There may be a relation between KP, Sebum and Thyroid Hormone. If so, probably we all have problem of disfunctioning of thyroid hormone? Probably, because of lack of thyroid hormone our body can't produce enough sebum and insufficient sebum causes KP.Has anybody checked his/her thyroid level before?


[1]
"Sebum is an oily substance produced by your skin glands. This natural oil is
believed to act as water proof layer of the skin. Sebum is delivered to the skin surface via tiny ducts adjacent to hair follicles and is released into the follicle were it can spread over the hair and skin.
Two skin problems are resulted from the overproduction or the lack of produciton of sebum.

Excess sebum is associated with oily skin and acne.
It is very common in teenagers. It is though that the increased levels of sex hormones stimulate the over production of sebum.
The lack of sebum, which often occurs in middle and older age, leads to skin dryness and can accelerates the development of wrinkles."

[2]
"Sebaceous glands are involved in skin problems such as acne and keratosis pilaris. A blocked sebaceous gland can result in a sebaceous cyst. The prescription drug isotretinoin significantly reduces the amount of sebum produced by the sebaceous glands, and is used to treat acne. The extreme use (up to 10 times doctor prescribed amounts) of anabolic steroids by bodybuilders to prevent weight loss tend to stimulate the sebaceous glands which can cause acne"


[3]
"The functioning of the skin depends on the general status of the body and it is controlled by hormones like the thyroid. Hair growth particularly depends on thyroid hormone. Grease glands (sebaceous glands that produce grease or sebum) also are affected by the thyroid. The actual thickness of the skin depends on thyroid function."

Hmm... interesting, lots of people have associated their KP with weight gain, and those who wrote to discredit that line of thinking have said things like "I'm skinny and I have it" or one person even wrote that they were underweight. Maybe they have Hyperthyroidism (like my husband) while the others have Hypothyroidism. Very good train of thought, levant. I'd be interested to see if thyroid meds relieved KP. Anyone have any experience with KP and thyroid meds?

Woa. That makes perfect sense. (and no I'm not a hypocondriact)
I've got KP, I've had about 4 Sebaceous cysts removed, and a few more to go, and my hands wrinkle up the second I get in the shower.

Looks like we should look for something to stabilize the thyroid as a cure for ourselves.

Never had a weight problem though. I just slowly gain and never lose as I get older.

My mom has been taking thyroid medication for years and she still has KP on her lower legs and if you look hard enough there is some on her arms too! It is a very light case though. So I am not sure that there is a connection...but on the off chance that it might I may get my thyroid checked...especially since my mom has been diagnosed and needs thyroid meds!

Blessings
Aldara

Thyroid meds~messed up Thyroid~KP.

Still makes sense, just not a direct relationship, but related for sure.

coming in new here trying to fight the disease and not the symptoms as so many seem to be doing with topical junk (not that this is a bad thing). Just trying to find the cause rather than "cure" the symptoms.

Unfortunately, since the research seems to show a genetic mutation on the 18th chromosome, there may not be a "cure" per se. However, it would be interesting to know what chromosome thyroid malfunction was carried on... Maybe a link?
I'd like to post a poll on this topic, but no one has answered my pleas for instruction on how to do so. I read the FAQs and tried to do it, but no such luck. I can't even email the administrator! If anyone has any tips, please LMK.

I was hypothyroid and have been on meds getting me back in the "normal" range for a few months now. I haven't noticed any change in my KP, but I feel a heck of a lot better...
I got on the meds after I joined the message board and became "obsessed" with my KP, so I was really looking for a change. It just wasn't there.

Not being a doctor, doing a quick search of the Thyroid gland, looks like it is controlled by another gland, which in turn is controlled by another gland. So while hyper- or hypo- thyroid might be common with people with KP, it looks like there are some more control factors in there. One of these other glands is at work with the KP.

Neat stuff.

PS, I'll try the poll thing, I've got some experience with message boards.

My mother also has hypothyroidism problem. She takes pills for months.

I am happy this seems to be getting somewhere! =)

I think I fit into point #2. I've just had 2 cysts removed last year.

I get cystic acne all the time. Especially on my upper thighs. Where I've had KP. To the point where I've started removing the cysts myself and saving the $$. I have all the medical supplies I need, and have had it done enough to know what I'm doing...
Interesting though, I haven't had a cyst since I cleared up the KP...
Hmmm... hadn't thought about that...

Here's another post that seems to support the idea of thyroid function adding to KP. It's mostly about sunlight (which doesn't seem to affect my KP at all) but it alludes to thyroid function, too. I just realized that you started this thread, levant! LOL Well here it is (I C&P from levant's other post):
Sunlight increases Sebum Production
What is Sebum?

"Sebum is an oily secretion produced by sebacious glands, tiny ducts adjacent to hair follicles. Sebum is secreted into the follicle, from which it spreads over the hair and skin. The main role of sebum is to waterproof the skin and hair. Both excess and lack of sebum are undesirable. Excess sebum is associated with oily skin and acne. It is particularly common in adolescents as the increased levels of sex hormones stimulate sebum production. Lack of sebum, which is common in middle and older age, leads to skin dryness and accelerates wrinkle formation."


I suppose most of us aggree that sunlight improves appearance of KP. During my search on the Internet I came accross with the following information:

1) Sunlight/sunbath increases sebum production. That's why sunlight works (for some of us)
2) Jojobo, lavender or ylang ylang oil etc. works (for some of us) because they increase/regulate sebum production.
3) Some hormones (androgens (testosterone), thyroid, etc.) directly effects sebum production. For example, as androgen hormones increases sebum production increases.

I think KP is directly related to sebum production. Since our body can't produce enough sebum (the cause is still a mystery, maybe hormonel), dead skin cells accumulates and plugs hair follices causing KP. Because without enough sebum, we can't get rid of dead skin cells. We are actually struggling in vain exfloiating our skin because:


"Though you can't see it happening, every minute of the day we lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of our skin.

So just in the time it took you to read this far, you've probably lost about 40,000 cells. That's almost 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of cells every year! But don't think your skin might wear out someday. Your epidermis is always making new skin cells that rise to the top to replace the old ones. Most of the cells in your epidermis (95%) work to make new skin cells."
http://www.keratosispilaris.org/imag...er_offline.gif http://www.keratosispilaris.org/imag...ons/report.gif