Some people have gotten very good results with AHA alone, and I guess people are hoping to get lucky that way, and would rather take a chance on it than invest the extra time into dermabrasion. I got my results with dermabrasion first, and that's what I strongly recommend, but that's all I can do about it.
Around here there are accounts of people who have used Glycolic alone for months and not gotten satisfactory results. Given the time and money investment there, dermabrasion is a better option all around, but it's ultimately up to the individual.
Whether it's for the actual db treatment or for regular use during the day (or both), moisturizer is fine as long as it does not contain any harsh ingredients or cause stinging on application. The aloe sounds like a good idea.

I hate you!!!!!

just kidding i don't hate you--just skinny people in general. I ordered the crystals and can't wait to s****e this @^%* off of my arms. god i hope it works.

I know... That junk food list looks like a joke! I wish I could be thin like that instead of having to work for it constantly.

My weight problem started around puberty, and it has made Kp treatment harder because it's so easy to gain weight and be layering new fat all over the place. That really makes the skin cold and dry when the winter comes. People's body types and weights probably give them unique struggles with KP, as people gain in different places. It could explain why KP takes strikingly different patterns on some people. But yeah, being thin (or just low in body fat) tends to make things easier, for both hormonal and directly physical reasons.
One of the major ones is one that people haven't talked about around here: the fatter you are, the more surface area you have to treat, because your skin stretches out over those bigger areas. That is more expensive, too. And KP tends to get worse, the hormone production changes and supposedly makes skin drier, and then the mental toll is taken. Depression, low self esteem, even less drive and desire to be healthy or keep up with treating your skin. Once it starts, people just tend to get bigger and bigger, and more unhealthy. It's hard to treat when you're bigger, too. You can't reach places, because you're not as mobile or flexible anymore. Even ten or twenty pounds of fat can make a big difference in KP for many reasons.

I shudder at what these women go through with pregnancy. That is murder on the body generally, *and* they have worse, and more, KP afterward, in addition to the gained weight. And of course, their child is going to have KP, too.

However, there are some really skinny people who have severe KP. I guess it's still better to be thin, but then imagine how much worse it would get if they gained weight?!

I love aha lotion.

I've had KP all my life. Even in my first birthday photos you can tell! IT SUCKS. I cant do anything about it, doctors always told me that they didnt know what it was. So last weekend, I decided to look it up for myself (After my opposing team in baseball made rude comments about my thighs as i stepped up to bat) and look what I found! KP.
My Doctor (or auntie.. :P) Said Yeah.. It's KP.
But I have some questions...

1? What is oil pulling?? I dont understand... is it intense moisturizing or what?


2? Do cream treatments hurt??

3? Whats the best way to do it??

I am no expert.. and i would LOVE answers!!! Im young,, still in school.. and i havent worn shorts except for in baseball, but would love to. Oh, and i've worn tee shirts 4 days this year. I'd say that my KP is severe, and covers just about every inch of me!

is it fine to use coconut oil during dermabrasion and AHA?

All of your questions are answered on the site, which is linked in the first post on Page one.
Yes, most moisturizers are fine for use during treatment. The site FAQ discusses the use of them in more detail.

also would it be fine to use exfoliating gloves with soap for my showers, then dermabrasion? or is that too much exfoliating?

Heh. If you do the dermabrasion right, you won't need (or want) any other form of exfoliation. If anything, you will find yourself over-exfoliated within the first few days. It's powerful stuff. It's also the *fastest* way to exfoliate physically. Once you get into it, you will probably find that the gloves are a slow and cumbersome method compared to Db, and you won't want to go back to them.

BTW - I won't be trying any sea buckthorn topically for a while. I forgot that it's time to step up to a stronger AHA. I stopped the dermabrasion part of your recommendations a couple weeks ago, waited and then started a mild (5%) AHA. My skin is now used to it, it doesn't sting anymore and I think I can step up. I tend to take it slow as I do get inflamed itchy patches of KP at times. Most of those have all settled down. between OP and the dermabrasion and about 2 weeks AHA, I definitely have improvement. And just as you've outlined for this stage, my skin is smoother but the red spots are there. I don't mind on my arms since I'm also freckly and I've been baring them in thhe warm weather. I'll post after I use the stronger AHA for a while. - bd

woohoo! I just wanted to post an update since I'm pretty much doing things by your plan, Turq. Yesterday during the hot 4th of July parade, my legs were actually sweating! Anyone who doesn't have KP on their legs won't get it, but my leg pores and follicles are so unblocked that I could actually feel the sweat instead of just getting major heat rash where all the sweat and ingrown hairs are straining in the bumps! I've always been a bit oblivious to the speckly look so I'll wear shorts and tanks in summer, maybe I'll even be brave enough to shave or wax this year. After all, I do have hair where I've never had hair b4.

btw - how's the seabuckthorn supplement?
Have you seen the links bobilu has posted under " Vitamin deficiency and follicular hyperkeratosis"? The later link ("dx." something) goes to a med type article "Drug delivery across the skin". I'm trying to get some idea how much Vit A can be transferred directly into our skin layers. (like, Retin-A is some Vit A form but too harsh for my skin) My curiosity has been piqued by the sea buckthorn oil (SBO) on my last few bumpy patches. the SBO is high in carotenoids and palmitic (sp?) acid. that particular fatty acid is the main FA in our skin if I have read right. so, it may be a good lipid to facilitate carotenoid transdermal absorption. this is where I'm goin... I'm wondering about palm oil too. - bd

