Keratosis Pilaris

[Skittles]

Does anyone have this skin condition??

[gatita]

Yup, have had it all my life. I never knew it was a "condition" until recently, just thought it was my weird skin...

Don't tell me this, too, is related to celiac??

[Skittles]

I just have it on one arm. And no I haven't read that it is directly related to celiac but I did read that it can be related to allergies. So I was just curious if anyone else on here has it. Do you do anything to help it?

Yup, have had it all my life. I never knew it was a "condition" until recently, just thought it was my weird skin...

Don't tell me this, too, is related to celiac??

[gatita]

Interesting, I didn't know that about the allergies. I've had it on my thighs and the back of both upper arms since i was a kid. I don't trip on it much, but I do know that tub soaks and scrubbing with a moisturizing wash followed by lots of moisturizer has made it disappear for me. Just have to keep it up though.

[Juliebove]

My daughter and I have it. Mine is really mild and mostly not there. Hers can get really bad. I had read that it was related to dairy but she is no longer intolerant to dairy. So I dunno.

[Skittles]

I keep hearing to put lots of moisturizer on it but mine doesn't feel dry. Did yours?

Interesting, I didn't know that about the allergies. I've had it on my thighs and the back of both upper arms since i was a kid. I don't trip on it much, but I do know that tub soaks and scrubbing with a moisturizing wash followed by lots of moisturizer has made it disappear for me. Just have to keep it up though.

[gatita]

I keep hearing to put lots of moisturizer on it but mine doesn't feel dry. Did yours?

My skin is fairly dry all over but the Keratosis skin wasn't any drier than the rest. Not sure why the sloughing and moisturizer works for me, but it does!

[Chaff]

I have this -- nothing ever worked (including prescription creams). It's annoying. Other people in my family that had it lost it when they went through puberty, but not me. :/

Hopefully it will go away as the GFD goes on?

[peeptoad]

I have what appears to be a very mild version of this. I'm not sure if it's actually the same thing, but mine is definitely gluten-related (so it may not be the same thing).

If I eat gluten for 2-3 days in a row, then I wind up with these small, red hive-like bumps on my thighs and lower legs. Sometimes they itch ike crazy, other times I can't feel them, but they always show up after gluten, and they precede all my other gluten symptoms (the GI stuff, etc.).

[Alwayssomething]

I have what appears to be a very mild version of this. I'm not sure if it's actually the same thing, but mine is definitely gluten-related (so it may not be the same thing).

If I eat gluten for 2-3 days in a row, then I wind up with these small, red hive-like bumps on my thighs and lower legs. Sometimes they itch ike crazy, other times I can't feel them, but they always show up after gluten, and they precede all my other gluten symptoms (the GI stuff, etc.).

Peeptoad - Soulds like you have DH, there is a section on this board about dermatitis herpetiformis, I bet if you look at some of those photos and read up on it (based on your current description) you will find that this is what you have. A lot of the people that have this not only have to go gluten free but iodine free as well. You also say when you eat gluten 2-3 days in a row you break out, so I assume you don't follow a gluten free diet, before I was officially diagnosed with DH those small spots on my legs, arms started to spread the longer I continued to eat gluten, of course once I recieved my diagnosis and gave up gluten, I did get better, but not great, now that I have given up Iodine as well, my skin looks better than it has in years.

[peeptoad]

Peeptoad - Soulds like you have DH, there is a section on this board about dermatitis herpetiformis, I bet if you look at some of those photos and read up on it (based on your current description) you will find that this is what you have. A lot of the people that have this not only have to go gluten free but iodine free as well. You also say when you eat gluten 2-3 days in a row you break out, so I assume you don't follow a gluten free diet, before I was officially diagnosed with DH those small spots on my legs, arms started to spread the longer I continued to eat gluten, of course once I recieved my diagnosis and gave up gluten, I did get better, but not great, now that I have given up Iodine as well, my skin looks better than it has in years.

