Keratosis Pilaris Remedies

Dietary changes might be best in my opinion. I still have a spot on my scalp but it feels like its getting smaller even though I stray from the diet from times. After watching Dr. Berg video on follicular keratosis, he recommends: Vitamin A (important) vitamin E, D & K also. Have your doctor check your nutrient/vitamin levels. There are also urine tests you can buy on amazon to check urine bile levels. He also goes on about insulin resistance being another suspect. From personal experience in my own health journey, my nutrient deficiencies were caused by fatty liver or liver not functioning 100% which leads to malabsorbtion. Other things that lead to malabsorbtion are low stomach acid and low bile production from sluggish gallbladder which both can be caused by processed foods & low stomach acid. So try to cut all grains and seed/vegetable oils & packaged foods from your diet. Supplement with omega 3 as your ratio may be low. You need to be sure 3 things are functioning optimally: 1. stomach acid/digestion 2. Gallbladder/bile storage & regulation 3. Liver/bile production. if one of these three isnt working right, you will have all kinds of problems from malabsorbtion. In my case ALL THREE organs were drastically underperforming due to my soda pop and beer addictions that gave me fatty liver. I was in bad shape and all the doctors told me was I need to lose weight. I was already 140 pounds dripping wet. I had acid reflux and they gave me pills which just made my stomach acid even lower. One sign of low stomach acid is acid reflux. Most doctors will prescribe antacid for acid reflux and this is the opposite of what is needed for most people. Acid reflux is usually sign of LOW stomach acid. You can rectify this with 3-5 grams Betaine HCL taken ten minutes before mealtime but you really need to get to the core problem of what is causing low stomach acids. If you dont have Betaine HCL you can try drinking a shot of Apple Cider Vinegar prior to eating. if the acid reflux/bloating isn't present, your stomach acid may be fine, then you can look at the gallbladder or liver. If you eat a lot of sugar, carbs, high fructose corn syrup, you can almost guarantee your liver may have fat deposits so stay away from those sweets & carbs. Research foods that stimulate bile flow (beet flow) without causing liver fat. I know you just want to get rid of the acnitic keratosis, but the keratosis in my case was just the tip of the iceberg - a symptom of a more severe underlying health issue that needed to be addressed which cannot resolve if you keep a poor diet. Good luck.

Probably could try omitting the HP, just using Borax.

Oil pulling cured keratosis pilaris, coated tongue, ear wax greatly diminished, softer skin, sounder sleep, white teeth, pinker gums and tongue, reduced menopause symptoms. I have been oil pulling for 4 1/2 months. I pull for 20 minutes with organic coconut oil. Keratosis Pilaris has no known medical cure. I will oil pull for the rest of my life.

Hi I came across your post about your 2 yr old child having KP. Did any of the remedies work for you??

Very interesting!
Did you have the keratosis pilaris on just your face? Or was it on other parts of your body? And did you only apply the castor oil on your face?

Re; Bells Palsy and Keratosis pillars:

I was using castor oil on my face for Bells Palsy. I applied it on my face with cotton ball and covered my face with plastic on each side (left opening for nose so I could breath) then put a"moisture" heating pad that you warm in microwave over my face for 20 minutes every night. Can't be sure if it's helping my Bells Palsy but after literally years and years of going to doctors for kreatosis polaris and using suggested home remedies, the castor oil "completely" cured my Keratisis polaris within in a couple of weeks. I first noticed within a couple of days it was resolving. I've had the condition for at least 10 years.

For a while now I've been meaning to buy a better quality magnesium and ditch my crappy magnesium oxide. I had been taking magnesium and D3 for my psoriasis (that will be a different post altogether). Recently when I finally bought some Magnesium Malate and started taking it, I noticed that my keratosis improved.

D3 can be harmful without Magnesium and Vitamin K, so I take all three.

I try to make it my daily routine, but realistically, I remember to do this about 4 times a week:

- 2 capsules 1000 iu D3 (From Trader Joe's. Capsules, not tablets.)
- 1 tablet 425 mg Magnesium Malate (I switched from Magnesium Oxide.)
- 1 tablet Vitamin K (I take Vit K only in the occasion I don't get enough from food sources.)

