Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site. My daughter just turned one, and FINALLY a dermatologist diagnosed her with KP. She has it all over her body, including her face, and her legs just keep getting worse. The pediatrician kept telling us it was ecema, and prescribed Elocon (which I stopped 3 days into the treatment. thank God, because I now know that could have scarred her face). I actually thought it would go away eventually, but after reading these discussions, I'm really worried. Is she going to have this on her face forever? Her face is so red and bumpy. And, I've been reading that it's supposed to be better in the summer, so I can't even imagine what it will look like in the winter months! She's a red head, and so pale that it realy stands out. I just don't want this to bother her emotionally when she gets older. Does moisturizer really help? or are we just fighting a losing battle?

Have they completely ruled out any allergies to milk? My son had red, rough eruptions on his skin when he was a baby, and I thought it was KP (because my husband and I both have it), but it cleared up when we switched him to a hypoallergenic formula.

I completely understand what you are going through! My son also was diagnosed with Keratosis Pilaris at age one and it started skin colored and slight bumps on cheeks then got red and angry on the cheeks and spread to all his limbs. And on top of that he would get pimples here and there. It was very disheartening. The doctor told me that it was something he would have to live with and gave me a prescription for a 5% lactic acid lotion. Through some tips from this website I have managed to keep his skin under control and have a much more positive attitude. BTW, my idea of "good" skin for my son has completely changed but I feel much more positive now.

The first thing to remember is keep trying different things for you baby because what may work for someone may not work for someone else. And try it long enough to see if it will work because it will take time.

Here are some suggested steps you take:

*Wash with a mild wash like Aveeno or Cetaphil and let your child soak in lukewarm water for a bit. You don't want to scrub their baby skin or use regular washes.
*Immediately after they get out moisturize them after you blot them dry. I like using oil at this time (some types to try are sweet almond oil, apricot kernel, etc). See some old posts on the parents with children with Keratosis Pilaris section.
*The key is to moisturize (creams are better than lotions) a couple times a day. I like using Eucerin Original Creme and it works for me because the moisture seems to lasts longer since it is so thick. Some good ones are Cetaphil Cream, Eucerin Original Creme, Aveeno, etc...what I look for is hypo allergenic and a good consistency.
*Next is to use an exfoliating lotion as prescribed by your doctor or one you can find on your own. I do this 2X a day also. This will hopefully help to diminish and smooth the bumps and help with redness. I was prescribed Lacticare 5% but have also used Neutrogena Bump Minimizing Lotion, Epilyt, and Eucerin Plus Cream and lotions. My son has super, super sensitive skin and is easily affected by things and these seem to be fine on him even a year later. I trade off here and there between the brands. Remember one may work better than another for you so don't lose hope but give it a chance to see if it will work too.

I completely understand your fears believe me but hopefully after you try a moisturing and efoliating regimen on her you will feel better and more hopeful. It is always worse when you first start and don't know where to begin and realize it is something that can't just be fixed like that. Good luck and feel free to contact me with any questions.

To Michele - thanks. My husband keeps asking me if I think it's some kind of allergy. Our dermatologist said that it doesn't present as any kind of an allergy, but I do wonder. It showed up several months ago while I was exclusively breastfeeding. Is it possible to have an allergy to breast milk?

to JacobsMommy - thank you too. I've been half-heartedly using Cetaphil lotion, but I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it if it's something that will never go away. Do the moisturizing lotions help? I'm also careful not to wash her clothes in anything except All Free and Clear. Do perfumes and dyes aggravate the condition?

No it more than likely will not go away but it is worth it to try to get it under control...

It is a good thing to definitely look in the the allergy aspect of it since she is that age and she does have a skin condition. I thought the same thing at first with my son and still do the allergy free detergent and scent free dryer sheets and air dry all his clothes. However, my son ended up just having plain kp and nothing else.

To answer your question about the perfumes and dyes, it is best to keep them away from your child since people with kp are more prone to allergies, eczema, etc.

Just to let you know, before my son was diagnosed he was using cetaphil cream and it didn't do anything for him either. Just made the red shine more is all. I know it is discouraging and you have realized that plain old Cetapil lotion is not working so now you need to do more. I am not trying to tell you what to do but am hoping to give you some insight on where I have been since it sounds like our children have similar levels of kp.