I will check the DH section (I think I did this once a year ago, but will check again). I think when I looked before I thought maybe these spots were not DH (based on someone else's description). They only occasionally itch, and they are sparse (not a lot of them when I get them). I am not DXed celiac, but rather "gluten intolerant" and I do follow a gluten-free diet, but I occasionally "cheat" (like maybe once a month). Every once in awhile I eat gluten for 2-3 days in a row (I did this last week, partly on "purpose" and partly by accident) and that's when these spots show up.

Thanks for the information...

[gfreejz]

I have it too. I didn't realize it had a name til about a year ago. I have had it since a kid on back of upper arms and calves. To me it used to look like every pore in those areas is red and has a slight bump. Mine have gotten better since going gluten free almost two years ago. Most of them look like light brown freckles now.

I try to take a hot bath once a week with about 2-3 cups of epson salt and a few drops of evoo. relax for about 10 minutes and then scrub with a loofah. I don't use any soap and don't over scrub skin. Stay in your tub until the water has cooled down. Then like an hour later shower like normal. And then put on some lotion. Seems to work for me. I can tell I still have it, but its really not that noticable.

I see its related to eczema, with can be allergy related

Good luck!

Some info From : Open Original Shared Link

" Keratosis pilaris is a common skin condition in which a protein in the skin called keratin forms hard plugs within hair follicles.

Keratosis pilaris is harmless (Open Original Shared Link). It seems to run in families. It is more common in people who have very dry skin, or who have Open Original Shared Link (eczema).

Symptoms include:

• 
  Small bumps that look like "goose bumps" on the back of the upper arms and thighs
  
• 
  Bumps feel like very rough sandpaper
  
• 
  Skin-colored bumps are the size of a grain of sand
  
• 
  Slight pinkness may be seen around some bumps
  
• 
  Bumps may appear on the face and be mistaken for acne
  

Treatment may include:

• 
  Moisturizing lotions to soothe the skin and help it look better
  
• 
  Skin creams that contain urea, lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, Open Original Shared Link, or vitamin D
  
• 
  Steroid creams to reduce redness
  

Improvement often takes months and the bumps are likely to come back.

Keratosis pilaris may fade slowly with age. "

[txgirl]

I'm an esthetician and yes, many times it's simply the need for exfoliation and a moisturizer. However, when I went gluten free several years ago, the condition I had learned to live with my whole life was gone within 2 or 3 days!!

With my clients, I now recommend a good exfoliation routine first. If they come back and it still isn't better, I tell them about my experience with going gluten free. It's worked for many of them.

[Sarahsmile416]

Pre-diagnosis and have this as well...it's gotten worse over the last couple of years...around the time I suspect I began to develop my little trifecta of autoimmune diseases...Diabetes, vitiligo and now, possibly celiac.

[MitziG]

keratosis pilaris is almost exclusively caused by a dairy intolerance. Most dermatologists are aware of this. If you remove all trace sources of dairy from your diet it will gradually disappear. I watched this happen in both my husband and daughter who both had severe kp all their lives. My daughter has since added in occasional dairy so she no longer has total relief but her arms and legs are at least 70% smoother than when she had full blown kp.

Also, to the poster who said her sisters' dairy intolerance went away... how would she know? There are no tests for intolerances, only allergies. And the symptoms of an intolerance can change. What may have been a reaction in one form can disappear and be replaced by something one doesn't recognize as a reaction.

[jlaw]

Interesting. I'm currently awaiting the results of my son's skin biospy. He has what looks like KP on the back of his elbows, but then it started to blister. And since I have DH, I wanted to have him tested. What is your experience of KP blistering? Is it itchy? His gets quite itchy.

[peeptoad]

keratosis pilaris is almost exclusively caused by a dairy intolerance.

Okay, this clinches it. After the holidays I am going on a dairy-free trial for a couple of weeks... the KP is not a major issue for me, but in addition to that I have some other more aggravating symptoms which I have suspected are related to dairy. And it is a relatively common allergen/intolerance.

Sigh... not looking forward to gluten-free and dairy-free at the same time. I suspect it will be difficult...

[Chaff]

MitziG -- can you clarify the intolerance connected to KP? Is it casein or lactose? This is the first I've heard of it. I'll google around tomorrow, but I was hoping you had more information.