I fought KP and won--with drugstore products!!
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free skin care · Thu May 10, 2007 10:23 am

OK, so it probably isn't the biggest problem in the world, but I hated wearing short sleeves because of my chicken-skin upper arms due to KP. As my dermatologist told me, it's hereditary, chronic, and incurable, though exfoliation and moisturizing would help. Ugh!

So I figured that, since I already spend too much on face products, I ought to try to develop a drugstore regimen to treat it. Here's what I did: for moisturizing, I went with Gold Bond Skin Therapy Lotion. Really cheap but effective, used in the morning after shower and most nights too. For exfoliating, I took a two-pronged approach. For physical exfoliation, I went with St Ives Apricot Scrub. Now, I wouldn't use it on my face, but I'd been using it on knees and elbows as a scrub for a while, so it was sitting in the bathroom. Sometimes I'd mix it with a body cream, sometimes not, but once a week I'd give the arms a going-over with the stuff in the shower. The second line of attack was also by St Ives--their Renewal Alpha-Beta Hydroxy Cream. It's a kitchen sink kind of a product, but along with all the polysyllabic stuff there was lactic acid, malic acid, aloe, squalane, salicylic acid, and a few herbal extracts. Seemed like a good deal for about 4 bucks Canadian. (Unfortunately it's discontinued in the US, so I buy a tube or two every time I go to Canada.)I used the St Ives Renewal Cream two or three times a week. Any time I was in short sleeves, sunscreen was a must.

So...after a few months I noticed a real improvement--chicken skin bumpiness gone and the red reminders of it definitely fading. I've kept up at this (though with less faithfulness) for the past two years and I'm really happy with how much better my arms look. Total annual outlay--about 15 dollars!

free skin care · Thu May 10, 2007 11:48 am

Good for you! Innovative approach to a very common problem... So many people rave about Dermadoctor's KP Duty. It DOES work, but it's pricey for a product with ingredients that are very accessible.

free skin care · Thu May 10, 2007 3:13 pm

I got rid of my KP using salicylic acid, fruit acid, and Pureaskin lotion. None of these are expensive. It actually sounds like a similar approach...the right acids to exfoliate and clean out pores, plus moisturizer. This is way cheaper than spending $12 on a small tube of OTC Keralyte gel, which is what my derm recommended!

Weekly, I use the Java Junkie scrub fromwww.beachgirlbeauty.com

I'm not sure if the scrub really helps or not, but I just love the smell of the Peppermint Latte! Very Happy

I slacked off during winter...need to start up the treatment again, now that it's getting warm!

free skin care · Thu May 10, 2007 4:45 pm

Hey ladies, KP sucks and it is so great some of you have beat it!! Nadjazz...what exact products are you using for SA and fruit acids and where can I find them...I really need to do something about my KP and stop letting it depress me.

free skin care · Thu May 10, 2007 4:49 pm

Sorry what is KP? Embarassed

free skin care · Thu May 10, 2007 8:37 pm

iamei - KP stands for Keratosis Pilaris. I have dry, bumpy skin on my arms and my thighs. The bumps are like whiteheads, but filled with hard stuff.

Hi, sweetp - I have KP on my arms, and rosacea on my face, so I can understand how this is depressing! The KP is surprisingly easy to get under control. It's only my own laziness that prevents that.

The first thing that helped alot was to find the right body cleanser. Even the moisturizing type cleansers did not work for me. The best cleanser I have found is Gentle Clean from Skin Bio. I believe it's the absence of SLS that makes this a good choice. My "in-between" cleanser when I've run out and need to place an order, is Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash w/ natural colloidal oatmeal. Yes, this does have SLS, but seems mild enough. The Gentle Clean is much better, though.

The second step was the use of acids. The lovely DebbieNIR from SkinCareBoard suggested that I use a biphasic approach: first I apply 5% salicylic acid with a gauze pad, let it dry. Then I apply 15% fruit acid with gauze pad, let it dry. I usually do this at bed time, so it sits overnight. I can't tolerate doing this every day, else my skin gets too sensitive. I just kind of pay attention to how it feels, and taper off when I need to. The plan was for me to build up to stronger acids as I needed, but actually, I never needed to up the strength. Sometimes I do this twice a week, sometimes once a week. I only do it in warm weather. It's not worth the trouble in the winter.

If you stop, the KP will come back, so this is not a "cure".

I purchased the acids fromwww.dianayvonne.com, but I think I might try some of the formulations from GoW or IFeelPretty.

The third step was to keep the skin moisturized, so Deb suggested this urea cream. I made a mistake and ordered the lotion. The lotion turned out to be quite nice, but I can't speak about the cream, as I never ordered it.

http://www.herbalremedies.com/purcream2ozu.html
http://www.herbalremedies.com/purlotun4oz.html

This same lotion helped relieve my brother's severe psoriasis.

As you can see, my approach is really not that different from flitcraft's, as we are both exfoliating and moisturizing. But, I can't say enough about how much the Gentle Clean helped as a starting point.

HTH!

