This condition seems unknown to many doctors but I believe from the info that I've heard and seen that I have this condtion along with kp on my legs, arms, and chest and kprf.

I have experienced thinning eybrows on the outer edge and it seems like there is always a lot of dead skin under the eyebrows.

If anyone knows anything about this condition, please reply.

Ryan

my daughter has kp on her face and her arms right now. she uses differin gel (prescription) for the kp and also the acne on her face. its really helped alot. she had this in her eyebrows, not extremely bad bad, but bad enough where we were told they could fall out.
anyway, this is what has worked for her. differin starts off with some nasty side effects (red face, itchy, peely, can actually make acne worse the first month) but in a month it really made a big difference when it kicked in and the side effects stopped. its worked well for her kp which was what we were hoping.
best of luck with your kp, i hope you find something that works for you also.
molsmom

Hi Ryan - I haven't looked at this site for quite a while. I think I may have 'spoken' to you before. I so have ulerythema on my eyebrows - it started about age 13. I am now 41! I also have atrophoderma vermiculatum. If I can be of an help please feel free to contact me.

I developed a frequent itch,especially during night on my eyebrows, and I am applying a little bit of the differen cream prescribed for my kprf it helped reduce the swelling and the itch significantly.

Hi Omar
Have you got keratosis bumps on your eyebrows - mainly the outer part? Does the skin look red there? Is the hair on the outer third of your eyebrows beginning to thin? Are you in your teens? Ulerythema Ophryogenes is a variant of KP. If you answered yes to any of the above it may be the beginnings of Ulerythema Ophryogenes - but you should go to a dermatologist to get this diagnosed. I have Ulerythema Ophryogenes along with atrophoderma vermiculata or keratosis pilaris atrophicans faciei as it is sometimes called. I think Americans call this KPRF.
If you need any info or have any questions feel free to post them and I will do my best to answer!

Hello All,

My name is Owen and I too believe I have this condidtion.
I'm 27 years old, and and been suffering since my early teens.

After years of suffering, I've only found this site yesterday!
Thanks to all who contribute!

I do have reddening and 'bumps' on my arms and chest, but this is fairly mild - and I can just about live with this.

The main problem is the eyebrows. They are red, and approx the outer half is very sparse with hair (one is worse than the other). The skin is also a bit rough. If there are any 'bumps', they aren't really noticable.

My local doctor is next to useless, and won't refer me to a specialist (although I will push harder now I have more info!)

Is there any treatment at all that works? especially for the eyebrow hair regrowth?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

All the best,
Owen

Hi Owen

I have never investigated about getting the hair on my eyebrows to regrow. Being female I just pencil in the missing outer third and don't even notice they are not there. You may not be so keen on this however - if you feel up to it get a female friend to try doing it for you and see if you are okay with the effect - maybe a bit radical for a guy? I am sure in this day of hair transplants that something could probably be done to get the hair growing again.

It would be worth checking out. As I understand the hair follicule has been destroyed due to the Keratosis Pilaris so although KP does improve in time often the hair follicule will not.

I have found when you have a reasonably rare condition like this you have to get out there and ask a lot of questions. Look on the net. Contact the dermalogical society in your country and ask if they know of anyone who has dealt with this condition. It took me 21 years and 6 dermatologists to get correctly diagnosed so don't give up!

Hi Anne

Thanks for you response.
I did consider the use of make-up, but (being a bloke) I think that would just make me self concious in a different way!!

Does KP come, then go, and you are just left with the after-effects? Or is KP a permantent condition?

What I am worried about is if I did go for something like a hair transplant, if the condition still remained, then it would just fall out again?

I have to say, my condition has 'eased' over the years. I do also take some encouragement in the fact that people do say it improves as you get older - is this true??

Thanks,
Owen

Yes, in my experience the redness began to subside in late 20's onwards as the KP began to reduce. The fact the KP has reduced may allow hair to grow in the area once effected - you would need to talk to a dermatologist about this.

I also have atrophoderma vermiculata on my cheeks which has left them red and scarred - pulsed dye laser treatment has helped treat the redness there. My eyebrows are still a bit red where the hair is missing and they still sometimes itch.

It may be worth you talking to a dermatologist in your area as there may be some new treatments available. I use accutane cream. (retinol type cream available only on prescription). This has improved the texture of my skin.

Thanks again anne, you've been most helpful!

Do you know of any other good websites - other than this one of course

I live in the UK and trying to get referred to a specialist dermatologist is prooving quite tricky, but i'll persist.

If i make any progress, I will post any info i can on this forum...

Living in the UK is probably and advantage. First of all I have been told by a specialist that most people with ulerythema ophryogenes have a Celtic background, so hopefully dermatologists have come across a few cases over there.

Also two important medical articles have been written by UK Doctors. The first was written by a Professor Cunliffe (from Leeds) who found Isotretinion (Roaccutane) helped a patient with Keratosis Pilaris Atrophicans Faciei (a name that is often used when talking about Ulerythema Ophryogenes and atroderma vermiculata). I had a couse of Roaccuatane when I was finally diagnosed at age 35 but it did not help me. I use the topical cream instead which has helped.

Also an article can be found on the resource site here about reasearch done by a group of Welsh Drs on pulse dyed laser treatment with before and after results. If you can't access these articles let me know - I would suggest taking them to your GP and asking for a referal or otherwise just contact them direct. What you have is rare and sometimes you have to do the work yourself. I know if my son's develop this in their teens I will be heading over to Wales (both my husband and I have British passports) for treatment. All the best.

Hi Anne,
Thanks for your post, it is something to be aware of. However the condition of my eyebrows is a little different. My eyebrows are not red on a normal basis and there are no bumps, however my eyebrows were always thin, the dermatologist took at look and said just to put the differin cream and to apply desonide lotion when they get inflamed (like after a shower), which are the same stuff im using to treat my kprf, although ive been using these creams for over a month, there is no significant reduction in the redness of my face, however it did help significantly in the itch of my eyebrows and decreased the flaking.

Hi Omar - when you say your eyebrows have always been thin - do you mean you were born like that or did your mother notice them thin out as a child? What is differen cream? I am always interested to learn more about these disorders. Thanks

To be honest with you Anne, I dont know if i was born with thin eyebrowes or not as for the differen cream it is a common brand neame treatment known to treat ance vulgaris and other related skin condition,, IT IS BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY, my doctor prescribed it because my skin couldnt tolerate retina A ,,people who dont tolerate REtina A usually tolerate Differen better
for more info on it go to its website :
http://www.differin.com/

hi ryan,
i read your post with interest as i too lose the outer third of my eyebrows on a regular basis.
did you know that this is a classic symptom of an underactive thyroid gland?
this underactivity also can make your skin thicken and be dry.
it might be worth asking your doc for a blood test and pointing out your missing eyebrow bits!
it is rectified by taking thyroxine tablets. i am on them, but my eyebrows still go through cycles of disappearing!
all the best
-dolly :O)