Hi. I'm new to this as my 14 year old was recently diagnosed w/KP on her arms. The dermatologist told me to try baby oil, then would perscribe something if this didn't help. The main concern I have is her scratching and creating sores and scars up and down her arms. She says they don't itch, that the bumps just bug her. Is this scratching normal? Could it also be stress related with all the teenage stresses of this day and age? Another mom suggested counseling, that this was a precurser to "cutting" but I think that might be a bit extreme. My daughter says she's ok and feels stressed occasionally but talks to me, Dad, a friend or prays. She's not the "cutting" type. But I don't want to be in denial, either. Has anyone heard of this? We've only been doing the baby oil for a couple of days; she says she doesn't really notice a difference. Should we expect the bumps to simply go away? Does this mean it's not working or does it take more time? Thanks for your advice.

I started having problems with my KP as a teenager and I would pick the bumps to relieve stress and anxiety. If you can, try to encourage her to start an activity that might help relieve stress. I found that exercising helped me a lot, especially as I wasn't an active teen (beyond walking or biking 2 miles to and from school each day) and I didn't have any sports skills.

As far as counseling goes, I think you could put it out there as an option for your daughter if you think she's starting to have "issues" but she needs to want to go for it to be a good use of her time.

If the baby oil works it will probably take a couple weeks for you to see significant results. Many on this forum advise against using petroleum product, I'm in that boat. Try coconut oil--it has helped me more than anything. I still have KP but the bumps are small and my arms are less red.

I am one of those who say to JUST SAY NO TO BABY OIL. It is occlusive & will only hold in moisture that she already has in her skin, not improve it. I would absolutely try the coconut oil instead.

As far as picking/scratching goes, I think it is just a habit. If you have something on you that shouldn't be there, even a zit or something, you are going to pick at it.

I would also say no to baby oil. Try the coconut oil or the BBW Eucalyptus and Spearmint lotion (or both- that's what is working for me!) instead.

As for the relationship between picking and cutting, I had some experience with both as a teen. I didn't see the two as related at all. The only thing that would make me worry is if she's picking at the same spot aggressively and they bleed and get infected. If she's doing it on purpose just to make a sore, that is similar in motive to more serious self injury behavior. If it just looks like she's picking to deal with the bump and then she moves on, it has nothing to do with emotional issues- she's just picking at something that annoys her.

Sure, you could always offer the counseling- they might be able to help her break a bad habit or they will pick up on it if it really is something serious. If you have a good relationship with her, I doubt she'll react badly to just offering. Good luck!

I also would not use baby oil. Try extra virgin coconut oil, which helps it disappear and makes it harder to pick

I'm 18 and have had KP since I was born. I have a terrible picking problem, but between the ages of 13 and 16 it was at it's worst. I believe that I picked at my bumps so that my arms would be smooth like other kids my age. I never did it because they itched, but honestly it was kind of a stress reliever. Right now I have terrible scars on my arms that I am incredibly embarrassed about. Encourage her to find something else to do with her hands. I heard crocheting is a very good stress reliever. As for products I used a sample of Arbonne RE9 body wash, serum, and lotion and worked great. It's kinda of pricey so I'm saving up right now to buy the bottles.