Thanks for all the updates.
Wow, your skin must be pretty sensitive if the 5% was affecting it. That is unusual. How long did you go on dermabrasion? Given the sensitivity, I would think you would need to hang in there longer, that you may have a long road ahead in treatment generally.
I am bummed to report that most people are still rushing through DB and so not reaping the benefits. I know people are impressed with the smoothness, but it gets so much better if you do it more. It gets to a point of absolute silkiness, not only with no bumps, but with the skin taking on this totally different, softly-wrinkled texture that is softer than any part of your body (even softer than the non-KP areas). When you get to that stage, and when you can slant a light on even your worst areas (where red dots are still present) and see totally flat skin, you know you have broken through the keratin, all the way to the follicle opening, and that your next phase of treatment will be successful.



But I am glad (and surprised) you have had results with using Am Lactin/Lac Hydrin (are you still?). The more I experiment with it, the less impressed I am. It just does not work like
glycolic acid does. It is SO much weaker and slower-acting. It is really hard to switch onto that stuff and use it consistently when I am so accustomed to the strength and immediate effects of glycolic.
Cool! Yes, I notice this, too, that my legs sweat a lot more easily and get wetter than they used to.

For the Sea Buckthorn, it is really hard right now to tell if the improvement is due to that, or just because we are in a humid heat wave right now. My skin has been unusually clear and cooperative lately. I take about 10-12 little pills of the oil per day. They are 0.2 Gs each. I am terrible at metric, so I have no idea what this means, but they are about the size of little green peas. And they are spherical, red, and have a rubbery, bouncy coating. (I spilled the bottle the other day and it was holy, bouncy hell...)
I have been inconsistent about the other oil supplements, and sometimes take it with a few flaxseed oil pills and one or two fish oil pills. I was sick for a couple weeks and neglected the AHA maintenance treatment and have had to catch up and really work to get rid of new bumps, but the skin has been smoothing really fast, even on one application per day, and the follicles are totally open. I can see open holes from my shins almost to the top of my thighs, even on the sides of them. So.. that is exciting. I'm thinking that I may just keep taking all of the oils simultaneously and see what happens.
After your comments about the SBO, I am thinking about trying a topical experiment next, maybe just on a small area. The question of mite treatment vs. the inherent effects of these special oils, is still unanswered.

That is excellent news...
And the sure sign that you are winning the war and have the potential to clear your KP totally. With you, I think it will come down to working out a good treatment schedule and finding the right potency of products to maximize results, accustom your skin gradually, and eliminate interference from side effects.
More and more, I hope people are realizing that KP treatment is a process that takes refining. Even if your first try takes a few months and ends badly, you learn from it and can try again. Too many people are giving up at the first sign of side effects, translating it as "failure," when in fact it is normal and to be expected.
They say it takes eight times on average for a person to quit smoking. It takes practice and that is part of the experience. And even when you run into trouble - long skips, side effects, etc, if you are noticing distinct results like the ones you mention, it should be obvious that you really *can* clear your skin. It is a matter of adjusting, correcting, and being patient.

no problem, i'm chatty! some days I have more time for it than others.

I don't know that it's unusual or not, I guess so. Some "sensitive skin" products are fine for me and some like Cetaphil cleanser give me horrible breakouts. I've become an ingredient reader like I can't believe! When I moved a couple years ago, I tried a "Pore Refining Cream", Neutrogena I think, since it's an AHA that I thought might work for me but it's too harsh, I never got "used" to it.

I did dermabrasion for 5 - 6 weeks, somewhere in there. I figure to actually say whether or not this is a good management program for me, we'll have to wait till next March when I'll have been at it a year. I think the dermabrasion part was alright cause my thighs mostly feel silky smooth except maybe about four bumps on each. The sensitivity might be what makes the AmLactin work for me, you know what I mean? Like, I know that an 8% glycolic worked for my face, chest, neck and back b4. anything stronger tends to make my skin over-react and start breaking out again or get red and swell up a bit.


It's still got a little sting for me. Again, that sensitive skin thing maybe... There are only a few thick plugs that seem to be taking longer to get out. Someone with tougher skin can probably take more.

I have a lifelong friend who's always had red cheeks (RF), and recently they got even worse due to side effects from some other medical treatments. She started with Azelaic acid and saw improvement in the new inflammations within days. the RF forum and UO forum are discussing it and watching results. i don't know how expensive it is or not but it sounds like something for the really thickened skin KP.

LOL, sounds like something I'd do. The oil is not cheap and I make myself be intent when handling that bottle so I don't slop or waste it.

I think this is of note. someone was looking for low maintenance for KP and for those of us with the moderate to mod bad arm/leg kind (not UO or RF) it may not have to be horribly regimental for the long term. like, knowing that you feel like you can catch up with one AHA trtmnt/day sounds like not a bunch of extra work to me.

I think nutrition and oil supplements are helpful too. When my skin started feeling different, moister and better from OP and flax supplement, i dared to get into the mild dermabrasion because I could tell my skin could take a little bit of it - turned out I was right.

I've had some experience with my skin clearing up a few different times, I just never really analyzed it much before. I'm glad I took my time to read through a lot of the posts here and figure out a plan, it's going well. - bd