Let me tell you a little bit about my first months after we were diagnosed and tried our first regimen. I used cetaphil lotion on the face and body to moisturize and lacticare as prescribed by the dermatologist to exfoliate. It helped a little but still not that much. It wasn't until I switched to Eucerin Creme (not lotion) as a moisturizer that I noticed a bigger difference. It looks and feels like Crisco and looks very greasy when first put on but you rub it in very good and it does go away. After using a lotion trust me it takes time to get used to the consistency of this creme but for me it was worth it. The moisture lasted so much longer and I also found other exfoliating lotions to use and switched off so that his skin might not get too used to one kind.

Just to let you know my son most of the time these days (on his limbs) the bumps are pretty much skin colored and pretty darn flat. Let me also say that with his kp weather change, temperature change, sun, most things can change the color of his skin pretty fast. Now as you know on babies inflamed cheeks are red and pink and that does not go away most times like other body parts. But these days it looks slightly rosy and not too bumpy either. This is the same boy who a year ago looked like he had red pinheads all over his cheeks and had pimples too. He had red bigger bumps up and down all limbs.

This is to tell you not to be disheartened and to try new things and to give them time to see if they do make a difference. What worked for me may not work for you but you can start off by adding the exfoliationg lotion into the mix and take it from there. Did the derm prescribe or suggest anything for you? Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Our derm did not even mention an exfoliating lotion. We have an appointment with her in a few weeks, so I'll ask then. I'm going to take your advice and stick with the lotion a while longer. If it still shows no sign of improving, I'll try something else. I used Eucerin when the docs kept telling me it was eczema, but I don't know if it was lotion or creme, so I'll try the creme.

Thanks for all of the advice and well wishes. It helps to correspond with people who are in the same boat. It kind of makes me angry that all of the drs I've seen blow me off. They barely look at my daughters skin when I show it to them. That's why it's taken so long to diagnose. I know it's not a life threatening issue, and there are DEFINITELY worse things, but these are my babies, and it's important for me to help them.

P.S. My four-year-old son has two small patches of bumps on each cheek that look like white heads. I just figured it was just clogged pores since he doesn't like to wash his face. Now I'm wondering if he has a very mild case of KP?

I am sorry to have to chuckle but that sounds just like my son who is four also. Even though I have kp it is on the expected areas of upper arm and tad bit on upper legs. So I never had a clue my 4 year old with his sometime whitehead looking things on his cheeks had kp until the baby came along and it all clicked in my head. With the older one I use a moisturizer once a day and forget about it and am thankful.

That is a little funny how different derms prescribe different things for these babies with kp. Mine was pretty low in terms of aha %, yours didn't prescribe anything, and I have read another online whose dr prescribed a steroid cream. I guess even the doctors can't agree.

Hi,

My daughter is 20 months and has just been diagonised with this. After a year of doctors telling me she just has dry skin! My derm sent me away with a sorbolene cream with some acid thing in it and said have a nice life. I was in the office for 4 minutes and he did not give me any information on how to treat this. I'm also extremely concerned that this is for life. My daughter only has this on her face.

What do you do for your little one?? Have you been given better advice than me??

Hi Cathy,

I didn't receive a lot of advice either. I was told to wash her with Cetaphil only, and moisturize twice a day with Cetaphil lotion. My derm also gave me samples of 1% Cortaid to use at night if her skin gets really red. So far the Cetaphil is making a small difference. I haven't used the Cortaid, because from eveything I've read, it won't make a difference anyway, so why would I put a steroid cream on her face for no reason?! I too am really tired of the docs telling me it's no big deal, and giving me almost no information (they told me for months it was eczema! probably because they barely looked at her everytime i took her in). That's what brought me to this site. Luckily there are people here with a lot of good info. Livi sees the derm tomorrow, and I'm going to ask her about exfoliating lotion. I'm also going to try some different moisturizing lotions.

Thanks for replying. It makes me feel better being able to talk to someone in the same position as me. Please keep me updated on anything that works and I will do the same. Went to the chemist yesterday and spent a fortune on the cetphil lotions and creams so hopefully that will make a bit of an improvement.

My doctors gave me the same run around for over a year until one day I cracked and cried to the doctor and I finally got a referral to the derm.

I'm sure with everyone's advice on this site we will find something that will help our little ones!

Keep in touch.

Cathy.

