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Keratosis Pilaris

hey everyone, just curious here… does anyone have (or had) keratosis pilaris? It’s a condition where you have small little red bumps on your skin, and is pretty common. I’ve had it my entire life on the back of arm and tops of my thighs, and after years and years of living in embarrassment with it, I just learned to live with it. I’ve been to many doctors and all say the same thing, it’s harmless and there’s nothing you can do about it. So, I was curious if anyone else here has had this, and if it had just gone away from eating raw, or did you do something special to help it go away? Any advice or stories would be so helpful.

Oh! and also curious, what do you use to wash your face? I also have horrible skin and don’t know whether to keep using my proactive face wash (which doesn’t work too well) or try to use something natural. I have pretty oily skin and tend to break out, so when I hear that people wash their face with oil, I don’t think it would work too well for me. Thanks to everyone!

Comments

  • SamiliciousSamilicious Raw Newbie

    Oh my god. I have those bumps too on the back of my arms (tricep area) and my thighs and a bit on my legs! I was hoping that going raw would help but it didn’t. I went to a lot of doctors too and the last one I went to told me to put a moisterizer of some sort on my body everyday and that it will go away eventually. I did that everyday and nothing happened, darn it. I wish there was a cure for this condition, especially a natural one!

  • The keratosis pilaris or ‘chicken skin’:

    I have it, as does my sister and she was very bothered about it at one time, so we did a lot of looking into this a while back. The little bumps are full of some kind of sebacious gunk (you’ll see that if you squeeze them, a little hard white deposit may come out – a bit like a blackhead except it is more difficult to get out). So I figured that that stuff needs to physically be removed first for the bumps to go, and that diet changes couldn’t possibly do this. So, not wanting to resort to horrid chemical peels or harsh dermabrasion, I found the best thing is lots of scrubbing every day in the shower – it doesn’t matter what you use for this as it is the abrasion you need.

    Anyway, I would theorise that once you have done lots of scrubbing and seen an improvement (you will), that if your diet is pretty pure then they may well not come back at all, or it will be lots less.

    Re: face washing. I think you should definitely stop with your pro-active face-wash! Whether your skin trouble is actually being CAUSED by it or not I obviously can’t say for sure, but it’s not a good idea to daily strip your skin of it’s own natural oils. Use plain water and a washcloth – really. It will get rid of the excess oil on the surface of your skin but not remove it from deep in your pores the way cleansing products do. You may find your over-oily skin clears up very quickly; deep pore cleansing stimulates more oil production to replace what you just removed, so stop doing this and things ought to balance themselves. Try it, anyway! Water is greatly underrated as a skincare agent.

  • I don’t know anything about keratosis pilaris, but I agree with Katie that simple is better when it comes to face washing. One of my friends uses only water and washcloth, as well as some occasional vinegar I think, and I too am finding that the less I interfere, the better.

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    My husband and my daughter both have KP on their arms and legs. What seems to help them is dry skin brushing before showering and coconut oil. Rub a small amount, a little goes a long way until mostly absorbed. It helps draw the toxins out and heal the skin at the same time. BTW I recently applied coconut oil to a pimple on my chin and it was gone when I woke up the next morning! Good Luck!

  • ughh I have it too…it was getting a little better but in the last month or so looks worse. My allergist told me it’s supposedly a sign of an allergy…but then again, I got tested for 24 different allergies and all were negative. I just use a normal cleanser like neutrogena and moisturize with a non-scented one, and try not to pick. half of it is scars now because when I was younger I would pick at them all the time…a natural reaction to stress and boredom for me. in my family anyway it goes away as you get older.

  • ambiguousambiguous Raw Newbie

    OK, I don’t have this, but in a number of places I’ve read of people having good results doing oil pulling (http://www.curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=922826, http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling…) and improving their keratosis pilaris. This involves basically swishing vegetable oil (I like virgin coconut) around in your mouth for ~20 minutes, then spitting and brushing well. Don’t ask me how it improves skin; nobody seems to have a good explanation. I personally also like skin brushing and coconut oil for my skin, and occasionally I’ll use the oil cleansing method on my face (http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/). Basically apply vegetable oil (with or without some castor oil) to face, then lay on a damp, hot washcloth, let cool, and then scrub face with washcloth. I often add a tiny bit of a natural soap before applying the washcloth, which I think makes a huge difference. My face doesn’t feel oily afterward at all, but everyone’s skin is different. Best of luck!

  • daniefondaniefon Raw Newbie

    I had this on my arms when I was younger, I am not sure when it went away. I bet it was when I became vegetarian 15 years ago. When I was young, I asked a dermatologist, he said Vitamin A would help. My theory, when I quit meat and junk, I was forced to eat more vegetables and fruit, therefore taking in more vitamin A.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    From my experience, it’s all about exfoliation (I think it’s genetic because my diet doesn’t have any effect). In the past the only time I was able to get rid of it was with hard-core exfoliating lotions from the drugstore, not so natural, but they worked. When I gave those up it came back, and dry brushing and coconut oil helped but recently I’ve made a discovery that may be the best yet for me – exfoliating cloths http://www.chinaberry.com/prod.cfm/pgc/12100/sb…. They’re just microfiber cloths that you can use with any natural soap and they have worked like a charm. You can still dry brush and use coconut oil but these are giving me the best results ever, and are great for your face too.

  • I definitely recommend coconut oil. I have been using it on my skin after a shower for maybe 7 months now and the bumps are almost gone which makes me very happy. Exfoliation probably helps too but I can’t seem to remember to use my skin brush before I jump in the shower anymore.

  • suryadayasuryadaya Raw Newbie

    Hey! I have this, as does my sister and her a few of her children. I was told a long time ago that alpha-hydroxy or urea containing lotions would work – and they actually did help a lot. The best – a loofah in the shower every day followed by oil. Right now its coconut oil because i am in a super dry climate, but in a moist climate its light almond oil. What also worked well was going on vacation in a tropical climate. Not sure if it was the moisture in the air or the saltwater constantly exfoliating my skin. Either way your skin just isn’t sloughing off dead skin like its supposed to, so help it out. Look into alpha-hydroxy containing foods like strawberries too. Oh and sometimes i make a body scrub from brown sugar and local honey. It leaves those areas feeling so moist and smooth!

  • you’re probably omega 3 deficienct. i’m assuming you’re vegan/ vegetarian. your body may not convert the maximum amount of efa’s to dha/epa. i’m not sure of a definite cure based for someone who is vegan/vegetarian, if your not against the idea, i would suggest supplementing with fish oil. it usually clears little bumps from the knee and tricep area in a couple weeks.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    I have been taking vegan EFAs, wonder if that is helping me at all.

    I have been dry brushing for a few weeks now and also getting the affected area in the sun and it is much better. I have not done the coconut oil, better order some online. And recommendations as to where?

  • The area of the skin which gets affected by keratosis pilaris, becomes darker (hyperpigmentation) or lighter (hypopigmentation) than the surrounding skin and also gets dry and clapped.keratosis pilaris home remedy are...

    *Washing Your Face Gently

    *Moisturizing Skin

    *there are many over the counter creams containing lactic acid which help in removing the build up of keratin, at times these creams can cause skin irritation.

    * keratosis pilaris home remedy is to improvise your diet by including loads of fruits, vegetables, rich in vitamin A and vitamin E, and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

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