hello everyone!

I am looking for lotions containing a percentage of AHA higher than 20%. does anybody know any brands, sellers, websites...??

I´ve been using a lotion with 20% AHA for the past couple of weeks (twice a day), and it`s alright but the process seems to be kind of stagnating so I´m thinking maybe I should move up to a higher percentage.

Thx everyone

how much of your body is covered in KP? i have some glytone heel and elbow cream which is very potent, but doesnt work for me because i can use for high percentages of glycolic acid. It has 29% glycolic acid and i believe it could work for you, if you dont have dark skin.

hello auggi!

Thx for your quick reply!! Well, pretty much all the skin on my arms and legs is affected by kp...that cream sounds interesting though. Maybe I could use it on the more severe areas. Would you tell me the brand name and about how much it cost you??

Thank you so much!

hi,
no problem the product is made by glytone, and is quite expensive and even more expensive if you live outside of the US. I am in england and bought some online, but now i have discovered it is too strong for me and could cause hyperpigmentation i have stopped using.

it cost me 38 dollars for 75 ml i think. but yeah, i think if you use it sparringly it last a long time

Exfoliation Treatment in Stages



Aha needs time!

Here is a detailed account of how treatment works when one commits to a regimen of effective exfoliation. This is based on my experience in treating my case of KP and observations of others, and your experiences may differ. It may take a month or more just to accustom your skin to your exfoliation routine and build up to a frequency that will be effective, and only then can steady treatment begin. And not everyone who has KP will be at Stage One when starting. Some people may have milder KP or will have achieved some lessening of symptoms by using other forms of exfoliation. And most people have different severity of KP in different places on their bodies, so the timing for results will vary in each place. Other factors like delay in treatment (for how many years has your KP been left untreated and slowly worsening?), age of the sufferer (young people have a faster skin cell turnover than older people), and environmental conditions (obviously you will get faster and easier results if you're in a warm, moist climate versus a cold, dry one) can also affect treatment duration considerably. Choice of method matters, too, as physical/mechanical exfoliation is often faster than chemical means, especially when it comes to smoothing bumps. However, once you find your effective treatment, KP usually dissipates in a predictable pattern.

I hope this information will help those who are not sure how exfoliation actually works to fight KP, and what results to expect at certain stages.






Stage 1: Before Treatment

This is severe KP that is about to "Cold Start" on treatment. That means that the sufferer has not been using any prior method of treatment, probably for several years, and the disease has progressed to a terminal, chronic state.

Ideally, this person would use a means of physical exfoliation here to remove these bumps. A scrub, loofah, dermabrasion, etc, would eliminate this surface disfigurement quickly, more efficiently (and affordably) than a chemical method, and increase the likelihood of success for treatment. People take different approaches and sometimes just want to try one product, or physical methods are not available to them, whatever the case may be.

Condition:

High, sharp bumps are present. These may or may not have visible hair growth, depending on the height of the bump and other factors. This follicle is in profound distress. The pressure from accumulated dead skin cells and other material creates congestion and irritates the follicle. If a hair is trapped below the surface, there will be even more cause for irritation. The follicle responds by becoming inflamed, with red or hyperpigmented discoloration. This originates at the follicle and will spread outward as the clogging worsens. It takes a round, "spot" shape because it spreads equally in every direction from the round shape of the follicle.
In this congested, thickened state, the skin is completely unable to function. The pores may even form blackheads, and the skin is disfigured by bumps. There are accumulated layers of dry, dead cells, and the surface is discolored and has none of the normal moisture or softness that human skin is supposed to.
Most importantly, the follicles are plugged. Their openings at the skin surface are blocked by tight masses of keratin, and covered by tightly integrated piles of even more keratin (the KP bumps). The follicle is supposed to be a well-like structure, a hole that channels downward, open, deeply below the skin's surface. A KP-affected follicle is something like a well that is packed full of concrete, and covered by a small mountain of more concrete.

Skin Surface:

Skin is textured like sandpaper, covered in thousands of spiny bumps. Around each bump is inflammation in the Red Dot pattern. The skin is so irritated that even the areas between the follicle bumps are pink or reddish from the spreading inflammation. This makes the KP area patchy red or very dark.
The follicles are completely jammed and sealed off. Debris only "moves" upward when it is forcibly pushed up by the new debris that is still being deposited below. (The inside lining of the follicle sloughs new cells daily, and these have nowhere to go.)

