Hi everyone, new to the forum.

I've had KP for about 12 years now.for me, it get's better when i get a deep tan or when i'm least stressed. I have many of the symptoms described on this forum...Except i believe kp is contagious aswell. why do i believe it's contagious you ask? well about 12 years ago i had a one night stand. I was very young and very stupid and decided NOT to use protection that night. three days later i had to go to the doctor because of discharge and burning during urination... ghonorea? that's what i thought, turns out the one night stand gave me some type of STD, the doctor couldn't even pronouce. one of the symptoms i had before going in to the clinic; was a rash that broke out on the back of my arms and chest. they shot me up with penicillin and sent me on my way. I had ghonorea once before when i was 14 so i didnt think much of it. being naive, i thought the "rash" would go away in time. I went home, took the rest of my antibiotics and waited...the KP never went away.

over time, I just excepted that it wasnt going to go away and moved on with my life.. looking forward for the summer when i could burn the KP off with the Sun.

Now here is where the contagious theory comes in. my young daugther started to have kp symptoms also. she never had it before. my mother doesnt have kp and never had it either. my father doesnt have kp. so how could we both have it, if its supposed to be hereditary? like any father who is really close with his children you have close contact with them all the time
i believe she might have contracted my "kp" by sleeping on the same sheets as me or another way that it could be spread.

you're probably thinking, it has to be heredetery on your case; she's your kid. that's what i thought, untill about 2 years ago, when my girlfriend of 4 years came down with kp aswell. i was shocked, i couldnt believe she started to get kp. I'm really concerned that kp, or something that mimics KP could be contagious and spreading amongst family members... without anyone suspecting anything, because it's supposed to be hereditary.

if anyone has had a familiar experience like mine please reply or send me a PM. every little bit of information helps.
I hope my story can be of some help..not only with other kp sufferers, but also in showing some of the young people that safe sex is an absolute must. this disease has held me back in my life. I'm going to post this on every kp forum i can find. i want to do my part, to make sure other people dont have to go through what i have been through.


thank you for reading

Not everyone is born with kp. Some people's just shows up later in life.. Unfortunately!
My kp didn't show up until I was about 12 years old. (I'm 20 now).

I really don't think it is contagious, at all. I hope all is well with you!!!

KP is certainly not contagious. In order for it to be contagious it would need to be 'alive' - ie a bacteria or virus etc. It is not alive - it is simply an inability of skin cells to shed properly. Maybe the STD you had sparked off something dormant in your genes - I'm no doctor but it's just a thought. But you would have had to already have it in your genes beforehand and you would have gotton KP at some time or other. The fact that your parents don't have KP doesn't say much either - genetics is weird in that genetic problems can skip generations.

I agree with julieandrews... Something can lie dormant in your genes, and can show up one day, usually brought about by something, like stress. Right??

Hell, Im new to this site.
When I was pregnant two and a half years ago I started to have KP. I didn't know thats what it was. My mother and father both don't have or ever had KP. My daughters father has it however and now my daughter also. I can see her having it (all her life) because of her father but how did I get it? This KP thing starts with me on my side of the family. I think there has to be another way to get this other than previous family history.

Jeo -

I have felt also that KP is something that can be transmitted. My thought is that it is some type of parasite/bacteria that causes it, of which I'm determined to find a remedy for. Last October I posted my reasoning for this, but I'll tell my story again because I think it is pretty convincing:

Both of my daughters are adopted and not biologically related to each other. A few months after I brought my second daughter home at the age of almost 2, she had what was diagnosed as classic KP. Well, after about a year, both my older daughter and I showed signs of KP, which is supposed to be genetic (again, none of us are biologically related) - awfully coincidental, huh? High levels of vitamin C (an immune booster) eliminated ours, but my younger daughter has a much more extreme case and the Vit C hasn't had the same effect. We are currently trying a parasite cleanse (search this site for 'parasite' to see the recent thread). Her KP is much better, but it is too soon to tell if it is from the cleanse or from other dietary changes. If it continues to clear up and the results are permanent, I'll be sure to post!


