And after going back and reading all 5 pages of posting here...I am now really amazed that Taylor from age 1 was a huge milk drinker, then developed a lactose intolerance (like me), we switched her to lactaid milk for 6 months and then she went back to regular milk. She still drinks a glass of milk every night. She also had bouts of anxiety at age 5...a panic attack that had us in the hospital all night (set off by Peter Pan/Captain Hook). And still is our nervous girl.

I've also wondered if the medication for early labor had something to do with her developing this. My first child born, no skin problems. Taylor came 13 months later, but I was given Turbutaline and had to take Brethine for a few months. She develops KP at 9 months. Then 5 years later, I had my 3rd, also risk for preterm labor..so Turbutaline and Brethine again, but not as much. My little one does have some skin bumps, but our dermatologist doesn't think it's KP (yet). hhmmm.....

This is all very confusing. I read one thread which recommends calcium supplements and chews, and then another which recommends cutting it out!
I do not think that it would wise to eliminate calcium from my diet, as it is so important, although I agree that the answer to our problems is from the inside out.
I have been lactose intolerant for a while so I use soya supplements which I highly recommend. So for those who love milk, cream, yoghurts etc, you can substitue them for soya-based products. In fact, soya milk often has MORE calcium than cow's milk, and has very low cholesterol.

Josi, no-one is recommending cutting out calcium, thats just crazy! What we are talking about is taking out dairy products because of lactose intolerance not because of a calcium intolerance. And try to get our calcium from other sources such as green leafy vegetables.

How many people here have tried vitamine A supplements and how many have seen big improvements? I want to think a vitamin A defiency is all there is to KP, but unfortunately, I think there might be a little more involved....
I eat pretty much the same thing as my sister does, and yet I have a severe case of KP, while she has very little bumps ...

Hi Denise,

Ya, I think you're right that I may not be and may not have been using my calcium efficiently. The problem I'm having is that I don't know for sure what my mineral levels are, only my hormone levels that are suppose to affect mineral levels. My doctor only described to me what my mineral levels are, but didn't test them. So I'm just trying figure it out with trial and error for a little while. I'm hoping though that when my hormone levels are regulated in a few months (for the first time since I was about eight), my mineral levels will be normal as well, so I'm not too worried that this will be a long term thing. But I'm thinking I may go to a Naturopath to get an indication of my vitamin and mineral levels, or get a hair analysis done, or I might just go off my hormones one day down the road and get my mineral levels tested by my doctor. It really would be nice to know exactly what has been and is going on with my body in terms of vitamins and minerals. In terms of what supplements I've been taking .... I've been taking Usana Essentials for the past few years (a muliti vitamin and multi mineral). I also take acidophilus, oil and psyllium husk capsules. I follow a revised Atkin's diet and I go to a homeopath on a regular basis. And I still continue all of this. But I think you are right with calcium being needed for kp because whatever my levels of calcium were before, something is finally working for me now. Since changing my dose of magnesium, my Keratosis Pilaris has been really clearing up, so maybe it is magnesium that has caused my calcium to be used more efficiently. And other than magnesium, zinc and potassium are the only things I've recently changed, so I guess one of these things is helping me. So....I think my strategy will be to continue to take extra magnesium, zinc and potassium until my hormones are regulated, and keep my fingers crossed and hope this continues to clear up my keratosis pilaris.



And thank you very much for your offer on hormone information. I will definitely look at the website you listed, and I can just do this instead of getting you to send me it... that's very kind of you though. So...thank you so much, I really, really appreciate it.

Hi Jcapinit,
Just a thought about your comment that your daughter is a nervous girl. I've always been nervous since I was little (I'm now 21). I started some hormones about two months ago, and they made me feel very good in many ways. And then I started taking extra magnesium about a month ago. And any bad "emotional" feelings that I really had left after starting my hormone treatment was nervousness. And it is all but gone now. It is gone to the point where I am actually getting really disturbed by my lack of nervousness. Because it is crazy to think that a mineral could have that effect...I've thought to myself for years....what is wrong with me. This is what I was implying by my post about sweating. Magnesium is supposed to affect the nervous system, and one of the things this can do is to increase sweating. This is just a thought though....you seem to be really on top of your daughter's health, so maybe this isn't contributing to her nervousness. But maybe it is worth a shot if you aren't certain....she could probably be able to tell if it is helping her in less than a week. And as a side note.... I just want to say that I hope you are so proud of yourself for helping your daughter out so much. I'm sure she will be soooo grateful when she is older.

And oh ya...I've read that a calcium deficiency can cause one to be nervous as well...but it seems that most people get more calcium than magnesium.

Hi Lindsay,
Just read your thread, very fascinating! How much of these do you take: magnesium, zinc, and potassium? Also, did you have your internist check your hormone levels, like a blood test, or did you go to a specialist? I looked up estrogen dominance on the internet and have all the symptoms.
A random personal observation: my husband and I had KP on the back of our arms as adolescents and teens but none now. Our oldest daughter has had serious KP on her face, arms, and legs since she was a baby, but her sister has none. During my first pregnancy, I drank an inordinate amount of carrot juice, a major source of vitamin A. Not so with my second.
Thanks so much for all the detailed info!
Melissa

Really interesting that you mentioned that...I used to have a severe case of lactose intolerance as well, which seems to have subsided over the years. Might be a connection there.

Same here! When i was a kid in the early years of primary school i remember cringing at the sight of milk. It was bad to the point where a can of yoo-hoo would send me home from school . On the real though, perhaps there is some sort of connection here.

My daughter (the Keratosis Pilaris sufferer I drank to much carrot juice with-see above) temporarily developed a terrible allergic reaction to milk when she was about nine(?) years old. It seems like it lasted less than a year, but she would break out in a rash and itch like crazy. Eventually, it just went away.

Maybe a switch to soy milk is in order. I'm a vegetarian, so it might be a good idea anyway, however, cheese is my biggest weakness...I just can't say no!

That said, it might be a good idea to try it for a little while to see if the KP goes away.

Okay I think I'm starting to understand more. I really need help though, for those taking Rachel's suggestion regiment, how much do you take of the following...vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, flax seed oil?
I need to know so I don't overdose or take too little. Also does brand matter?

Thank You.

bump

I have found something interesting about how calcium affects my kp. Someone gave me a bottle of calcium tablets, which is processed to be welcomed by children. It tastes really good. I have taken two pieces a day for a week, and then I noticed that many bumps have started raising on the back of my arms. I suspected the calcium tablets, so I stopped taking them and the bumps stopped coming out. Very strange, uh. Drinking milk also brings the bumps to my forearms and thighs.

Nabokovlu

Forget the topicals! My elderly Aunt recently mentioned she was taking fish oil (Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids) supplements for circulation and she was getting compliments on her complexion which looked great since she started taking the fish oil. I had to try and I cannot believe the almost immediate difference. My normally oily complexion was normal and the kp on my arms was gone. I had to research the internet for fish oil and acne and fish oil and kp. More than one website by doctors state that Omega fatty acids produce prostaglandins which control androgen hormones which helps alot with acne. Also that prostaglandins regulate every function in our cells and organs which must be the reason it helps with the KP. The articles read it helps with other skin disorders as well. I wish I would have found this out years ago. My Aunt told me to buy a brand that was not expensive (from a "superstore") so do not feel like you have to buy an expensive brand from a vitamin store (as was always my belief until I tried these) in order for it to work. The other people on this site who have tried this and are telling you it works are right on. Good Luck!