I am so thankful that I am not going to waste any more money on high-priced prescription medications-creme. My doctor, too, did not even look at my arms, said it was OK to pick at them, did not inform me that this is an incurable disorder, and sent me on my way. I am obsessed with popping these things. They are driving my insane. My husband is irritated everytime I scan for new "zits" to pop. I am glad that I am not the only one! Keep the information flowing! It is appreciated.

Laura

My daughter saw the derm this week. She said she wanted me to use Cetaphil cream once in the morning, and Cortaid 1% at night. She seems to think this will calm her KP down since it is still very red and bumpy. She said we need to find something that works before winter arrives. She said it won't scar, but if we don't get it under control, her skin could become thicker in these areas. Has anyone heard that before? She also said that she believes it should clear up a lot when she gets older since my husband and I only have very, very mild KP, and only on the backs of our arms. To make some of you feel better (I hope), I just saw my niece today, and she has beautiful skin - she had very red KP on her face when she was a baby.

Oh, forgot to say... my daughters derm also said that she didn't want me to exfoliate her skin because it would be too harsh on her skin at her age (13 mos.). However, I've been reading that a lot of you do exfoliate your babies skin, so I assume it hasn't been too harsh. I wonder if my derm is just starting out with some mild treatments before stepping it up a notch.

I"m happy to read lots of info on these posts! Wanted to share what we are trying now. Our baby turned 1 on Monday (today is Wednesday) and is starting to walk, so on the verge of being an official toddler! We traveled to PA to be with family, and her KP really flared up - seemingly in reaction to rubbing her face against me, her sister, and the airplane seats! We had been using generic form of AmLactin 12% prescribed by our pediatric dermatologist at our Children's hospital. That was actually well tolerated and I do think reduced the bumps some - at least they weren't so raised, and the redness went mostly away. Then we tried the name brand drug (some samples I rediscovered in the bottom of the diaper bag!) - I liked how it absorbed on her skin way better, but in two days, her cheeks looked irritated and we discontinued the lotion exfoliant all together. In PA, I discovered a Eucerin product I really like - Calming Cream. It's very rich and not as greasy as the Eucerin Aquaphor - that seems to work on her legs but I thought she had more bumps within a day after I tried it on her face - I read someone else had had good results with that. I thought about microdermabrasion, but that sounded harsh, although so is the Lactic acid product I guess. We did also try a gentle facial scrub though in PA, but I left it there! I think it was by Aveeno. Just figuring that if it's "dead skin", it shouldn't be too big a deal to help slough it off - I just watch to only do these things when she seems really tolerant so I don't risk getting it in her eyes. That was my concern with the generic lotion because it seemed thinner and took longer to absorb.

Anyway, I also saw a cousin at the baby's christening, and her son, low and behold, has this! I never noticed! He has it on his face (just a little I think), legs and arms. He's going into 2nd grade and she said it's improved as he's gotten older. Her tip - use the 1-2% hydrocortisone if her face gets red the day before having portraits taken - she found it really reduced the redness for her son but wouldn't use it except if he really got red. Her pediatrician never told them what it was or how to treat it, by the way. I was thankful my pediatrician was positive about it right from the start. I also just want to reduce the bumps and make sure I find a way to keep it under control before our next long Wisconsin winter........

All the best!
Lynda

P.S. I have very sensitive skin myself and have always used Cetaphil products - but my daughter has sooooo many bumps on her face, I think she needs a heavier cream moisturizer. This definitely seems to be a condition that requires trial and error to find the products that work in the best combination for each individual. {{{Sigh}}}

BethyB,

Definately try Curel's new Ultra Healing Lotion. I've made several posts on here today about it, and in fact, just joined this forum, because I'm so impressed with the stuff. In 2 weeks, with 2 applications a day, it has nearly gotten rid of my little girl's KP bumps on her legs. She's 4 1/2.

I also wouldn't use Elocon much either--it's a steriod and will break down her skin--I just use that stuff with cold sores. It really works for that.

Anyway, hope the Curel works for you. I agree with the other posts, that it seems that exfoliating (I use a buff puff on my little girl's legs) and moisturizing is key. They say this condition is better in the summer--I think that's partly due to the fact that we constantly slather them in suntan lotion. Plus, the sunshine and chlorine probably help a lot, too.

Anyway, good luck with it all.