way worse in my early teens and even before puberty. Over the years I think it's gotten better the less I've tried to do something about it.. I don't even remember the last time I exfoliated... :sweatdrop: I think it's like others have said, oils are what helps. I epilate my legs and that makes it a bit worse, but applying coconut oil works like a charm :grinhappy: My legs have never been smoother!