I am new here and wanted to share some of my personal knowledge I have learned on the quest to help my man and my daughter control their KP. I am not a doctor but have spent lots of hours doing research, speaking with doctors, talking with KP sufferers, and learning about skin when I started being a skin care consultant after finding something that fixed my life long eczema. I am very excited to be here and hope to learn even more.

I kept asking my daughters doctor what it was on her arms for him to tell me it was nothing to worry about. I increased lotions and one day one of the bumps got infected. Then I noticed a differant type of bump on her knee that started to grow larger by day. It was pain full to her and went to a skin surgeon to have it removed and tested. It did not come back cancerous but I asked him what did it come from? He said it can from things inside skin care and soaps that I was using on her. He told me of animal byproducts and chemicals used in the skin care today. I laughed it off, although I seen it with my own eyes and continued on.

A few years later I found a product that worked great on my eczema....I have had no bleeding on my hands since Jan 2003. Satisfied....I signed up for a wholesale account. I shared it with everyone I met but it was not until Jan 04 I decided to do it as a business. I met a lady with KP and she invited me to come learn about it. When I seen the pictures I almost passed out. It was what we were battleing with my daughter and mans skin. I returned to the doctor and he then said, yes that is what it is. Its no big deal.

To me it was. To my daughter it was. I began searching and reading and asking alot of questions to the doctors I meet in my line of work as well as the other KP sufferers I met.

My daughter has it under control, my man does occasionally. I think his occasionally is because he is a UPS driver and is covered in dust and dirt and sweat from 6am till 7pm. On weekends vacations and holidays it clears quickly.

Some tips I have learned. Avoid things that cover or clog pores such as petrolatuem duraritives. Such as vaseline, baby oil, minerial oil, petroleum, ......these tend to put a protective layer on the skin and do not allow them to breathe. Skin cannot function properly if it cannot breathe.

Avoid chemical ingredents. No good for you, your hormones, or the skin. Some chemicals such as benzene has been known to cause acoma or even death. If any of these bumps, folicals or other spots are open you are taking a chance it will get into the blood stream.

I have alot of skin information on my website in my profile that I post on my last page Awareness. I try to add it as I go.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share this information with you. It has made a huge differance in my daughters skin by having this knowledge, I hope it will help you as well. I also look forward to learning from all of you. Please feel free to conversate with me at loveurskin@myarbonne.com

Ann Phelps

>Some tips I have learned. Avoid things that cover or clog pores such as >petrolatuem duraritives. Such as vaseline, baby oil, minerial oil, >petroleum, ......these tend to put a protective layer on the skin and do not >allow them to breathe. Skin cannot function properly if it cannot breathe.

Some might say this claim of mineral oil and other such products has been overblown:
http://tinyurl.com/eywjw

>Avoid chemical ingredents. No good for you, your hormones, or the skin. >Some chemicals such as benzene has been known to cause acoma or >even death. If any of these bumps, folicals or other spots are open you >are taking a chance it will get into the blood stream.

Ok, as a chemist, **** like this annoys me. Every bottle of lotion you can buy has chemical ingredients in it. Everything is made up of chemicals---including your body. As for benzene, it is a carcinogen. No one is going to put that in a lotion.

ARR

When I hear this particular statement, I always wonder what the author means by it. Is it being said that the skin is so thoroughly coated that air does not reach it? Or that the oil prevents the skin from actually respiring?

Skin does not breathe. It gets it's nutrients and oxygen internally from our bloodstream. The only part of the skin that is absorbant is the very top layer (the epidermis). The skin cells here have died and are no longer being "fed" by our bloodstream. However, petroleum products are not readily absorbed into that layer. They have a high molecular weight (the individual molecules are large) and as such literally "don't fit" through the microscopic (intercellular) spaces between the cells. This means that for most of us, the mineral oil that gets worked into the pore will stay there until it is removed. Hopefully this happens while showering or bathing or by being pushed out by sebum or sweat. It can however (and often does) get mixed with 'pollutants' either 1.) contained in the pores to begin with... 2.) materials that adhere to the sticky oil (dust/dirt) on the skin... or 3.) even dead skin cells. The resulting "sludge" trapped in the pore is much more viscous than what our bodies create naturally or in most cases, what plant or animal derived oils will produce. Then you add the whole nasty sebum production and bacterial growth combination inside that clogged pore and you're blessed with a ZIT!

