I have KP since I was a teenager and I also have 'anhidrosis' or a lack of sweat when I exercise - my body temperature goes up, my face turns red, but I don't sweat or sweat very little only on my upper lip, and sometimes on my back. I need to control my exertion when the weather is very hot because I can get heatstroke.

Is there any connection between the two?

The doctor told me yesterday, that how KP works is that everyone sheds skin constantly. But people with KP they shed the skin but it stays on their body, instead of falling off. So these skin follicles get stuck in the hais of people legs or arms and they just stay there. So what naturally people try to do is get them off by scrubbing really hard. This is their mistake. It makes it worse and it spreads. I don't know about the anhidrosis though! I've never heard of it! How old are you know? How long have you hade KP?

I have had KP since I was a teen, it worsened after my 3rd pregnancy - hormones I assume and never went away. I used to sort of get better and then come back - but now has spread all over my arms (started at back of upper arms), thighs, stomach and back have some but not as bad. I am now 44 and unfortunately, I see 2 of my 3 sons have some KP on their arms.

I also don't sweat like normal people and wonder if this is because my pores are blocked by the KP or if it's unrelated.

I am interested in the diet related links as I have tried all sorts of topical treatments and often found that they irritate more than they cure.

I don't think they are related. I sweat quite a lot, even where I have the KP. (I have it a little on my chest and my chest gets sweaty sometimes.)

Yeah I've always been a sweater...mostly more profusely than non-KP people....

My legs have been sweating this summer for the first time that I can remember and I'm 43. The long term exfoliation and then lactic acid (glycolic may work better) paired with the EFAs has opened up so many more of my pores. My back was drenched in sweat the other day and maybe I'd sweat a little bit there before but it was 100 degrees F in and out of my house and my body _needed_ to sweat and now it could! but I always did get red faced when exercising and I can't say right now that it wouldn't get at least somewhat red now. I would never get heatstroke in super hot weather so I'm thinking my experience has not been exactly like yours. _can_ you sweat if your pores were opened up? - bd

Yeah I know I'm the same way! I've been taking this KP medicine, and it's been like two months since the first time I started taking it, and ever since then, i've been sweating like a pig! I was outside in about 100 degree weather also, and I was mowing the grass and my whole front of the shirt and the back of the shirt was drenched in sweat, I know that sounds nasty, but my face was also sweating; it was sweating more than normal, ususally I used to just sweat on my forhead and betweeen my nose and upper lip and that wasn't even alot of sweat, but now my face was dripping with sweat, I know thats really nasty, but it shows that my pores are getting cleaned out and the medicine is working! And there's another thing also, before the medicine my face wouldn't sweat hardly at all, but turn like candy apple red all over and I hated it! But ever since the medicine, I'm sweating alot more on my arms and legs and face and my face isn't turning beat red. But now my face was only red because I got a sunburn, and it wasn't that much!!!! I love my medicine!!! YALL SHOULD TRY IT!!!!!

yeah when you sweat your pores opens which causes you to be able to grow hair...so...my doctor told me i should try a sauna because that causes you to sweat and it will open your pores...which is a GOOD thing...

yeah thanks! I've been in a sauna before, and they're really hot!!! But they're not hot like blazing hot, they're more like humid hot, to get you to sweat more than to burn you!!! Wow!! Your comment says this was sent at 5:30!!! Where are you? Are you like on the other side of the world? We must be in different time zones!!!

are you talking about me?!? because mines was sent at 10:35am...not 5...

anyway...did the sauna help you at all?!?! did you feel better??!! or anything?!?! like is your skin smoother?!!? oh yeah...we lack sweat thats why these things are on us...

I haven't gotten in the sauna yet but I'm setting up a date to get in!!! Yeah theses stupid little red bumps all over my arms are gett'n better! I've stopped taking steaming hot showers, and started taking medium hot and cold showers! That seemed to help my skin a little bit. It's made my skin less red and a little less bumpy! Try it, I think it'll work! Thanks for the sauna advice! I'll tell you about the results when I go to a sauna! By the way, I thought I saw 10 someth'n on your responce, but I see now it says 5 someth'n!!! Ignore my stupidity!!!! LOL!!!!

um, I'm not sure why you would write that. I don't know much about anhidrosis but I have the idea that huntgoddess may have a disease whereby even if her pores are unplugged, her sweat glands simply don't work or aren't there.

"anhidrosis
Pronunciation: an′hĭ-drō′sis
Definitions:
1. Absence of sweat glands or absence of sweating, resulting from use of anticholinergic drugs."
www.medilexicon.com/medicaldictionary.php?t=4268

Those of us with KP whose sweat glands actually work would have a different experience than her. Sticking someone with no sweat glands into a sauna sounds like a bad idea.

oh okay! Yeah no sweat glands in a sauna that'll make you sweat a whole freak'n lot!!! They might explode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol!!!! ahahahahahah!!!!!!!

by the way, what are anticholinergic drugs? Is that tylenol and stuff like that???