I just started seeing a new dermatologist for my life-long excema (I'm 43), and he told me that some of the areas I am talking about is KP or KP with excema. After reading a little on the subject here, and elsewhere on the web, I am amazed that it has taken this long for a dermatologist to recognize this. Seems so obvious to me now.

Anyway, he is confident that taking Vitamin A will work. That's it! Yet in everything I've read, I sometimes read that it is a vitamin A deficiency, yet nobody suggests treating with Vitamin A pills.

Has anybody else heard that suggestion and/or tried it? Comments?

There is a post about it, but be careful. In that post it says that too much Vitamin A can be toxic. I'm just telling you what it says....

I just started taking a vitamin supplement (Arbonne, of course ) that has vitamin A. It also has flaxseed oil, vitamins C & E, CoQ10 and Alpah lipoic acid. It is supposed to alleviate skin inflammatory conditions, along with a bunch of other good stuff, so I will let you know how it does.
My KP is pretty much undetectable, all except for my butt ...I just don't want to waste my Arbonne products on anything that won't be seen in public. So, since I don't 'treat' that area, I am anxious to see if these vitamins do the trick without having to do anything else. (Sorry...no before & after pictures will be available!)
I will keep you posted with my results!

I don't know if it works but for me so far it hasn't. I've been taking Vitamin A and Flax Seed Oil supplements for about 3 weeks now and I have seen no change what-so-ever! Very frustrating! I will keep taking both until the bottles are gone thought. Maybe by then there will be some results. I will let you know again if there is any difference.

Since posting this question, I have found some positive descriptions of peoples' experiences with vitamin A. Someone else has commented that it is not about how much vitamin A is in your body, but how your body processes it (or doesn't), which I think is valid. And for sure, if you are going to take it, vitamin A from natural sources is preferable to synthetic.

For now, I am taking 10,000 IU vitamin A (+D) from fish oil, and 3-5000 IU from betacarotene (with multivitamin). Fish oil, particularly cod liver oil (which I am not taking yet), is supposed to help with vitamin A utilization in your body. Betacarotene does not have toxicity issues, as the body only converts what it needs of it to vitamin A (IF our vitamin A deficient bodies are even capable of it). So, I figure I am covering two vitamin A scenarios, safely. The only other scenario is to eat more carrots and other A rich foods.

What I have noticed in less than a week is that some of the oldest, scaliest bumps have loosened and are oozing with a little pus or blood or liquid. I will take that as a positive - that some of my previously inactive follicles/pores are waking up and trying to spew out years of accumulation, so the bump is shrinking from the scaly layer and the goo, well, you get the picture.

As always there are many other factors which are influencing my skin right now. Of note is the fact that we are having a humid heat wave, which tends to make me sticky and itchy, and so I scratch, and so things get worse ... also, a cream that my new derm prescribed for my excema contains mineral oil, which I knew was likely to be an irritant for my skin, but I thought we'd try anyway just to see. My conclusion, it is helping but irritating at the same time. Will have to switch back to my previous excema cream. I also just started using a LacHydrin cream last night on my legs as a test after reading various posts and because I've had it just sitting around here from years ago (didn't work then). We'll see.

Frances, I wish you luck and hope you have found a regimine that works! I'm awaiting Arbonne products in the mail and hopefully those will help me. I will keep up with my vitamins also and hopefully good results will come.

Frances--my son has eczema (though it's mostly gone now) and I'd like to recommend the two creams that I think worked best for him (I tried 20-30 different things and avoided steriod creams as much as possible):

1. Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy Natural Formula Children's Lotion
2. Jason Natural Cosmetics Earth's Best Organic Extra Rich Therapy Creme, Calendula


I hope the oral vitamin A will help you.

So far my vitamin A suppliments along with using Coconut oil in the shower after exfoliating has done a tremendous job for my KP. The redness is almost gone and most of my bumps have cleared up or are showing some signs like they are clearing up. So i'm hopeful and positive that the vitamin A does work. On days i forget to take it, my skin always looks a little worse afterward. Just be careful.... you can Overdose on Vitamin A.

at one point last summer i was taking oral vitamin A everyday. i didnt really notice a difference in my kp, but i did notice that i was having frequent stomach aches, and soon noticed bloody stool. Turns out the vitamin A was making me bleed internally. i stopped taking it, and the bleeding stopped. so be very careful when you take vitamin A.

I agree, the oral vitamin A and coconut oil in the shower seems to be working. My doctor says the vitamin A process will be slow, but certainly it seems like the dry scales are coming off and there are no bumps underneath.

To ClosetExtrovert: Thank you for the recommendations on excema creams. I will check them out.

Hey, I just figured out how to do this reply to quote thing, plus it will make it easier for me and others to find this information. Thanks again on the creams. My son inherited my excema, and it turned out to be all about food allergies and maintaining excellent moisture. Of course, that sounds simple now, after lots of exasperation and experimentation. Unfortunately, I followed a lot of the same stuff for me, and it didn't help me sufficiently. I think mine comes from stress. Anyway, I will try those creams too.

I used vitamin A pills for two months. It had no effect.

It can, and generally does, take a year to overcome a vitamin A problem. If you still have some continue to take them.

I think the problem with most of us is that we are very impatient
we want to see results asap! but unfortunately thats not possible. I came across this site a few months ago.. very desperate to get rid of my KP which i have All over my entire legs and butt and a little bit on my upper arms.
Ive been using coconut oil in the shower.. which has improved my skin greatly! and at the same time i have been taking Vitamin A pills as well as Cod Liver oil pills. i have also been applying Eucerin cream with 10% Urea. Now its only been maybe 3 months since ive been doing this and there has been improvement..but its not GONE its still very noticeable.. I just feel that if i keep up with this routine, eventually my skin will look much better. Im not expecting a miracle overnight, which is completely unrealistic. This is a gradual process, and i know it will take years to improve.

I can identify with you regarding the exasperation and experimentation--I couldn't believe that the pediatrician didn't know of any eczema support groups I could call b/c I was feeling tremendous stress and anguish over the situation. My son was so uncomfortable and itchy (which resulted in very little sleep and red, irritated skin). I do not have eczema but I have severe KP and they all seem to be "related".

I'm sorry your eczema has been more difficult, stress is a tricky issue to contend with but healing the mind can help heal the body. Good luck and I hope you find something that works.