Hi all,

I'm a guy that's been struggling with KP for years. I must say it is not the worst case I've heard of (yet) but it has been steadily getting worse since 2001. Before that I only had it on the backs of my upper arms. Now it's on my biceps, forearms, flanks, buttocks, and legs. I am 29 years old today.

About the same time my KP started to "take off" I started developing "BAYONET HAIRS" on my chin and jawline. I just learned this term during my last visit to the dermatologist. I'm glad I learned something new, BTW, because otherwise the Dr. was just as smug, hurried, and uncaring as the rest. Sorry if I sound negative, but after seeing 3 different dermatologists, being on Accutane for 9 months, and having my KP get so bad, it was ME that diagnosed MYSELF. These people call themselves doctors and you'd think they know how to do a thorough evaluation, but no. It was just easier to hear me say "I think I have bad acne" and respond "yes, you do, and here's this pill, this lotion, etc".

Anyway, back to the BAYONET HAIRS. It's hard to find information on the net, but from what I found, a BAYONET HAIR is a stiff, spindle shaped 2 to 3mm hair that is tapered. It is hyperpigmented and thicker than normal. For me, what's worse is it has a very thick root portion that sometimes has hardened skin cells attached (I'm talking almost hard as rock). Sometimes it is painful to touch, I assume because it is so stiff. As a result the root gets trapped and can cause a bad folliculitis and lump that takes a long time to go away (usually only after squeezing out the dead hair and damaging the skin in the process).

The good doctor told me I had this condition and that it is unrelated to my KP. Then he hurredly walked out of the room. Cha-ching, $35 copay, have a nice day. I have doubts about it not being related to KP, because some information on the net mentions hyperkeratinization, which we all know is the culprit behind KP.

I was wondering if anyone has suffered from this same condition. It appears that the KP treatments mentioned on this board are patient specific in their efficacy. Therefore, I'm wondering if people with KP and Bayonet Hairs could be categorized as having a similar cause and therefore benefit from a similar treatment. If anyone else has BAYONET HAIRS and KP (or even BAYONET HAIRS w/o KP) please reply with any information you have on the condition and what you do about it. Thank you and my best wishes to all of you in your efforts to combat KP.