Hi there everyone, for the last 15 years I have suffered from what I now know to be KP. I have kept it pretty well hidden from everyone in my life including my partner of five years! I just thought I was some freak who had this serious skin problem and was too embarresed to go to the docter or talk to my mum about it. I have low self esteem because of it and always thought one day it will go away. Yesterday I found out that it won't go away. I was on the net looking at something else when I thought I would have a look at skin conditions after a bit of searching I found a site all about KP with pics and all this info and was shocked to realise this is what I have and it actually has a name. But most of all I was ****ed to know that it doesnt go away and there is no cure.
I broke down and told my partner well my new fiance all about it and that I had kept it hidden from him coz I was so scared of him treating me different or leaving me or somthing . He looked at me while I was sobbing my heart out and smiled his beautiful smile and said so what it doesnt matter to me at all you are still beautiful and I would never leave you or feel any different about you coz of your skin. I feel kinda wierd though as I have never spoken about it to anyone and now dont really no how to feel.
Today I went out and bought creams and cleansers,fish oil and started taking my fiances spiralina. And I do know that the sun works for me as it dissapears when I have a tan, but gets worse in winter. When I was 10 I first got it on my upper arms and now its on my fore arms and a little on my butt, hips and tiny bit on my back which is never rough, thank god. But my arms are what annoys me the most as I so just want to wear short sleeved tops but are so embarresed aaaaaaaaaa, if 50% of the world has this then why is not known to everyone like the commen cold is and why is there not more reasearch into it .
Anyways I have rambled on enough but I was just curious to know if people that suffer from this tend to be hairier then others ( gross, I know ) and more prone to pimple breakouts then non sufferes?
Can't wait for all replies and thanks for letting me get it of my chest to people who know what its like having KP, so good to know I arent some kinda freak after all!!!!

I, for one, am significantly less hairy than other guys...and in fact I wish I HAD more hair because then the KP wouldn't show so much. Never had acne or facial skin issues either, even as a teen. Only KP, KP, KP.

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Brian

I come from a family of very hairy women. I first encounteroured KP, when I started shaving at 9 years old. I always believed that hairiness was connected to the skin condition. Who knows?

I seem to be more on the sparse side, as far as hair goes... my head hair is not terribly thick or course, and my body hair seems average but somewhat sparse. I am not like a jungle monkey by any standard.

I am not very hairy either but I feel that mine is a bit darker then it should be since I am blonde. I also thought it had something to do with shaving as mine started about the time i started to shave also. Who knows, everyone seems to have different stories, keep the replies coming!!

It was quite brave of you to tell your SO about your KP. Some of my best friends still don't know i have it and I've known them for close to a decade.

About the 50% of the world having KP, this might be true but I think whats makes us slightly different is the extent of which we have it and how it shows up on our sensitive skin. When it's more noticeable (at least to us) it causes to try to hide it.

Welcome! I'm quite new to the boards myself. Just found this place a while ago.