Because this disease looks so horrendous from the outside, the sufferer is often unaware of the equally dreadful conditions that exist below the skin's surface. Many people attempt and succeed at treatment of the visible bumps, only to be dismayed when this does not resolve the condition to any satisfaction. Treatment must be total, from the height of the bump to the depth of the follicle.



2: Initiation of Treatment (Approx. One month)

KP is best treated with slow but persistent exfoliation. Ideally, the skin should be sloughed just slightly faster than new debris can accumulate below the bump. This allows gradual reduction in bump size without causing rawness or irritation.
The first improvement will be the loss of the sharp tip of the bump. KP forms, clogs, and builds a bump from the inside out, but exfoliation happens from the outside in. It must address the surface problems (bumps) before it can reach the deeper issues (clogged follicle).

Skin Surface:

At this stage, the skin will feel slightly smoother, but will look no different. This is because no treatment of the follicle has occurred yet. It is still jam-packed with dead material and has no opening through which to extrude it.
Here, physical exfoliation will yield fast results, smoothing the skin a little more every day, but it is still a gradual process, as the bumps are large and have much surface area that must be removed.

It is possible for the keratin plugs to be so tight and hard in the follicle that chemical treatment (exfoliants, moisturizers, etc.) will be unable to loosen them and allow them to be removed. This is especially the case with KP that has been untreated for many years, and when bumps are not kept in check with any regular form of physical exfoliation. For this reason, physical exfoliation prior to the onset of chemical application is often essential; it eliminates the possibility of this type of impasse or stalemate in treatment.






Stage 3: Progressing Treatment (Approx. 8-10 Weeks)

Bumps are very shallow and nearly flat. But the follicle is still effectively sealed off, and the trapped debris still has no way of leaving. Because of this, the follicle remains very red and irritated. However, the reduction in bump size may relieve some of the pressure below the skin. This can cause a slight reduction of inflammation, though the sufferer probably will not notice.

Skin Surface:

The skin will feel smooth, and the sufferer will probably say, "My bumps are gone," while they are actually still present. The bumps are so flat that they are not visible in normal lighting, and can no longer be felt. This change from the previous, sharp texture is so dramatic that the sufferer will think his skin is completely smooth. However, many people discontinue treatment at this point (!!) because the red dots are still very dark and obvious. They may even appear darker and more pronounced than before. This is because the areas between the follicles may have lost some of their redness/inflammation. Because the dots are now surrounded by lighter or pinkish skin, the contrast is greater and they may appear to be "worse."

Despite how smooth the skin is at this stage, it is still in a very diseased state, and no improvement has been made below its surface. This is only about the halfway point of treatment.



Stage 4: Far Into Treatment (Approx. 10-12 weeks)

The follicle has been "tapped," or partly opened to the outside, and this will be the first clear sign of visible improvement. Debris can escape outward and will be removed artificially by the exfoliant, so the follicle can slowly relieve itself of congestion. It begins to relax as the swelling is reduced. Hair begins to grow more freely. Physical exfoliation methods can achieve this state and relieve mild and even some moderate KP. However, there is still a lot of dead material in the follicle, and it remains irritated. It can take months for the follicle to clear completely.
So begins the second half of treatment, the battle below the skin's surface to rid it of all signs of KP.

Skin Surface:

Skin will feel totally smooth, as bumps are almost completely gone. Red dots will be slightly fainter and smaller, but still very obvious, especially on the lighter skin tone around them.
Some people actually maintain this condition indefinitely by using a physical means of exfoliation a few times a week. It is very possible to "plateau" at this stage and not improve further if one does not continue an active regimen (exfoliation at least once a day). Treatment tends to be slower here because the exfoliant is not being applied directly inside the follicle, but must seep into it from the surface.
Many sufferers will become frustrated at this stage and discontinue treatment entirely, because the skin still looks so spotted and unsightly. By this time, too, sufferers will have totally forgotten how bad their skin used to look and feel, so they will minimize the improvement that has happened.

