Hey everyone i'm knew to this board i just joined tonight and i just came across something while reading one of my books "Healing with Whole foods," one of the designated texts that i needed for one of my classes, im studying natural medicine. Anyway enough bout me please read all of this message i know it's really long but trust me its worth it!!!

Treating the cause..........Skin diseases will often be an outer reflection of internal problems and must be treated as such

Treating keratosis pilaris externally via applications of lotions/scrubs/skin peels etc will not completely get rid of it, as weve all discovered. It only helps the appearance of it, and if we do find something that can actually improve keratosis pilaris once we stop using it, without a doubt it will keep coming back. And we wonder why it keeps coming back? Because we are not treating the cause for the reason it is there, and it will always keep coming back unless we find the answer to the cause and treat it internally..

I'm 19 years old and have had keratosis pilaris for around about seven years...on the top of my arms and legs where it has greatly improved and almost disappeared leaving some scarring. However...my arms are getting worse since summer is over and its getting colder and colder. And i refuse to go through autumn and winter again... scared that it will worsen and spread without understanding WHY!

Through some research i've discovered there is one main focus of the cause of keratosis pilaris and that is a vitamin a deficiency.

In a lot of websites vitamin A deficiency is often mentioned being the cause to our keratosis pilaris, but then many people have tried supplementing with vitamin A and have had no results. I've wondered why i mean if it is so simple you'd think that by just taking vitamin a it should cure keratosis pilaris right? But then again i've also read that many people have supplemented with flax seed oil/cod liver oil/ fish oil and have seen results. And i've wondered why.. While i was reading one of my books under Omega 3, it stated that fatty acids (flax seed oil etc) are necessary for the assimilation of the fat soluble vitamins which are Vitamin A, D E and K. Could this be the key link to why we see improvement with our keratosis pilaris through supplementing with oils???

I then flipped to the section to vitamin A and it states; "It is one of the most widely recognized nutritional deficiencies of recent times" Perhaps the reason why keratosis pilaris effects 50% of the worlds population!! It also states " Those who are pregnant and lactating or undergoing a disease process usually have greater requirements" Is this the reason why keratosis pilaris spreads and gets completely out of control when someone is pregnant? Also it says " More vitamin A is needed in the cooler seasons" is this WHY it gets worse in colder months because we are not getting enough Vitamin A in our diet that the deficiency is showing up as a skin condition!!

Rich sources of vitamin A the top being the highest)
Dunaliella
Spirulina
Wheat/barley grass
Carrot
Parsley
Spinach
Sweet potatoe
Persimmon
Peach

Ask yourself..do you include some of these vitamin A rich sources in your diet...even at all? And i for one can tell you that i hardly do.

I've just come across this information tonight and thought i must share it with all of you...

After knowing this information i am going to start to supplement with Flax seed oil taking 2-4 tablespoons daily in order to be able to assimilate vitamin A in my body correctly. I am also going to start supplementing with spirulina (very high source of vitamin A)which can be found at your nearest health food store in a powder form and you can mix it into your own shakes/smoothies etc.

I know it will take time and can take up to a year to heal the causes of a deficiency....and i know i will not see results over night but i would much rather cure the cause than treat the symptoms. I really hope this is the answer...

I will let you all know my progress after i start my regime.




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Just to add another link....;
Vitamin A is also essential for the correct metabolism of protein by the body. I've read a lot of posts on food allergies and someone saying that it is because your body can not digest protein properly... Protein rich foods are dairy, eggs and meat. If we don't have proper vitamin a in our body then how can we digest protein foods properly? I myself am lactose intolerant, when i was younger after drinking milk i used to get the worse stomach pains it was horrible, but when i grew older it just stopped. I dont know why that is, maybe because my intestines aren't as sensitive to lactose anymore? But i still do get bloated and my tummy makes noises after i have eaten icecream or drank milk, like my body is finding it hard to digest all that lactose in dairy products....or maybe it is the protein? I dont know it was just a thought i had to share.

Maybe you could keep researching this topic and get a college scholarship or something. It sounds like you have the brains to cure K.P. for us!! Hmmm wishful thinking?? Lots of good information, though. I liked your post!

