Hi there! New to the comm here
First off, I should probably say that I don't think my KP is as severe as a lot of the other people on this board (from what I can tell anyway). I only have small red bumps on my upper arms. I used to think it was bad skin brought on by being slightly overweight (I heard that in a movie somewhere ) but when my sister went to the dermatologist for acne, he told her she had KP (somehow I never noticed she had it too lol).

So anyway, I've been using moisturizing lotion for several weeks now with some improvement that comes and goes (I'll get really smooth patches but then a few days later bumps will come back). I've just started using Eucerin Intensive Care lotion but I hate that it stays greasy for *hours* (until it's wiped off onto my clothes, basically). The bumps are still there, but less red...

I went to a makeup expert at the mall recently (just for the fun of it) and she mentioned that I had dry skin on my face and that I shouldn't use Dove soap (what I've been using my whole life) because on my skin type it can be damaging.
So I'm using a facial cleanser and it's worked wonders. But that got me thinking....if soap on my face is harmful, what about the rest of my body? I know the face is more delicate but...

So what would you guys recommend? Do you think KP could be managed better if I don't use soap, but some other cleanser instead? Any suggestions?

PS: Occasionally one of the bumps becomes more red and inflamed than the others (usually painless though unless I pick at it). Is this an ingrown hair or just an inflamed pore like a pimple?

Thanks for the help!

That make up expert was right, using bar soaps is not the best thing for your skin and less for kp. Theres some ingredients used to make it solid, these are left in the skin as residues after you use the soap and could clog pores and cause irritation.

I recommend you to use a body wash without sodium lauryl sulphate which removes dirt better than others but over 3% in the formula is irritating.

is using a body wash with less than 3% Sodium lauryl sulphate okay? I just want to be sure the body wash actually gets the dirt and sweat off ^_^
Any brands you'd recommend?

I have not read that sodium lauryl sulfate is OK under 3%. I don't think it is a safe product at any percentage.

From Wikipedia:

"Safety

SLS has not been proven to be carcinogenic when either applied directly to skin or consumed.[9] SLS however is a strong surfactant and a number of health concerns have been raised in published reports.[10]
SLS may worsen skin problems in individuals with chronic skin hypersensitivity, with some people being affected more than others.[11][12][13]
SLS in toothpaste may cause aphthous ulcers, commonly referred to in some countries as canker sores.[14][15][16] Using SLS free toothpaste may reduce the sores.[17]
SLS has also been shown to irritate the skin of the face with prolonged and constant exposure (more than an hour) in young adults.[18] In animal studies SLS appears to cause skin and eye irritation.[10]"

Sodium lauryl sulfate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

kebod

__________________
My treatment: Oil pulling daily; candida diet (minimum of carbs, no sugars); omega-3 from canned salmon and sardines; sun exposure 10-15 minutes, 3 days a week, without sunblock; program to strengthen immune system; probiotic supplements; lots of water; moderate daily exercise; exfoliation with epsom salts and sugar several times a week. KP reduced 99%. If I go "off diet" -- grains, sugars, etc. -- or stop oil pulling, KP returns.

Kebod, i checked your source from the Australian department of health and theres some studies that made patch tests with sodium lauryl sulfate (20%) for 4 hours. These kind of studies tests the extremes to proof chemicals safety but no one leaves a body wash for so long (not even an hour), if we do that even cocamidopropil betaine ( a gentle cleansing agent used in baby shampoos) could cause dermatitis.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) can be a huge problem in some skin diseases as you cited, skin hipersensitivity, thats a extreme case and what kind of detergents should be used must be determined by a doctor, taur is asking about kp. In our case is better to be avoided or used under 2% and thats it, no more pain or complications about this.

Even SLS could be a potential skin irritant is not toxic or dangerous for skin. In concentrations of 2-5% can cause allergic or sensitizing reactions. (1)

Any toothpaste, body wash or moisturizer ingredient can be harmful in case of people who has a sensibility trend to certain component or in case of some chronic serious diseases as selfinmunes expressed in allergies, theres even people allergic to aspirin or anesthesia so we must make the difference to dont live with unnecessary fears.

