Do you know about KP disease?

Discuss skin, hair and nails here.

Moderators: cassiegose, Boss Man

Post Reply
Tallgirll22T
SOCIAL CLIMBER
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:33 pm

Do you know about KP disease?

Post by Tallgirll22T »

KP (keratosis pilaris) isn't really a disease, but a genetic dry skin condition often mistaken for acne. I have it and it is a life-wrecking suckfest. For some reason, there aren't many dermatologists, average people, online articles, or even tattoo artists who know much about it. It affects about half the world's population, but I think it goes unnoticed or misdiagnosed because most people don't have very bad cases of it. Basically it looks like a defeathered chicken's skin. Often little red or purple pock marks. On some people, it is only on the upper arms and looks like little slightly raised white bumps. Those are the lucky people. On others, it is covering the entire arm and looks like scars from being chronically bitten by bugs. It is very painful for me most of the time, both physically and emotionally.
However, I have found some things that help it that don't involve expensive $400 treatments at the dermatologist or expensive anti-wrinkle creams in tiny tubes.
Basically, KP is an overproduction of keratin (or skin) within the hair follicle. It fills up until the follicle starts to swell or often bleed, causing itching, pain, or even the feeling your arm is on fire. Often you can squeeze on the pore and a white chunk pops out. This is probably why KP is mistaken for acne, but that white stuff is like what your fingernails are made of and it is hard and crystalline, placing pressure inside your pores. The trick to treating it is getting bacteria and hard stuff out while putting moisture in. The dryer it gets, the worse it gets.
They say using creams containing Retinol (like anti-wrinkle serums) help. I ordered some Retinol (VitaminA) cream yesterday but I haven't tried it yet. I will update this if it helps at all. Most of these serums are at least $30 for like 1.5oz, if you are lucky. What I got was around $18 for 3oz, so a bit better. However, I also recently found a cocoa butter creme for $2 at the Dollar Store that works amazingly as an everyday, after shower moisturizer. Retinol based stuff should probably only be used a few times a week. I have heard cocoa butter cremes are great for stretch marks and scarring, so I am hoping I will see more results in future with this stuff. Before I found the cocoa butter creme, I was using shea butter with nut oils. It works ok too. Generally, I have found anything that is in a jar works better than what is in a bottle. You want something very thick, almost a solid or ointment consistency, not a soupy goo from a bottle. Dermatologists and online people recommend using creams with lactic acid, such as Amlactin. I think it is like $14 at drugstores. Let me tell you this crap never worked for me, only irritated it worse. Products containing urea are just as bad. I don't know about you but I would rather spend $2 to smell like cocoa butter, than almost $15 to smell like somebody pissed all over me. Just sayin.
Exfoliating is a must. Get a good loofah, body puff, and/or body brush to use in the shower. I use a brush and a puff because I like how the puff lathers better. Use a moisturizing body wash. Dove exfoliating body wash is a good one because it moisturizes and has exfoliating microbeads. Use this everyday, then moisturize after you shower. I shower in the morning, so I put on another layer of good moisturizer before I go to bed too because skin seems to absorb more at night.
Here is the kicker that people aren't going to like. Tanning helps this sh*t, it really does. Yeah I just sensored myself, you're welcome. I don't care if I hear a thousand times that tanning is bad for me, I really enjoy the experience, and it is the only thing I have found that immediately helps KP. I fail to see how indoor tanning can be as bad as being out in the sun, but whatever. If you don't want to tan, you don't have to, but here are some guidelines if you do:
wear eye protection. don't overpay; try to find a mom and pop salon. use a lotion that is hydrating. some people tan to treat acne, so they don't want ultra hydration. white lotions or lotions containing silicone or argan oil work best. don't use hot action lotions. don't tan for too long a session. immediately after getting out of the tanning bed, use a skin smoothing, tan extending after lotion. Many salons sell them. The one I use is called Stay Dark by Booty and it helps even out skin. Go at least twice a week.
Finally, if you exfoliate and moisturize enough, plus if you do something like tanning, you shouldn't have severe episodes of burning and inflamed skin. If you do, try hydrocortisone cream or a cooling lotion containing glycolic acid. Many creams like that are actually foot creams with peppermint and stuff. I use one from Bath and Body Works from their spa line to immediately calm down painful burning and swelling.
Basically, to treat KP you have to combine something that pulls gunk out of your pores (like tanning and exfoliating) with hydrating a few times a day with good moisturizers. For me, tanning helps bake moisture into skin while getting out the hard stuff. Plus it helps skin blend together with the spots and scars. If tanning isn't an option for you, you may need to use a harsher exfoliant with a brush. Toners like witch hazel are good and cheap too. Adding a layer of Bio Oil your moisturizer once a day may be beneficial as well.
Just remember, everyone, that KP disease isn't a disease, it isn't contagious, so there is no cure for it. It is something we just have to live with as comfortably as we can. It is best to start treating it when you first see signs and not let it get out of control, or you will end up with massive amounts of scar tissue like me. sense of touch on arms is pretty non-existent; like I'm wearing scale- armor all the time. If you have kids with dry skin or eczema, they may get KP later in life. Make sure to teach them the importance of moisturizing early on. I never used lotion because I didn't know why I should and we didn't have any in the house because parents lucked out and don't have KP. They thought I always had bug bites or early acne. PLEASE don't let your kids suffer with this.
Post Reply