Just to update my progress, I'm a 28 year old caucasian male with extensive KP (full legs and upper arms) and minor ichthyosis. I've been systematically trying different KP treatments for a few years and working with my dermatologist.

Right now I'm using a 15% Alpha Hydroxy lotion twice a day, and occasionally Salicylic acid pads, with Cerave lotion when my skin gets dry. This is the most effective treatment I've found, but is still only marginal, so I continue to look for a better solution.

Here is a list of treatments I've tried. Each method was given at least 1 to 3 months of exclusive treatment time, but may work differently for you.

Alpha Hydroxy Acid (Glycolic acid, from 5% to 15%)
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The most noticeable improvement for my KP has been with a lotion with a very high Alpha Hydroxy content (15%+). Lower concentrations showed negligible improvement. I'm getting the impression concentrated Hydroxy Acids or some derivative might be one of the most promising areas for controlling KP.


Beta Hydroxy Acid (Salicylic acid)

BHA is an astringent that penetrates deeper than AHA, and is supposed to help unclog pores when used as an acne treatment. It does help exfoliate, smooth KP bumps and reduce inflamation, but can cause redness when used daily so gets second place in my book.


Tanning (naturally/tanning beds)

This would be first or second place if not for the side affects (e.g. cancer, long-term skin damage, time and expense). It feels like a superficial remedy, as it just seems to make KP less obvious for a few days.


Manual Exfoliation

Pretty obvious, but exfoliation alone (without anything but a mild moisturizer) has only helped smooth KP bumps. The blemishes themselves are still highly visible.


Moisturizers (Lactic Acid, Ammonium Lactate, Urea, NaPCA, Olive Oil, Aloe, Cocoa/Shea Butter)

Despite a lot of discussion on dry skin contributing to KP, moisturizers only have a negligable impact for me. LacHydrin/AmLactin (12%) and Urea (10%) actually made my KP worse. I've tried dozens of products, the best being Cetaphil, Cerave, and Kiss my Face "Aloe+Alpha", but these alone have had little effect on KP itself.


Differin (Adapelene 0.1%, Similar to Retin-A) (Prescription)
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I had high hopes for Differin, but after 6 months, it still only produced results similar to 15% Alpha Hydroxy. Sadly it also caused red inflamation on the back of my knees unlike AHA, and is much more expensive. You might try this as it may work better for you, but it wasn't superior enough for me to justify it.


Accutane (Isotretinoin) (Prescription)

A 5-month course of Accutane permanently cured my acne and oily skin. It had only a minor affect on KP by reducing the frequency of KP inflamation I now get.


Fluocinonide %0.05 (Prescription)

This topical steroid almost immediately reduces any KP redness and puffiness, but only as long as it's in contact, with no lasting effect. Negligible benefit.


Improved Diet / Vitamins (switching to a vegan diet, avoiding caffeine/alcohol)

This was a permanent change for me but had no measurable impact on KP. It's still a very healthy lifestyle choice, and is good for the skin overall. I also tried a raw food diet which had no impact on KP.


Topical Vitamin A and E

For several months I tried Kiss my Face Vitamin A+E, which yielded no measurable improvement.


Laser (Skin Resurfacing and Hair Removal)

I spent 3 years going through laser treatments on the areas affected by KP. It had a minor impact on KP by eliminating ingrown hair, and reduced old KP scars, but had no other effect on ongoing KP.


Antibiotics (Minocycline and Tetracycline) (Prescription)

I took antibiotics for over a year to treat acne. They had no impact on KP execpt for warding off infection during KP flare ups.

Hello,

I would like we can do something like beaute-test.com with moisturizers, treatments, vitamins and all those things that people probed. It would be more easy.

kiwaku, thanks for the info. i appreciate you taking the time to share it.

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I have got to understand that If you do manual exfoliation (mechanical) for lets say 2 months or so, of course on every other day, and then you stop it, rest for a week and start the AHA, then you'll get maximum results, cause the pores are not blocked with too much keratin so the AHA can go deeper into the skin. some people have got good results with this method.

AHA works! It's the only treatment that has worked for me and I have tried pretty much everything suggested here to some extent. The problem with it is it's only a temporary solution.

My skin was noticeably (60-70%) clearer in just about 2 weeks with AHA... but then I went away for about a week, ate/drank a ton of **** I shouldn't have (including ice cream, granola bars loaded with sugar, pop, etc) and neglected the treatment, and my KP came back full-force in a matter of a week.

It's now been about a week since I have resumed treatment (ie. applying AHA 2x/day) and the bumps are getting smaller and my skin is clearing up again....
What really sucks is that I have a wedding to go to this Saturday and time is really running out for me.

If I have time, I will take pictures to show what my arms look like now.

But yeah, for short-term relief, or if you need clearer skin fast, AHA is my recommended treatment.

The other thing that really works is manual exfoliation. I use crystals for my legs and knees (because my KP there is not as bad) and it works.

Other treatments may work for other people, but i find that those treatments depend on too many factors such as diet, etc .... and i have yet to findan internal solution that has worked for me.