Weve simply been going about this all wrong, we all try guessing and trying new products, searching the internet for scattered pieces of data and joining them to make incomplete conclusions and so forth. What we really need is some hardcore scientific research to begin. About half a year ago there was someone who started a petition and there were about 1500 people that wrote on it. Keratosis pilaris needs to be brought up at a national dermatology meeting with all the people who have power in research so it will gain the spotlight. The income potential could be huge for someone who creates an effective product. Not an acid that takes down the bumbs like the ****ty dermadoctor stuff, but an actual prescription that involves a cream and an oral supplement that reduces redness and targets kp at the source. Ive been on this site for about 2 years and every day I pray I will see an ad on tv for effective kp relief. There would be hundreds of thousands that would but it. People sitting on their couch saying to themselves, Hey thats what I have, Ive always wondered about the scaly bumps on my arms. People with kprf especially need it, we have it the worst- red cheeks, sensitive skin, flushing, burning sensations, tightening of the facial skin, etc. Where the hell is our research?

Yes, I agree!! There is much needed research for KP. So much people are suffering from it and no research has been done to find a cure like Psorasis. That is a shame. I signed that petition too, whatever happened to it?

I found a recent article on KPRF, by a group of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The paper is located in the thread called "Latest Research on KPRF!"

I feel so helpless at times. And other times I get so fired up and determined to beat this. I hid my arms throughout my twenties, which is especially awkward living in the south where every other girl flaunts sleevless tops. I am now 31 and feel fortunate that I look young, and people think I am pretty. But I still feel like ****, and am frantically trying to find my "cure" before our short wintertime is once again over. I have never been so determined.

I can't tell you how many times in one day I examine my arms. I pray about, and have tried sooo many things. I am trying to stick to my new regimen of glycolic am and retin-a micro in the pm. My arms are red and itchy as a result, but I think it's working, or maybe it's not. I've had my hopes let down so many times before. They are smoother, but those damned deep brownish red dots that turn bright purple the second I get cold. I was following the glycolic regimen recommended by Turquoise's posts religiously for 3+ months, and it just didn't cure it, and just cut back to once a day and added the micro retin-a a week and a half ago. I know, Retin-a takes time. But January is almost over, I am scared I will have to suffer this summer once again. And I have a new boyfriend who is so awesome and I want to do so many fun outdoor things with him and feel confident.

This KP affects my mind and my relationships and my conifdence. I know, I know, there are worse things. I am grateful you people understand what this can do to your self esteem. I do soooo many things to be healthy and attractive, and I feel so out of control and helpless with this. I am getting another degree, which has left me pretty poor these days, yet I still use my credit card to buy soooo many acids and creams that don't even cure it.
Dick, what do we do? Every derm gives me false hopes. If I was a slob or not so health conscious, maybe I would feel like this was the result of my unhealthy lifestyle.

But I try everything, I am a nutritionist working towards becoming an RD, I drink so much water, try to do everything right.

Sorry guys, I am feeling so fed up now. I dream of graduating this May and wearing a sleeveless dress for the first time in years. I have cute short tops in my closet from years ago that are probably outdated now because I can't bear to part with them with hopes that one day I can wear them again with confidence.

I know everyone has flaws. Trust me, I've got some others besides KP. But none of them affect me on the psychological level like this does.

What do we need to do?

The bumps may be flattened from all that acid and retinol, but my arms do not look like they belong with the rest of my body, they do not look like the arms of a healthy person.

sigh....

In a world with cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and more pathological bacteria and viruses than we could hope to count, KP is a trivial concern. I have KP, a pretty severe case at that, but I keep in mind that my frustration is due to a cosmetic difficulty and otherwise my health is good. There are a limited number of dollars in the world and biomedical research is allotted tragically few of them (I know from first-hand experience, I'm a biochemist). Those scarce dollars and resources are funneled largely toward impacting life-threatening diseases; KP's not exactly lethal.

If you want a bigger slice of the pie going toward KP research, organize, don't just demand action in a lone post on the internet. KP supposedly afflicts 40% of individuals and, if that's true, the afflicted would compose a large constituency or, in the eyes of business, a large untapped market.

Acne isn't "lethal" either yet there is HORDS of research and successful treatments for it.