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I have a theory of my own. I have been reading alot of health books I think that maybe KP could be a result from somekind of intestinal bacteria. Intestinal bacterias can be transmitted through sex and also to all household family members (just by living together) My KP got worst after the birth of my son and I read that Hormonal changes increase bacteria growth. In this case this would also explain why they say that it is hereditary, if the mother has it, all children will receive her bacterias and flora. If the father has it could give it to mother and maybe she could just be a carrier and not show symtoms. Of maybe over time from being in the household they could contract it. This is just a thought.

I am taking minocycline, an antibiotic, and I still have KP. So I doubt its a bacterium. Plus a lot of people get KP after having children. That would be interesting if it was a virus though. Like a herpes thing or somethin?? Virii change your genetic code so it IS possible. And the human genome has some dormant virii in it. Thoughts (rachel18)?

It is not an STD and it is not contagious. Your parents may not have KP, but do they have eczema? Usually when a parent has eczema they will have a child with KP. My mother has eczema. I have KP, my brother doesn't have any skin problems that I am aware of. My son has eczema. Showed up within a month after he was born. My baby girl has KP, I guess about 10 months or so I could feel the bumps on her back. Though they are not apparent like my SIL's was before she became pregnant. I have recently seen a bump or two, but they are not red or dried out like mine. Maybe she has that baby moisture on her side.

Sounds like you may have had it, but it became activated by the stress of the STD...maybe even by the medication you had to take.

I am interested in the intestinal bacteria thing. I was told this also had something to do with colic and ADHD...One that my son had as a baby and the later something he is dealing with now. I would like to hear more about this intestinal bacteria.

My husband who has never had KP occasionally will have small bumps on the back of his arms, and says he is "catching these bumps" from me. I don't think it is contagious, but interesting nonetheless.

I am the only one in my house with KP. I have had KP since my early teens.
My husband and two children don't have KP. My Mom says that she had it when she was young but actually doesn't remember in what stage of her life went away. My dad doesn't have and my half sister either ( on my father's side).
I don't think is transmitted.

KP is not transmitted or contagious. 40%-50% of people have it. That's *alot* of people. It is genetic. It is not terribly surprising that people not biologically related to each other would have it if so many people in the world *do* have it. Diet, stress levels, hormonal levels, climate, all play a part in the severity of this condition. Based on all these things, it's really no wonder why we all respond differently to different treatments. Because no one *really* understands what the underlying issue is, every treatment is trial and error. Unfortunately, this is not a one-size-fits-all condition.

I agree that it is not contagious. How can your body's inability to shed dead skin cells properly be contagious? Besides, I've been living with my mom and sister for the last 25 years and they don't have it. I think that part of it is what you put in your mouth that makes it better or worse. I had a few bumps on the backs of my arms when I was in high school. At college, my diet was poor (eating greasy, fattening foods) and the kp became worse. I've gained quite a bit of weight over the last few years and the kp keeps getting worse. I have it on the backs of both arms, a little on my forearms, across the top of my back (from my bra straps up) and I'm getting some on the tops of my thighs. I've recently begun a diet/exercise program to try to not only lose weight, but to get healthy...we'll see what happens with the kp.

I seriously doubt KP is contagious. Just because a person's parents don't have it or they don't know anyone in their family that has ever had it doesn't mean it didn't exist in any one of them. It may have been from a great grandparent or somewhere way back but I believe completely that it is genetic. I believe hormones cause it to surface. They do say that 50% of the population has KP but I believe it may be even higher, just to different degrees. Since I have heard this I have really been making myself aware of others skin condition everytime I go places and I must say that the majority of the people I see have this to some degree or another... even if it is just one bump and the rest of their skin is beautiful. That one bump is still keratin built up because the skin isn't renewing itself properly.

Hello everyoe, as you know I've been keeping a blog of how the medication is working on my skin and pleased to say after four weeks my skin is 98% clear on my right arm, extremely smooth without any other forms of treatment other than taking the tablets 3 times a day, my right thigh on the outer right edge is also the same and i'd say now 95% smooth underneath my thigh. the little raised spots have completely gone - it's a slow process. My left side is exactly the same and a constant reminder how difficult KP is, it is extremely rough and numpy the little tiny brown/reddish spots still there. There was a tough patch on my right side of my leg just the side of my knee on the outer edge and this is slowly subsiding. I'm drinking lots of water and exercising also at the gym with Pilates which is just great for circulation. It's taking it very slow, inch by inch - but I'd say nothing short of a miracle with the smoothness on my right arm - will keep you guys informed of my progress.