My two year old daughter has kp. I haven't used many harsh creams because of her age. I use almond oil, aveeno, cetaphil and gentle naturals eczema cream on her face. Lately her arms seem to be getting much worse - more bumpy and pimply looking. Her cheeks are always red. Any suggestions on stronger creams or medications? I'm wondering at what age I should consider perscriptive creams. I fear she is still too young. Any advice from moms who have been there would be great.

Hi - I have a 5 year old son who has Keratosis Pilaris too. I also have it, but have pretty much grown out of it. I always thought it was acne and no one ever told me any different. Of course, when I was young I only went to the doc when I was very sick! I spent most of my teenage years hiding my arms - never wearing tank tops in the summer or anything - because I was embarrassed.

My son has had it since he was a young toddler. I always thought it was infant acne, but his doc said it was this inherited condition. I never paid it any mind cuz she said he'd grow out of it. Well, she didn't say it could take nearly 30 years!!! I had to take my daughter to the dermatologist a couple of months ago for eczema problems, and I asked her about my son's face - why it was broke out and what I could do. That's when she told me the name of it, that there was no cure, and gave me very little advice. I wasn't happy with that, so I came to the internet and found a lot of advice on products to try, treatments to use, etc. Do a search on KP - one product I found said "for sensative skin on the face or in the cases of children with KP, try LactiCare Lotion - it's the mildest treatment". Keep in mind this was a sponsored site, but I will probably try it. He will be headed to kindergarten in the fall and I want to help him get this under control before he goes to school.

Something else that was mentioned was alphahydroxyacid products. I have no idea how these would be for children, but it was something else to consider. Many of these products are quite expensive. The LactiCare Lotion was $11.99 for a 7.5oz bottle. Not sure what the shipping cost was. The alpha hydroxyacid products were even pricier! (is that a word? )

So...maybe you can try them. I'd like to know how things are going - any advice you could give me as well I would appreciate!!!

Best of luck!!!

I remember speaking to you last year when my son was first diagnosed. It was nice to hear that I was not alone with my son. Just a note, my son's case was much worse than what I read on here about most children. It was red, pimply, and angry all over but with the stuff I have used I have been able to "control" it to a point. He really looks like a different boy.

Here are some "gentler" lotions you can use on top of your moisturizers to help exfoliate the Keratosis Pilaris. None of these require prescriptions and have lower % of alphahydroxy. My son was one when I first started using this stuff and he did not have any negative reactions to them and he is super sensitive. I have tried all of them and trade off between lotions and recommend them all.

Lacticare like the previous mom suggested. It is 5% lactic acid and the starting point for some dermatologists. You don't even need a prescription for it but need to order it from the pharmacy since it is not in stock. I used it on my son's cheeks but it can be for all over. Anywhere from $9 on up depending on the size.

Eucerin Plus Creme. I use it for his limbs. To me it appears gentler than some other alpha hydroxys but still seems to help. Around $8 for a 5-6 oz size.

Neutrogena Bump Minimizing Lotion. I love this for his limbs. It has a scent (not bad) that I had to get used to since I don't like scents but I really like it. It seems to have decreased frequency of the Keratosis Pilaris pimples. Very light compared to some other lotions. $10 for a 8.5 oz bottle but I get mine cheap on ebay.

Last is Epilyt which is $10 for 4 oz and a little goes a long way. It is it like the moisturizing oils in consistency and I like it.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Hello,
I feel such relief surfing the net and finding this invaluable site. My 2 year old unfortunately, was dx'd with this conditon and it's difficult to know what to do for him. The dermatologist recommended bathing him 2x/day with purpose soap, blowdrying vs towel, and well, that was about it. Because of this, his skin elsewhere is as can be expected, very dry. I started using baby lotions with cornstarch and have seen some improvement. I quit the clothes softeners thinking that might help. Has anyone out there heard of the above treatment plan? I appreciate all the information that each of you have submitted. I'm definitely going to investigate all avenues here.
Thanks again,
Joan