Hey Shay, i'm currently studying naturopathy and will finish my bachelors degree in two years....this lead me to believe it was an internal problem because one of the philosophies of natural medicine is to treat the cause not the symptoms. I'm just so excited i stumbled upon this information because it connects to the reasons why kp will get worse in winter, and in pregnancy and why it is worse in individuals than in others because the deficiency of vitamin a will vary depending on diet and lifestyle.

Hey there,

I tried taking Vitamin A supplements last year, but didn't have much success. Perhaps my body wasn't absorbing it properly. I will try adding flax seed to my diet. I've also been trying to eat more green, leafy vegetables and fruits lately. Hopefully that will help.

Thanks for your advice. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Good luck in your studies.

I've came across the same info studying this condition aswell. You will have the best success with Vitamin A if it is taken with fish oil and vitamin E together.

Another factor involved with Keratosis Pilaris is calcium. The genetics of the condition cause the cells to use calcium to produce your skin instead of vitamin A. This causes your skin to grow solid or 'follicular'. When accutane(strong vitamin A) is perscribed you are supposed to limit your intake of calcium. This limits the amount of Keratin produced resulting in easier sluffing of your skin.

wow thats interesting accorddude, hav u bin successful in treating your keratosis pilaris, by supplementation of vitamin a, e and fish oil?

Also perhaps thats the reason why people may see their skin condition worsen when they intake foods high in calcium???

I've had KP all my life, and as a child I was allergic to dairy, although it doesn't bother me now. So maybe you are on to something

I've only recently started taking those supplements and limiting my calcium intake. I don't expect any results for at least 3-6 months. I will post any results if they occur.

I have heard that people who cut out dairy will see some improvement. However, I love dairy. As a matter of fact, I eat yogurt as a nutritious snack once a day and to maintain my weight. I guess I have to make a decision. *sigh*

As for Flax Seed Oil... I started taking it recently. It doesn't taste very good. Any ideas on making it taste better? Perhaps with yogurt?

Good luck everyone.

traceyl, i know flax seed oil isn't the best tasting and its hard to mix it with anything because its oil it will sit on top of anything you mix it with. Maybe you could just try holding your nose then quickly take it and then quickly wash it down with something so it gets rid of the taste?

Just another thing i wanted to add about the dairy thing that i learned in class today. What people are usually allerigic to in dairy is the lactose. Lactose is a disaccharide, meaning made up of two sugar units. And an enzyme called lactase has to break this sugar up into two seperate sugars in order for the body to digest it. However, from when your born to around about the age of 3-5 this enzyme stops being produced...and depending on how much dairy u intake at this time determines how much lactase will be used....And once it is all used up you will have no lactase left. So the majority of adults will pretty much be 'allergic' to lactose.

Once it runs out....it starts to irritate the tissue and lining of your gut because it can not be broken down and digested properly, therefore your body will start to produce mucous in order to protect the tissues against lactose. This may be a reason why so many of us had problems when we were younger, such as stomach pains (which i had) but no longer have because our body has produced mucous that will protect us from lactose...reducing pain etc. But producing excess mucous in your body isnt a good thing.......so alternatively, eating foods that are high in calcium other than dairy wuld be preferable.

Also another note...asian people are born with a very minute amount of the lactase enzyme which is why the majority of asians will have intolerances to dairy. This includes me because im 1/2 malaysian....

Anyway i dunno if there is some kind of connection with keratosis pilaris...but i thought id share it with everyone coz i love learning new stuff and teaching everybody! And if your like me you always want to know why something happens and for what reason..

I guess it comes down to being either calcium or lactose, then. I can easily cut out the dairy (it's not a natural thing to eat, anyway). But if it's calcium I don't know if cutting that out of my diet is wise.

I read something about Flax Seed Oil and one of the benefits is that it improves the absorption of Calcium. I cant imagine that calcium would be bad for our bodies?

Rachel 18:

Your research correlates with what many other people have suggested over the time on this site.

Many people have reported great results after taking Cod Liver Oil over a period of 3 to 6 months.

One more thing is that many people in accordance to Chinese herbal medicine have reported great results by completely eliminating sugar from their diets. Have you researched this posibility as well?

I have started taking Cod Liver oil. I'm on my second week and just need to stick with it. Liquid cod liver oil can be obtained at very good prices from any GNC store. It's fishy and not that great, but is much more potent than taking Fish Oil Pills. I have also eliminated sugar from my diet. No more candy or deserts for me. I'm giving it a 4 month try to see if it works.