hey everyone my names jim i amjust a 16 y/o boy that attends high school atm and i live in aussie
and its summer right now!

and i have kp on my arms dunno why it looks worse on my left arm =[ and a little bit on my thighs. i didnt care about it until year 7 because a few people pointed it out. a girl in my PE class said 'hey you got that stuff! i got that too but you got abit more"
i was like

i hate it really bad .. its stoppin me from doing stuff i really want to do! some of my stories are:

in PE at school i want to wear a smaller shirt but if i get the shirt any smaller it will show my kp and even in the changerooms i have to have my back in the corner to get changed it really sucks

sometimes when theres a party on and its a hot day i tell my mates that i am busy but really i just dont want to wear short sleeve shirt. that really really sucks!

at school the guys i hang with all wear short sleeved shirts and they roll their sleeves up to show off their arms but i have to wear bloody long sleeved shirt and i only roll the sleeve up to the elbows

the other day my mates came over and asked me to come to the pools but i said no im going out with family.i really wanted to go but had to lie

then the day after that they came and took me to the beach. i didnt want to say no because it would make me look like im scared to go out or something..(pressure lol)
and i wore a damn hoodie..man it sucks.

theres alot more stories but dont want to make you all bored lol

i can relate; i always dreaded gym when they put me in those tiny shorts and t-shirts. my "best friend" even made fun of my condition behind my back.

people are cruel, but looking back on it i'm happy that i was born with intelligence (which my friend was very much lacking), a great sense of humor and artistic ability.

i wouldn't trade any of those traits that i so love about myself--even for perfectly smooth arms and legs.

i know that it just doesn't seem fair sometimes, and it's infuriating. something that other people take for granted (having clear skin) we have to fret over our skin and try to hide the bumps. i have just grown to accept it a little over the years and wear long sleeves, but then i'm a girl and not trying to show off my sweet guns.

at the pool you can always wear a ringer shirt with longish sleeves and say you don't want to get a sunburn. that's what i do anyway, maybe it's easier for girls.

Poly-Cotton 3/4 Sleeve Baseball Placket T - Long Sleeves - American Apparel Online Store

that's my favorite, but your tastes might be different.

i hope you don't worry about it too much.

aww thank you steph !!

dam it really sucks man =[

I soo understand what you're going through. I hate KP, but it seems to be improving with age, and treatment (it has to be daily...which sucks, but whateves).
Just don't let it get to you. Physical appearance isn't everything, and gosh, it's easy for me to say that than actually put it into practice. Most people usually don't bother me about the kp on my arms. so just wear those short-sleeved shirts and chill. :P

I know how you feel. I'm 18 and have delt with this my whole life. I wrote a post with tips on a previous post but I can try and summarize. I have KP really badly on my arms, all over my legs and even on my face. Here are some tips for you:

1. Check out Lush.com Dream cream. It greatly reduces the redness and makes your skin softer. It's really great.

2. Take Omega-3 Fish Oils, soft gels are easier to swallow. They are kinda big. but 1000mg once a day even helped a little. You can take it twice a day too. This helps with cellular growth and renual which is the cause of KP. KP is when your dead skin cells stick to the pores of your skin because they don't exfoliate naturally. This helps with that. I've noticed improvements, even in my arms which are terrible. I've only just started and I'm seeing great improvements.

But you have to realize and come to terms with the fact that there is no cure now, and only a certain amount you can do. Go out and live your life and don't worry so much about it. Worrying about it only makes it worse and redder. Trust me.

I'm 19, and I've had it since elementary.

But you know what? I don't accept that I can't get rid of it. To me, it's just too bad, it's going away, and nothing's going to stop that. Eventually, I will have control of my skin.

You just have to believe.

I'm 19 too and have kp really badly on my arms. I've had it since about elementary school, yet it only seems to be getting worse as the years get on. I totally know what you're going through. I hate wearing tank tops, short sleeves, tube tops. And with almost every dress and shirt being made that way its almost impossible to find things to wear. Especially during the summer.

