STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

i haven't tried this, but it's made specifically for keratosis pilaris so i'd think it should work...

it's by dermadoctor at sephora, $36.  it says it's currently out of stock (sorry, i just noticed) but maybe if you have one near you or call they can send it?  let us know what works, i'm so sick of the bumps!

I recently asked about KP on the skincare board on makeupalley.  Two kind girls emailed me a ton of info.  I hope you find something helpful!  I copied and pasted their emails below:

I think I have found my HG for kp- 15% salicylic acid skin peel from platinumskincare.com

My kp is on my arms-I have many tiny tiny bumps, some bigger bumps that can be picked at, and lots of little red dots, I also have a few scars from picking. It really isn't noticeable, except for the red dots, maybe b/c I have dark olive skin, but it still drives me nuts.
I had tried am-lactin, lac-hydrin (12), carmol-20, exfoliating, scrubs, scrubby gloves. The only things that seemed to help were retin-a and a 3% salicylic acid lotion, but I needed something stronger as these did not eliminate my kp completely. After reading sencha's notepad, I ordered the 15% sal ac skin peel. It came on Friday, and my kp appears to be almost GONE - except when I look closely, but I am sure as I keep doing the peel, these bumps will go away totally as well. The red dots are COMPLETELy gone. You are supposed to use this once a week, and leave it on for a minute (but it is made for your face, which is more sensitive). I put it on Friday night, and left it on for about 5-10 minutes. Then I put it on Saturday morning for another 5 minutes. I think this was too much, because my skin seems a little irritated, so I am going to stick to using it once a week or once every few days for five-10 minutes at a time from now on. Once the kp goes away, I am going to use a 3% salicylic acid gel for maintenance (you can buy this at the drugstore, it is a gel for people with psoriasis, but it works for kp just as well). Sal ac is a beta hydroxy acid, and actually penetrates the pore to dry up the plug while it is in the pore, rather than just drying your outer layers of skin (I think. . not totally sure). I think salicylic acid is the best thing for kp sufferers. I have had kp all my life, and this is the best thing for me by far, better than any prescription. It is not cheap though. Good luck!
the 3% salicylic acid gel is cheaper, you can buy it in any drugstore, and it works almost as well. good luck!

KERATOSIS PILARIS

What has gotten rid of it 95-100% for me:

Sunlight/tanning <- (refuse to do this, though)

Neutrogena transparent facial bar - used original & dry skin formulas, with or without fragrance. got rid of it completely after 2 weeks of bathing daily with this soap when I was a teenager - now that I am 30-something, no longer works.

After visiting/staying with relatives for 8 days in Atlanta, GA, the "softer water" down there got rid of it 98-99% gone - came back to OH and so did the KP.  (Side note: did use a bar of dove (white in color) soap, too. don't know if it was the unscented, "white," or sensitive skin bar – may or may not have made an impact, too.)

Vaseline Healthy Body Complexion: <- go figure! This does NOT fit the typical m.o. for what would work for me.  I saw this recommendation many times & passed over it at the store b/c of the fragrance. A gf ended up giving it to me and I took it to use for my hands & on a "hunch" decided to give it a test drive.  it has eliminated my KP up to 90-94% gone after using it for 3 wks. it easily works as well as the amlactin I'd been buying, if not better, actually.

(A pumice stone used while in the shower or bathtub by applying consistent and slow pressure – being careful NOT to overdo it.  Follow this up with an application of Vaseline or Aquafor.  Got the idea from this website: http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/keratosis_pilaris.html.  This “method” is a supplemental measure that has helped when doing it in conjunction with other things that help control it.)

What did not work for me:

Neutrogena’s skin smoothing body lotion

Neutrogena’s salicylic acid body wash

Jergen’s skin smoothing lotion with AHA/BHA

Scrubs

Exfoliating with scrubby gloves or buf-puf

Shower brush

Dry brushing method

Shower wash products with exfoliating granules

St. Ives medicated scrub

What manages it and/or does not exacerbate it further:

Aveeno skin relief FF body wash

Dove “sensitive skin” body wash

Shaving

Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion, FF

Amlactin – though as of late, must admit, I personally have decided not to repurchase this after discovering Vaseline’s healthy body complexion lotion.

What typically aggravates it:

Fragranced body lotions

Using heavily fragranced soaps/body washes.

(Exception to this, go figure, would be Vaseline’s healthy body complexion lotion.)

KP success stories from others:

1) http://www.platinumskincare.com./3-percent-15-salicylic-acid-mini-peel.htm

"After thousands of dollars and zillions of tried-and-failed products, I've found something that is finally working. I bought a 15% salicylic acid peel from www.platinumskincare.com. I had purchased peels before, but they were always AHA peels like glycolic or lactic acid (they never worked). The directions for this peel say to use the peel every week or so and leave it on for 5 minutes and wash off, but being the desperate Keratosis Pilaris sufferer/renegade that I am, I have been using it as a lotion, just leaving it on all night, and I'm using it every night. My skin is really peeling and the plugs are sloughing off to my utter amazement. Even the redness and discoloration from scars is improving. I've had some irritation (since I'm using it much more than the directions say), but not near as much as I thought and i was willing to endure much more to see if this would work. I have never used anything that has ever given me more than 1 tenth of 1% of improvement so I am tickled pink right now."

"Do not use a salicylic peel if you are pregnant. It is in the aspirin family!!"

2) UltraMide 25: this actually has been raved about on several sites & I have come across the comment more than once that it feels more moisturizing to the skin than the Carmol line of urea lotions.  Some have suggested asking the RpH to mix it w/ 2% salicylic acid or just use a separate 2% BHA product in conjunction with it.

3) Dove soap bar: "white" bar soap - preferably the original white bar.

4) philosophy soul owner $14/3.3 oz: this is a foot cream that a man raved about over at the KP.org website.  he stated he used dove nutrium w/ a buf-puf & warned NOT to use this cream directly after using the buf-puf b/c it ended up burning his skin & scabbing over.  you'll notice if you look this up on drugstore.com that it has glycolic acid & salicylic acid listed.

5) Glytone Body wash and lotion: has been said by some posters that this has made a noticeable improvement.

6) http://www.makeupalley.com/board/m.asp?id=17822756&keywords=KP  "My KP on my upper arms is going away! I've tried numerous products and they have done nothing for my KP on my upper arms. I happened to have about half a bottle of Clinique's Total Turnaround for the oiler skin types (in the pump) around and I hadn't used it in a few months b/c I was trying other skin care products. I thought "What the heck?!" and started applying it on my upper arms only on Friday night. I have been applying it once a night since then and it is now Sunday night....my upper arms are almost BUMP FREE and there is barely any redness! Woohoo!!!"

7) Prescription Retin-A

8) Glycolix 15% body lotion-oil-free: a member said this made an instant & noticeable impact on her KP & that the amlactin never worked for her & PC BHA lotion was a little better, but she believes that an oil-free lotion is the key for success, at least for some, in treating KP.

(Check out http://www.makeupalley.com/user/notepad/StAmourOwl/ for a list of products others have found helpful.  The list is almost all the way down to the bottom of the NP.)

Also, bear in mind that what may NOT have worked for me, has worked for others and "might" work for you.  It's a crap shoot, to be sure...

Doveanunu, AWESOME THANKS!!! I'm printing to read tomorrow! Truly great info!

side note, wish there was spellcheck...