Hi,
I just found this forum because I JUST found out that there is a name for my ugly, frustrating skin on my arms and legs. I've always had this since I can remember, but my Mom always told me that I needed to put more lotion on. Lotion helps a little, but no noticeably. Whenever I use lotion, I get white spots on my skin that I swear has lotion in it! I'm so happy to know that there may be something I can do for this! I don't know about different forms of this, I don't have redness anywhere. I just have unattractive hard bumps all of her the back of my arms (fore arms & upper arms) and all over my legs. I live in Southern California and covering up is just not an option to me. I've always worn tank tops just thinking that this is the way I am. I can tell that people who are close to me don't understand how I can just wear tank tops everywhere- but in actuality I have no choice. I don't sweat where the KP is- is everyone else like that? I get overheated and pass out SO easily, that I have to wear light clothing so I can help my body maintain a lower temp. I've never been to the Dr. about this- should I? It's so strange that I know NOTHING about this, yet I've had it all my life! I'll be scouring this board over the next several days!

Oh! By the way, I'm Krista (creative screen name I know), mom to 3 young kids 5 and under. I have a 3 year old with physical and medical disabilities (why I haven't ever gone to the Dr., lol), and ALL of my children have KP.


Krista (can't figure out how to put a signature in)

Welcome.


Quick question......did the kp get worst during and after pregnancy....(with each added child as well). Or you didn't see a correlation?


Thank you so much for the help.

Daze

Hi Daisy,

Thanks for the welcome.

No, I haven't noticed any difference in my KP during/after my pregnancies.

Yeah, today is the first time I've seen this forum. I usually check on KP once or twice a year to see if anything new has come up. Well, it looks like a lot of stuff has popped up that I haven't seen before.

I've had KP since I was born. Mom noticed the bumps on my arms and legs when a was a few weeks old. My mother and my 5 year old son suffer from eczema. Heard its related. Doesn't it all have to do with a vitamin A deficiency? That's what the dermatologist told me. I've pretty much given up on ever really clearing this skin up. Its my skin. Yeah, I get questions, "Are you cold?" "Do you have a rash?" "Is that razor burn?" and even ignorant comments, "Some people just don't know how to shave their legs." "She's got poison oak!!!" But, really these questions and comments are so far apart that they don't bother me anymore. In high school I told my mom that one of the guys was asking if I shaved my arms because of the bumps. I said, "No. I think its a type of dry skin." Well, I had never been to the dermatologist before. Another guy shot off, "Well, put some lotion on!" It doesn't work. I think what bothered me more about the exchange was how grossed out the other guy sounded when he told me to use lotion. Yeah, jackass if it were that simple. So, my mom sent me to the skin doctor and he told me what it was. He gave me a script for that lactin lotion. You know the stuff that costs $55 for bottle. The stuff stung, but it did clear up the bumps. Then I noticed that while it was clearing the bumps it was leaving huge craters in my legs. I don't know how to better explain it, but I did not like. This was not the smooth I had imagined. Maybe had I taken it longer I would have seen that change, but I did not like it so I quit.

A few years back I tried one of the new OTC alphahydroxy lotions. I forgot the exact brand and name, but it was helping. The thing was I started to scratch off some of them because I noticed that a layer of skin would come up and then the little bump would come out. I thought this was great, until the damn things scabbed over. I had little scabs all over my legs and arms. I looked diseased. Quit doing that.

I have had two babies and I didn't notice any change in the bumps. But, my SIL did. Her's was not noticeable. You had to touch her arm to feel them. While she was pregnant I noticed her back had flared up and now that she has had her baby her arms are flared up, too. She was asking me the other day what I have used. So once again I am on a mission. Maybe this time I can help her get her bumps cleared up and mine, too. I noticed some products. They are a bit pricey and that is why I came here to see if anyone has tried them, yet. One is called DermaDoctor KP Duty and another that I saw is called Pearson's Promise. Has anybody tried these? Did they work? Did you use it correctly or quit after a week or two? I just don't want to order a bum product.

If no one has tried them then I will order one of them and let you all know the results.

Hi Krista,

Im in SoCal too, but I ALWAYS cover up. I hate doing it, because I love the outdoors and the sun, but I wont let people see my KP.

For the women: When you become pregnant, do you begin to grow more hair? I ask because I see a direct correlation between where you hair grows and where KP appears.

I never noticed any change in my hair growth and KP with my pregnancies. It amazes me that I have any hair on my legs at all. You'd think since we have to deal with the bumps we could at least not have hair on our legs. The hair on my arms is fine, blonde and hardly there.

What's got me freaked out is the mention of scars. I've never noticed scars from the KP. There are so many bumps how can you tell where there is a scar?

Scars tend to be flatter than the bumps are. They can be red or brown in color, and tend to get darker with sun exposure (while the new kp bumps will get better). If they are really bad scars they can also look like "regular scars" and be white and slightly raised - but the dark red/brown spots are the most common. That's what I have so many of.

Man, I've got so many freckles from the sun and moles that I guess I never noticed any scarring. I mean any flat red ones that I see are actually KP. I think I would have to actually clear up the KP that I have to see what scars there are.