Well it's about 2am here in Boston,MA and I have my first derm. appointment around 11am this morning.

I plan on asking the man or woman about what cream or pill or anything I could take to get rid of my KP. But I read here alot of people say certain things make it worst actually,, I was wondering if you guys could tell me so I could just ignore those things if the derm. does bring them up? I really don't want to make things worst...

I'm so excited,,I really hope I can cure it for good and be able to go prom dress shopping by next year without worry^^

Hi there!

It seems I am writing the post while you are at the derm. I hope you won't be disappointed.

Write here names of the creams and the drugs you were prescribed.

Rojo

Okay well I just got back home from the derm. guys ^^

Umm it's official, I have KP =(
They told me the basics, that it couldn't be cured totally and could only be treated. And that with proper treatment they MAY go away but the treatment would have to be constant.

Um I forget the names of the things but my mom is out getting them now actually, but there was a lotion she mentioned with a light acid- something in it that would treat the KP, I'll get the proper name when my mom gets back home.

And um she told me to not shower so often anymore, because I need to prevent drying the skin out and if I MUST shower two or once a day then just try to wash certain parts of my body and not my legs and arms..o.o;

And they told me to treat my skin from now on as sensitive skin,, and use no fragrance soap, they gave my brands like Dove and Aveeno no fragrance soap that is good for sensitive skin.

I guess I'll try my best to get rid of the KP before fall and winter starts..I was really hopeful that there was something that could get rid of it if I maybe caught it early, but I guess not. =( I'm really upset..I hate these stupid bumps, I just want nice smooth legs like every other 16 year old girl T.T I dont even know who I could have got this from, my mother has smooth legs and so does my father..it's not fair. -_-; my brothers don't have these bumps either.

Oh I know this is un-related but I asked about N-Acetyl Cysteine & Grapeseed extract after she told me it couldn't be cured, I figured "fine I'll just lighten my skin and the bumps wont be visible" since those two things in pill form will lighten skin ...But noooooooo she tells me "you're too young to take anything orally that is suppose to lighten skin" and that I could do serious damage to my skin, now I know for sure my mom wont buy me either of them.

IMO most derms got their head stuck up their ass when it comes to KP. In other words, they are clueless. In my experience, dry skin has no effect whatsoever on KP and does not cause it. My KP is just as severe in the summer as it is in the winter. The problem is simply that skin cells are not sloughing off fast enough (possibly due to our bodies making too many of them), thereby clogging hair follicles, causing keratin to get trapped and make the surrounding area red and inflamed.

I would suggest physical dermabrasian for a month or two (aluminum oxide dermabrasian crystals mixed with a moisturizer of some sort and a bit of water) and then try an AHA. Right now I am using a glycolic acid AHA 15% and it is lessening the KP and causing new hairs to sprout out of once-blocked follicles.

Good luck.

P.S. I don't think any oral pills will help. You can try drinking carrot juice for the beta carotene (which has definitely helped me and others).

Actually, I really support the fact that Neotigasson (Acitretin) combined with mechanical exfoliation can help much, however Neotigasson is a pretty strong pill that may cause some unpleasant side effects for some of the people ( some only experience mild side effects such as dryness of the lips, eyes, nasal passages, and some more mild effects... )
However it's the only drug out that treats disorders of keratinization, and as I once said disorders that are way more severe than KP.. so there's no reason it won't help with KP..
It's up to us to try it ......

I also support the theory that such an illness like KP can be 'treated' from the inside as well as from the outside. I read a looooooooooot of old and new posts... Hundreds of em! And I agree that a good diet filled with some particular kinds of food helps in struggling with skin problems. I can list some of em here:

Carrots (mentioned here) with beta-carotene which is a natural form of vitamin A. The origins of KP aren't that clear... It definitely has something to do with the absorption of vitamin A. The cool thing of eating carrots (or drinking carrot juice) is that you get beta-caroten and your body absorps as much vitamine A as it needs.

Salmon - full of omega-6 and -3 acids which stimulate blood circulation and help to decreases the blood pressure. You can read a thread about unsaturated fatty acids in the general discussion section of the forum.

Green tea - it is much more healthier than black tea. Great thing about it is that once you brew it you can drink it again and again during a day and its healthy properties and vitamins don't disappear. You should avoid buying buying green tea in tea bags in the supermarket... It is not as good as this sold in tea shops.

Fruits like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries - they are all full with vitamin C and antioxidants.

Okay, quite brief but I hope someone will find it helpful. Please, try to read more about mentioned above in Wikipedia or google the phrases combinded with 'health' and 'vitamins'.