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 1:49 am

I managed to get rid of the bumps with exfoliation, but I'm obviously not doing enough, because I still have blotchy redness on the back of my arms.

I'm not at all sure what specifically to do for that issue.

(I read, btw, on the KP boards that people are having success using cp's.)

Fri May 11, 2007 2:36 am

Have you, flitcraft and nadjazz, managed to get rid of those tiny red dots too?

About six weeks ago I decided to try to get rid of my KP and so far my battle plan has been a success. It is really similar to yours - mild cleanser, body cream with 20% AHA once a day, manual exfoliating once a week and lots of moisturizing on a daily basis. All the bumps are gone by now and that alone makes a huge difference, but I would love to get rid of those red dots too. AHA's seem to help though, so maybe I'm just being too impatient, but any ideas on how to improve the redness would be more than welcome.

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 4:20 am

catski, interesting about the use of CPs, I'd like to try that. I only have experience with CP serum...I suppose for body skin, I would have to bump up to Super CP or maybe Super Cop? I'm pretty ignorant about the stronger stuff, as my face has been so happy with regular CP serum.

helios - I'm fortunate that the red dots I get disappear with the bumps. I have a few scattered red dots that are really dark red, looking almost like broken caps, except they are dots, not lines. In my case, they look like the only way they are gonna go is with a laser zap, but that's where I draw the line and say "good enough". Confused

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 6:08 am

nadjazz wrote:

catski, interesting about the use of CPs, I'd like to try that. I only have experience with CP serum...I suppose for body skin, I would have to bump up to Super CP or maybe Super Cop? I'm pretty ignorant about the stronger stuff, as my face has been so happy with regular CP serum.

Yes, you're right nadjazz. It was super cp serum they were using. not the cheapest method of dealing with the issue! But like you say, it becomes pressing for the summer months, really, and in winter we can relax some, thank goodness.

I also read somewhere that KP is due to a lack of omega oils, so it may help to bump up on a nutritional supplement, and it's gonna to do you good anyway!

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 6:20 am

I use Neostrata Body Lotion with 10% glycolic acid. I like to find a less expensive product that works. I'll have to try St Ives Renewal Alpha-Beta Hydroxy Cream and see how that works. Thanks for the other recommendations too.

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 8:49 am

For me, the bumps went away long before the red dots. But over time the red dots have faded quite a lot. I still have some faint ones, but they're much improved. In fact, they are mainly noticeable to me because I know to look for them. I don't remember for sure, but I think it took six months or so before I saw real improvement in the dots. So patience, patience...

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 9:31 am

I use Amlactin lotion from the drugstore (14% lactic acid). Started less than 1 month ago. My bumps are gone and the red marks are faded and some gone. I haven't been exfoliating really. The bottle is about $12 - 14.

Seabliss

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 11:04 am

seabliss wrote:

I use Amlactin lotion from the drugstore (14% lactic acid). Started less than 1 month ago. My bumps are gone and the red marks are faded and some gone. I haven't been exfoliating really. The bottle is about $12 - 14.

Seabliss

AmLactin cream (12% lactic acid) did a good job for me too - I still have some visible spots on my thighs, but they are way smaller than before and not as bumpy... KP sucks but can be "managed". I bought mine from drugstore.com for about $13 USD.

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 12:23 pm

I agree with nadjazz--KP can be controlled with a little extra daily maintenance, but if you slack, it will definitely come back.

For me, a combination of physical scrubbing (with a Japanese nylon washcloth) + an AHA cream like AmLactin + a good moisturizer (I prefer body oils) = smooth, chicken-skin free arms and legs. But I think the key is basically daily exfoliation and moisturizing since KP is (from what I understand) a result of your skin's inability to exfoliate itself normally.

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2007 3:00 pm

catski, good point about taking the omega oils internally! I wish I was more diligent about taking my supps, I'm sure it would help!

Now this Amlactin lotion sounds like a quick, easy solution! I think I will give that one a try.

I agree, jjb, KP can indeed be managed! I was so unhappy about this as well as my rosacea for years, until I discovered SCB and EDS! Very Happy

free skin care · Sat May 12, 2007 4:24 am

The big reason lactic (and glycolic) acids work on KP is that they do exfoliate, they just do it chemically. I don't manually exfoliate my face because I find I tend to break capillaries when I do so. Instead, I use lactic acid peels. I think lactic acid is very good in general for skin that is showing signs of aging or is dry.

free skin care · Thu May 31, 2007 8:00 pm

seabliss, I tried a sample of 10% lactic acid on my face recently, and I did like the results! I think it helped tremendously with hyperpigmentation. Also, after about 2-3 applications, I think it's also helped with plumping up the nasiolabial lines.

But I digress...the reason I'm resurrecting this post: helios asked earlier in this post about getting rid of the red dots. I just got through reading an online article at Prevention magazine that suggests IPL to get rid of them! And those bright spots I have are called cherry hemangiomas, and my only option is laser.

Oh, well...I prefer to spend laser $$ on my face, LOL!

http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-5-84-321-7978-1,00.html

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