Taur, the problem with SLS concentration is that its not specified in the label, its just listed among the ingredients, so we can make an estimation of the percentaje or just avoid products with this component. However, sodium laureth sulphate and cocamidopropil betaine can make the work as well.
The derm told me once that if want my kp to improve i should bath less often ( no way!!) cause with every bath i over remove oils that are important for my skin, so a mild body wash is ok, no SLS.

About recommending you a product, i prefer to recommend ingredients instead of brands but ill tell you which one im using, its Simmonds baby wash, no SLS and removes sweat and dirt without problems (cheap also), in case you cant find this one i could post the ingredients so you can search for something similar and if still want to use one with sodium lauryl sulphate post the ingredients and ill help you to estimate the concentration.


(1) American Journal of Contact Dermatitis, March 2001

thanks for the info!
Looking at a bottle of body wash I have on hand, I see Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (but not Sodium L.S.). Should I avoid this too?

According to that I know Ammonium lauryl sulfate is gentler than SLS. Anyway, everything depends on your skin type and how often you use the body wash and allways have to rinse well. The main work will be done by the moisturizer.

okay, I gotcha. Thanks for the help!!!

On the subject of moisturizers, I was wondering if you could help me (or anybody...in the interest of not clogging up the boards by starting another thread)....like I said, I've recently started using Eucerin plus Intensive Repair lotion. I used it 1-2 times a day. I had no problems for a few days, but then quite suddenly yesterday my skin where I had been applying the lotion became hot, very red, itchy and the bumps became more pronounced. I have had a similar reaction to Glytone retexturize body lotion in the past (Something which my sister's dermatologist recommended...). Is this an allergic reaction or my skin being sensitive to the exfoliators or is this a sign that the lotion is working and I just have to ride it out?

Here's the ingredients, if it helps:
Eucerin:
water, mineral oil, PEG-7 Hydrogenated Cator Oil, Isohexadecane, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Microcrystalline Wax, magnesiium Sulfate, Lanolin Alcohol, Bisabolol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylsothiazolinone

Glytone:
water, glycolic acid, propylene glycol, cetearyl alcohol, petrolatum, glycerin, potassium hydroxide, PEG-40 stearate, allantoin, propyl gallate, tocopheryl acetate

For eucerin lotion:
water, mineral oil, PEG-7 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Isohexadecane, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Microcrystalline Wax, magnesiium Sulfate, Lanolin Alcohol, Bisabolol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylsothiazolinone

Theres no problems with mineral oil, urea, glycerin and castor oil, are emollient and moisturizing. Panthenol is a vitamin B derivative. In the other side sodium lactate, isopropyl palmitate and microcrystalline wax are thickners so could clog pores and lanolin is similar to our skins oils for that could be a problem in oily skins.

But the most concerning ingredients are methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone cause are preservatives known to be irritants if are left in the skin, thats why should allways be used only in rinse off products like shampoos, maybe thats affecting you. Choose moisturizers without these two ingredients.

About glytone, maybe the glycolic acids concentration was too much for your skin or you were exposed to sunlight without sunscreen. Did you try salicylic acid?? thats recommended for kp cause penetrates into the pores to dissolve clogues.

Hope this helps

PD: An important question, your kp was diagnosed by a derm??

wow thanks! yeah, I'll definately give that a try. Thanks for the info! You really know your lotion ingredients :-D

and....eh heh no not exactly. My sister saw a dermatologist for acne and mentioned the bumps on her skin. He told her it was KP, which was when I first heard of it. My arms are the same, if not worse than hers so I just assumed mine was KP as well. I know, I should probably see a derm...but for some reason I have it in my head that I shouldn't see a specialized doctor for something that isn't life threatening...and I have had these bumps on my arms for at least 10 years. Most likely more, but I don't remember when I first noticed them.