There are useful health applications for petroleum products. Burns and abrasions occasionally benefit, chapped lips or skin can benefit from occasional use for acute problems. Generally though, I agree that they are not good for prolonged or extended use.

ARR I couldn't agree more! While I do believe we have "created" or fractured some "all natural" materials into "less than beneficial for our skin" chemicals in our labs, I think it's practically criminal the way the term "natural" or "chemical free" has become synonymous with "safe & healthy". Look at all of the people who died or were made very ill by "cures" a century ago. These were made up of all natural ingredients. Mother Nature packs a hell of a whallup all on her own. I don't believe any ingredient is inherently "bad". In most cases its well suited for "some" pupose and as consumers we need to be educated about what those uses are and whether or not they're best for us. Chemicals rock!

To my understanding benzene is in some over the counter acne creams.

I know all have some even a little but what I meant about avoiding chemicals is to avoid ones that are loaded down with them and chemical fragrances. I see this board is not very mannerly or positive minded. Not one person welcomed me here but surely picked apart my tips.

It upsets me that because your belief is differant than mine that you all are so rude!

Not every chemist agrees on everything and my information was found in research that I did with people unaffilated with companies. For years doctors swore HRTs helped many of things and was not harmful. OPEN YOUR EYES! For years Dr.John Lee argued that they did not work and were harmful to womans health.

I almost bleed to death in Sept 04 from hormonal embalance. The only things I changed were avoiding minerial oil and chemicals and eating less processed foods and I started using a boi-identical cream. If I mess up on the cream it is not so bad, but I can end up in the hospital if exposed to too much of the other. (It has happened.)

My post here are factal to my findings and I am sorry if people think they are too blown out but I was under the impression this board is for sharing and learning from each other.

Sorry if I seem upset but with no one saying welcome and everyone throwing around words carelessly I think you would be a little upset too.

Ann Phelps

Not benzene--but maybe benzene derivatives? Benzene derivatives are usually used as fragrances. When a chemical undergoes a reaction to form a new chemical, the new chemical has its own properties---these properties can differ greatly from the parent chemical. This means a benzene derivative can be perfectly safe whereas its parent---benzene---can cause cancer. The derivative is often named using its parent name in some form or fashion so one should be careful when reading labels. Benzoyl peroxide is also a benzene derivative but it helps acne and isn't known to cause cancer.

But all lotions are "loaded down" with chemicals. You can't avoid them. That is my point.

I don't quabble with your "beliefs". They are yours and that is fine. If you are referring to the mineral oil statement you made and my response, I believe I just pointed out that there are other opinions out there. Please note, I am not the first poster who has done this.

We are all positive minded. We wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case. We all hope that one day we will find something to help our Keratosis Pilaris. We use this board to communicate what works for us and what doesn't. But there is a fine line of communicating what does/doesn't work and trying to sell a product.

If you found something that works for you then great. You were rather vague about what this something was however and instead pointed us to your website. The website that sells stuff. The website that has a tab labelled "Arbonne Miracles."

Here is what I do have a problem with:

I do have a problem with your misinformation. Your science is sketchy and imprecise. Hysterics about chemicals does not help anyone. I do realize that all chemists will never agree on X,Y, or Z. Science is everchanging--what we know today may be turned on its head tomorrow. That is the beauty of science---it is also a source of frustration for people. As consumers, we have to read the information that is out there today and decide for ourselves. And then realize we may be changing that decision in the days, weeks or months ahead.

I also believe you are here to sell us stuff. You have posted the same, exact post at least three times on different forums here:

Has anyone heard about using Proactiv?

http://www.keratosispilaris.org/gene...care101-a.html

http://www.keratosispilaris.org/moms...m-another.html

And here, you are pointing out a product that your company sells:

Product recommendation, best thing I've used so far

Can you not see why I would think you are posting here as a way to get free advertising for your website and its products? That repeated post reads like a late night infomercial.

