Hi I’m Dean, 21 from Sydney, AU.

Keratosis Pilaris is !

I read the other two threads started by you girls, but as you probably know, this annoying hereditary skin condition also affects us guys. I haven’t met any other guys that really have it or care about it, but I’m sure it bothers them like hell; they just don’t speak out about it.

I mainly get Keratosis Pilaris on the back of my arms, and bit on my butt, but not much. I’ve had it since high school. It really feels like affliction, just like hereditary hair loss, but that’s for another forum. It really is annoying, you notice other people your age with smooth arms, and your like, ugh, why me. I go to the gym too, so it upsets me that these annoying things won’t clear up, I cant show off my arms.

I asked about it on Yahoo Answers by only describing the skin condition because I didn’t know its name at the time, and the suggestion there was to scrub it with an exfoliating glove using a body or face wash. I had already done something like that with a Loofah and body wash, notice it helped a bit, but never kept it up.

Anyway, I’ve asked three different GPs about it, the first one didn’t know what the hell it was, and just said to try the cream for inflammation that he was prescribing me for something else at the time, Tricortone. The second GP also couldn’t put a name to it, he just said its something to do with growing up or something, nothing you can really do about it, and prescribed me a cream, Elocon, that he said might help a little bit.

The third GP finally gave it a name! He said I have Keratosis Pilaris, and I thought “good start, now all I need is a cream for it”. No such luck! Ugh, modern science! He said there’s nothing really for it, but he could refer me to a dermatologist, who conveniently said the same thing, adding it will go away by the time I’m 30, which is great, because I plan to walk around with my shirt off and short sleeves even more after 30.

Anyway, lately I’ve been scrubbing it with one of those rough sponges you have in the kitchen for getting the grease off plates and stuff. It hurts! But it helps, they have gone down, and I’m also using the Elocon cream that the doctor gave me, but I think most of the results are coming from the pain of scrubbing. I just get out of the shower and use a facial wash and just scrub it real hard and good, it also bled a bit today. I do my butt a bit too. I still feel it right now, the kind of scrubbed sensation.

All you can do is treat the symptom, but there’s no cure for this thing, except age, why can’t it come after 30? I’ve also heard that the sun and tanning can really help, definitely will try that come summer. Use sunscreen though!

There was a guy here who scrubbed like that (until the KP became open holes that bled a little bit) & he said he would put rubbing alcohol on them, then they'd scab over. After the scabs fell off, he said the KP would be gone. He was worried (about being responsible if it didn't work out well for others), though, & deleted all of his posts.

Interesting theory. Kind of makes sense. If the genetically predisposed hair follicles can be scrubbed open and then killed off with alcohol. When I scrubbed though, they didn’t all bleed and open up like that, only in one or two spots. If I were to just keep scrubbing, I don’t think it would work, not now that that many of them aren’t bumpy anymore. I guess if I wanted to try it, I would have to let them flare up again, and scrub it all in one go. I’ll just keep scrubbing like I am now and applying the cream when I can. If it hasn’t cleared up in a month, I might try it.

Well, I think that is what he did (as in he had a bad case of it, and did this "right out of the gate," so to speak).

Also, I "think" he did it carefully all over, and not in the shower, with a pumice stone. His goal was to go over the bumps until they opened up, (the little bleeding holes thing again) & then he applied the rubbing alcohol.

I have to warn you, though, he said it hurt like a .

Also, he said he applied NO lotion or cream, whatsoever. He'd just let them scab over, heal up & have the scabs fall off on their own.

I could never do this method, b/c I am a "compulsive" picker!

It is a bit extreme in either case. Probably better to just scrub it, apply lotions and give it some sun. I heard coconut oil is good, might try that.

http://www.lahealthnews.com/COCONUT-...NEFIT_985.html

One could say it is extreme. That is probably why he asked for all of his posts to be deleted.

Another thing you could try is to take a loofah, or pumice stone, and carefully slough off the KP while your skin is soft from a shower.

I know what you mean. Sometimes you think, "all I ask for is smooth skin". I get a longing feeling sometimes when I see someone in short shorts and sleeveless shirts with beautiful skin.

Scrubbing till it bleeds seems very extreme. I guess it just depends on your skin. For me, I've picked and/or scrubbed till it bled, but the results weren't good for me. I got scabs, and the KP seemed to lessen a bit, but afterwards I'd have just as many bumps as I did before. Except it was even worse because I had to deal with the even more noticeable scabs.

However, when I stopped causing the scars and used a *smooth* stone and shampoo with aloe in it and moisturized afterwards, I saw much more improvement. It was better than the scarring method.

Hmm, what do you consider a "smooth" stone?

<- I just had to use this smiley.

Here's an example of what I mean:

Do you think the pumice sponge would be a good option?

Buy Titania Angled Pumice Sponge Online at drugstore.com

I was thinking of exfoliating with something like this after a shower when my skin is moist/wet from the warm water.

Personally, I would not try a pumice sponge on Keratosis Pilaris areas unless your KP areas are really rough or unless the sponge is actually very gentle on skin. For me, I know that it would leave me with lots of scars, since they're usually for calluses and skin that is extremely rough like your feet, not for sensitive areas.

I've used a pumice stone on my Keratosis Pilaris before, and it didn't leave scarring, however it didn't do much of anything.

What I really want a stone for, is to remove the skin that is dry/peeling off after I shower & apply my lotion. It's bugging me a little bit. I suppose I could just use one of those loofah sea sponges.

hi kp does truly suck but like many posts say i think it may have to do with diet and allergies.

I've had this since I was 5 but never really knew what it was until I by a complete fluke found the condition name on Yahoo Questions board thing. I'm now 15. Anyway, I have redness during the winter and I like in the UK. Can anyone specifically name ANY cream that can at the very least reduce the redness so it's at least barely noticeable? At the moment Ive made an appointment with my doctor to confirm this diagnosis, at the moment I use moisturizer everyday.

im jose from mexico, and i hate kp, since i was young all my friends would ask me "why do you have that chicken skin??" or "why does your skin fill like that??", i hate those questions and if any have some tips that i can use, can you pass me some?? i will appreciate it a lot.