After a few days of taking this, I noticed that my keratosis on the back of my upper arms went away. A few days after that, my chronic hives on my forearms went away too.

The keratosis on my upper arms didn't bother me. It was more the burning hives that were a concern, but it's an added bonus to have smooth upper arms again.

If I would forget to take my supplement trio, the keratosis would return only after a day or so.

What was the dosage of the lysine?

I really hope anyone with keratosis pilaris sees this post because niacin had been a game changer!!!

I have had this "chicken skin" for as long as I can remember. It's hasn't been ruining my life, but it is annoying. However, I recently accidentally discovered a cure: Niacin!

I try to take it regularly because, well, I actually like the way the flush feels. It just feels like it's healthy.

Recently I just happened to notice that my chicken skin was gone. Then I went on vacation and forgot my Niacin. No biggie, but my chicken skin came back. Then when I got home and took the Niacin, it went away again.

I've actually done 3 "experiments" since then (a few months ago) and I've gotten the same results:
Niacin = smooth upper arms
No Niacin = Bumps

I'd say start low, but not too low - it seems to me that as you build up B3 in your system, you flush less. I am trying 1000mg/day, and that seems to be maintaining, but I'd say start around 100, and EMBRACE THE FLUSH!

I've always been a little envious of girls with smooth skin, but now I have it, too, and it's really nice!! I also find that sun helps with the chicken skin but it takes longer to work.

Seriously, if you have this condition, try Niacin. I'm curious to see how many other people it helps!!

I have been taking L lysine for dyshidrotic eczema on my fingers - it has worked wonders, but no doctors or pharmacy seems to know about it! As a bonus, it seems it has also cleared my KP!

I have found coconut oil very helpful for KP, which I've had for over 20 years. I use virgin, cold pressed, organic CO directly on the skin after showering. I also eat a spoonful a day, usually melted into my coffee. After doing this for about a year, plus a number of other dietary changes (please see my first, big post if you want details), my KP is 80-90% reduced. But I saw positive change almost right away, including reduction in redness, itchiness, and bumpiness. Dry brushing increased the positive effects for me. At first I had to dry brush every day (to help shed the dead skin) but now I only need to dry brush 2-3x/week. I still eat and apply coconut oil every day.

Kristina (Pittsburgh, Usa),

Pittsburgh is at latitude 40.4406 degrees north while Armenia is at latitude 40.0691 degrees north or very slightly closer to the equator, however, Pittsburgh is at an elevation of 738 to 1,204 feet above sea level while Armenia is at an average of over a mile high meaning that it is closer to the equator and the altitude means that you will get significantly higher UVB exposure from the suns rays and consequently higher vitamin D will be produced in the skin from this superior UVB exposure.

According to this article, vitamin D may play a role in controlling Keratosis Pilaris:

http://www.stopskinpickingcoach.com/vitamin-d/

This seems like a relatively easy thing to test to determine if vitamin D or lack of is playing a role in your son's KP.

Art

Hi,

My son has KP on his lower part of arms and upper parts of legs, he is 10 years old, he had this for a long time. I took him to dermatologist and was recommended regular out of the counter moisturizers :/ especially in winter time, when skin gets more dry. But it never went away completely.

Then this year we went on vacation overseas to Armenia, we spent 2 months there. Guess what? All his skin was nice and smooth by the time we got back to the States!

I was shocked! Now my question is maybe local water makes it worse? or the wheat? or dairy?

While on vacation he ate everything fresh and organic, drank water from the faucet which is very good there. Showered with same water. So I do not know what exactly causing this Keratosis pilaris but I am so curious to find out.

WORKS TEMPORARILY

I have a very light case of KP. I tried applying various remedies right onto my skin, but they would just soften the bumps for the day. Exfoliating just made my skin more irritated. I eventually learned about oil pulling and tried with sesame oil. The strong flavor made me gag if I did it after meal (because I didn't have time to do it before the meal). After getting organic, cold-pressed coconut oil, I found that I could oil pull before and after a meal no problem. After about week of daily swishing, I noticed that the bumps in one of my patches were starting to go down. I've been doing this for about a month, if I skip oil pulling for more than two day the bumps start to rise up again.