I truly do hope you are here to make positive contributions. We need all the help we can get as a community who suffers from KP. Oh, and let me be the first to welcome to the KP community.

I too am sorry, I probably did take it the wrong way. Thank you so much for the welcome! I am happy to be here and to learn as well as share. I have been through alot and hope to continue to share my personal expierences.

I think the ingrdient you mentioned may have been the one i was reading about. Did you ever find anything for your acne? I can give you some odd tips on that too. I used to have it. Mine was hormones, onions and chocolate, lol! Like I said, "ODD"

I hope we will conversate alot here!
It is very nice to meet you!
Ann Phelps

Most acne solutions contain benzoyl peroxide, not benzene.

Your right, I had the right name wrong product ...it is found in cosmetics. I had a terriable migrane yesterday (sinus related) and could not think straight.

Here is the list I focus on when teaching classes.

Benzene
is a petrochemical used as a solvent in cosmetics. It can cause depression, convulsions, coma and death.

Petroleum jelly (petrolatum)
another petroleum derivative, forms a heavier film on the surface of your skin. When your skin perspires and releases water containing salt and chemicals, it aids the liver and kidneys in detoxifying your body. Like mineral oil, petrolatum blocks the skin's natural breathing and excretion functions.

Paraffin wax
is a hard, white material refined from petroleum by using various solvents. Ceresin is another petroleum product, it's considered a higher-grade of paraffin Toluene is commercially derived from petrochemicals It can be found as a solvent in cosmetics, nail polish remover and dyes. You will also find it as a binding agent in gasoline.

Beeswax: Beeswax is a sticky sealant It attracts pollutants, dirt and bacteria and glues them onto the skin as it seals the pores.

Lanolin
Oily excretion of sheep, lanolin is a common lubricating ingredient in skin formulas. Extracted from the wool, lanolin has been indicated as a cause of allergic skin reactions in sensitive people. . Sheep are bathed twice a year, their wool boiled down and the lanolin skimmed off the top. Imagine not washing your hair for 2 months, scooping of the oily stuff and sticking it in your jar of moisturizer!

Collagen
An animal product (It is an animal product (derived from chicken's feet and used cooking grease) that is sometimes added to cosmetics as a moisturizing agent. Collagen is added to formulas as a moisturizing agent. Collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin and can therefore clog pores blocking the skin’s own natural respiration and secretion process, and absorption of other nutrients.

Chemical Dyes and Fragrances
Formulated chemically from a wide variety of sources. Artificial colors are known to cause allergic reactions. Chemical fragrances have been known to cause reactions and photosensitivity in some people. There are an abundance of herbs and botanicals that serve the same purpose, hence there simply is no need to add chemical dyes and fragrances to skin care formulations.

Acetone
is a petrochemical used as a solvent in cosmetics. Commonly known as nail polish remover.

SD40 Alcohol / Alcohols
Many skin care products contain solvent alcohol in the form of propyl, isopropyl (petroleum derivatives) or SO alcohol (specially denatured ethyl alcohol). These alcohols are very drying to the skin.
Strips the skins natural acid mantle, exposing the pores to bacteria and germs. “Skin care products that strip do much more than cause skin problems, they leave pores exposed allowing bacterial growth in the pores which is where these harmful elements enter the blood stream and cause illness or even death,” reported Dr. Bruce Hensel on Day & Date.

I focuson some things to look out for as well as things people should look at in a company such as were they buy their ingredients, and so much more.

Ann Phelps

Thanks for your input Anne, we always appreciate any input from fellow KP sufferers/family members.

Thank you Lene. It is nice to meet you!
Ann Phelps

I can't imagine what products you're using with benzene in them. When I was taking o-chem I spent much time reading the ingredients on everything from skin cream to pharmaceuticals. In skin creme I think you're likely to find benzoic acid or salicylic acid which are benzene derivatives. Salicylic acid is pretty similar to the active ingredient in aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid. After studying orgo, I was eating that stuff by the handful, but still unwilling to deal with benzene outside of a fume hood much less put it on my skin.