At this stage, chemical exfoliation becomes very relevant, and physical exfoliation methods should be discontinued. Dermabrasion is the most effective form of a scrub type of exfoliation, and can achieve this "tapped follicle" state in about 6-8 weeks of daily treatment. After this has occurred, Glycolic Acid and similar treatments are ideal and can be very effective now that the follicle is exposed.









Stage 5: Nearing End of Treatment (Approx. 3 Months +)

The follicle slowly becomes more clear, and loses its pocketed shape. But it is still caked with sticky, dead material. Liquid exfoliants can penetrate the opening and make the clearing process steady and progressive, while physical scrubbing and abrasion methods will only s****e across the follicle's opening, yielding slow results (if any).
There will be new and rapid hair growth over most of the sufferer's KP areas, and the skin will have more normal color and texture. The pores will be much clearer and the skin will require less upkeep, as it is now functional and able to keep its own condition.

Skin Surface:

With glycolic acid treatment (or similars), skin retexturing will begin. The skin will feel soft and smooth. Red dots will be faint and small, localized to the base of the hair. However, there is enough clogging still in the follicle to allow a hair to be trapped below the skin's surface. Especially in severe KP that has been left untreated for many years, the hair may have receded well into the base of the follicle, and may take several more weeks to erupt.
At this stage, only the most severe KP skin will persist. Most other areas on the sufferer's body will be clear of any sign of KP and will need maintenance care rather than active treatment.

Note that as KP is successsfully treated, the red dots will not simply fade away. They actually shrink in diameter, so that they are small and close around the follicle. Truly eradicating KP means removing the cause of the inflammation. The follicle congestion is the target of treatment; the inflammation and red dots are just a reaction to that problem, and will disappear naturally as the follicle is cleaned out.
Conversely, the very presence of inflammation is a direct sign that the follicle is blocked. The famously maligned "Red Dot" pattern of KP should not be regarded as part of the disease. It is only the body's helpless reaction to the problem, and is useful as a measurement of KP's severity and the condition of the follicles. The same is true of hair absence. Close observation of the skin (I recommend a magnifying glass) will show which follicles still lack a visible hair, and are therefore retaining enough debris to hold that hair down.

Stage 6: Final Treatment Period (Approx. 4-5 Months)

In this last stage, the follicle will be relaxed and attempt to return to a natural size and shape, but it may be permanently enlarged, especially in older people. As treatment continues, some follicles will still have some congestion. The stubborn areas of KP (that used to be the most severe) will reduce to minimal patches of small, faint, pale red dots. These areas will still need careful, dedicated exfoliation at least twice daily, while most other areas will only need maintenance care.
Depending on how long the follicle has been blocked and inflamed, it can take an additional few weeks for the remaining red dots to dissipate. This is because it takes time to clear out the last bit of congestion in the follicle. The red dots are not "scars," but active irritation that is very responsive to changes in the skin. If red dots persist, it is solely because there is still dead keratin inside the follicle.

Skin Surface:

This stage of tiny, pinkish dots around the follicle may last a few weeks, and the skin will be smooth and almost normal-looking. It may be re-textured in a grainy pattern of tiny, wrinkled lines, or it may be featureless. There may also be open, visible follicles in the surface: tiny holes with a hair growing out of them. This is more likely in a warmer climate, when the skin can become very clear and smooth.
It is important to continue active treatment until all signs of redness are gone, and the skin will continue to improve in color and texture over the coming months. Because glycolic acid increases skin cell turnover, the skin will start to regrow after product application. Other treatments like Retin A (in the proper potency) can have this result as well and bring about a very normal appearance with even tone and softer texture. Different areas of KP skin will reach this level at different times, so maintenance treatment requires careful observation and a regimen that tailors more or less to certain places.

Some cases of KP are so severe and quick-forming that the follicles will re-clog almost daily. There, it may not be possible to eliminate every last trace of pink/light red around the follicles, because there is no way to keep ahead of the new, dead skin debris that is constantly being deposited. This never allows the follicles to be completely relieved of irritation, so some faint, small red dots may persist. However, even severe KP can be reduced to smooth skin with only faint discoloration, and over time it may clear completely. Just as KP takes years to worsen to a severe state, the skin will slowly improve with more time and become adapted to regular exfoliation.

Hi Aynas - sent you an IM