But I do have a tip for you. I've started using Bath and Body works Eucalyptus Spearmint Aromatherapy Lotion and I'm completely shocked at the results. I've tried body scrubs, prescription lotions, AHA lotions (which only made me get a really bad sun burns in the summer), even acne medicine. And this is the only one that has actually made a visible difference in the skin. I don't know how but it seriously works. If you've tried everything else like I have you have to try this.

Alevesq's post prompts me to warn anyone using AHA that your skin will burn very easily, so extra precautions need to be taken if you are in the sun -- a large-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt and adequate sun-block lotion. If the skin is burned, it is more prone to premature wrinkles due to sun damage. And sunburns are one of the leading causes of skin cancer. To read more:
Anti-aging ingredient linked to risk of sun burn: U.S. agency

kebod

Hey I just want to tell you not to let your KP get you down. It's hard to deal with but when people ask about it just shrug it off... If you learn to accept it then the people around you will too. Your friends probably notice you're hiding something but if your honest with them hopefully they'll understand it...

It's a skin disease. It isn't our fault. It's like someone who has one amputated hand. No one blames them for that fact, whether it's in plain sight or no. Karen is right, when we really get down to it, she's right. I just wish I could apply my logic more than my emotion.

before i found this site it was so annoying that i had kp bt didn know what it was so i thought i was just odd

and i can totally relate to all of your stories, especially when it comes to swimming or going on camp and being the only one with a long sleeve shirt on. The worst part for me is when my dad asks why im wearing that when he knows perfectly well, tells me no one will notice it if you dont pay attention to it bt then later on hell jokingly say yaag at my arms, and my mother puts off serious treatment by telling me all these made up **** home remedies

worst of all is my brothers skin is perfect, we both lift weights and have muscular arms difference is he gets to show it off... he even says my arms are like a belt sander paper. and to "cheer me up" he'll tell just to pick my arms if im bored

sorry guys thats all being on my chest for years

I'm sorry to hear that, Reed. All of my brothers and sisters have it to varying extents. I guess your brother was fortunate.

I have to say, I worry about having children in the future, because they may have to deal with this. Of course, as time goes on, I imagine it'll thin out and become non-existent, once you've mixed progressively different genes.

Oh lord, this is depressing.

__________________
Failure is not an option. Nor is it in the cards. No compromise. Balance has no room for Keratosis Pilaris, don't you get it?

Hold onto your pants, and welcome to hell!

well first my boyfriend had it only on one of his arms... but I have it on my chest.. and I thinks is this KP thing.. I just researhed it and ended up in this page.. And no CURE.... ahh great . yet another thing that I nee to be insecure about... dude I feel your pain... seriously... and honestly I think is the lack of sun... because my BF never gets anysun and I think that this is the problem.. so people lets get out there and TAN!!!! thank you... for all the comments all the pics and all the blogs... atleast no I am informed of what the heck is going on with my skin... Thank you... and I hope we can find a solution soon... chick from Miami,,,,

I turn 16 next week and wanted to do something about the kp on my arms for awhile now. I wanted it clear for my sweet sixteen and pretty much thought it was impossible, but I went to my primary care doctor and told me that I didn't need to go to the dermatologist to get it fixed.

He gave me this Desonide cream, which is basically a lotion steriod, and I was a little iffy on it at first..

but, holy ****,

this stuff is a miracle.

I've had it really bad on my upper arms since I was born and living in Austin, Texas, the weather during the summer isn't exactly just short sleeve friendly.
I wish I had found this stuff sooner!!!!

I've only been using it for 3 days,
and the redness is already dissapearing and everything it starting to smooth out.

The first time I applied it, it irritated my skin a little bit, but I was willing to pull through with it if the stuff worked, and it's been a miracle worker.

So, I suggest you make an appointment with your family doctor and ask him about the Desonide cream and discuss it with him/her and see if they agree.

Good luck you guys, and hope this helped a little bit!