Thank you for the info. I will try this on myself and my 2 yr old who has this terribly on his face and arms and a little on his legs! I feel terrible that this is hereditary and he has it much worse than me!

I hate to say this but birth is very traumatic and yes, babies have stress. Source - I work in Mental Health.

I went to see a dermatologist overseas while I was on holidays visiting some family. She said that keratosis pilaris will go away with plenty of sun exposure and it will get better with age. My 3 younger cousins have it very bad but every summer they go to the beach and try to get burned (not a good idea) but what I noticed is that their kp was completely gone and they had super soft, super smooth skin.

I also noticed, because I'm so white that after I got burned pretty badly my kp also went away for a little while, it came back once summer was over but it wasn't as bad as the back of my legs that didn't get much sun exposure.

I'm not saying go out and get burned but I have noticed that sun exposure helped me and my cousins a lot with keratosis pilaris.

I've had good results with coconut oil and grape seed oil but nothing as good as my experience with the sun.

Good luck everyone.

In response to the girl who said she exfoliated her arms before using ACV----- you should never use any type of abrasive scrub on your arms. Only Glycolic Acids (like fish oil supplements ).... And ALAs as gentle peels. Never use vinegar on sensitive skin...

I ran across a study that claims hydrogen peroxide precedes the immune response and that's what kills the melanocytes. I don't think I would try hydrogen peroxide. Look it up.

Hey Indigo,

I have stopped applying grape seed oil for about 2 weeks now because I keep reading that kp is an essential fatty acid deficiency. I am now trying to take a multivitamin+fish oil + krill oil in one to see if that helps, its been 2 weeks and my skin is softer with lesser bumps, I'll get back to you in another 2 weeks. Good luck with everything you are trying. I hope we can find a treatment together, take care.

So I have tried fish oil and cod liver oil (not fermented because I couldn't find any) and omega 3,1552 mg, I tried each kind for 3 weeks and saw no change, I even took 3 capsules a day of the omega 3 for 1 month and saw no difference and then cut back to 1 capsule a day.

For those who saw results, did you have kp on other areas of your body like your legs? I ask because I hear just having bumps on your arms can be an omega 3 deficiency, it might not necessarily be a skin disorder kp, I could be wrong. I'm going to the pharmacy and I will ask for the strongest omega 3 they have and I will try to take that for longer than 3 weeks and I'll let you know how I go, I have kp on my arms and legs.

Thanks so much for sharing. I will give it a try for 2 weeks and post back with results. I've had KP since early childhood and it might be about 50% better now (mid thirties). I've learned how to "manage" it.... But still searching for a cure. Here's what I've found that work best for me:
- Exfoliation with korean italy towel after soaking in bath (mag chloride or epsom salt added). - Clean eating. Extra veggies. - Intestinal cleansing. - Moisturize: emu oil, vitamin E oil, Goldbond Rough and Bumpy lotion, Sesame oil. Varies day to day... - Just started taking Micellized vitamin A a few weeks ago. Skin does seem better, but not sure how much it's really helping. (Take with other fat soluable vitamins - A, D, E, K - to maintain balance). Also take a good vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure no deficiencies. - Salicylic acid (crushed aspirin works), alpha hyroxu acids, and borax used as a scrub help smooth bumps and unclog pores. I plan on doing a full cleansing protocol developed by Bill Thompson (see his book on this site for more detail) which includes turpentine. I also am currently taking zeolites to rid heavy metals ans other toxins. Lastly, I plan to test for all food intolerances. If I have improvement with KP after completing those things, I will post again to share my results. And I look forward to any updates from you and others as well!

I found a page on facebook where a person found relief from kp with grape seed oil. So I went out and got 100% pure grape seed oil and started to apply it on my skin after the shower everyday before bed (so I don't walk around during the day all greasy) After 5 days of doing this I have noticed a huge improvement. You don't need to be dripping with oil you just need enough to cover your skin. Coconut oil was very helpful with my kp but I noticed a better improvement with grape seed oil.

I will also be doing a coffee scrub to help with my cellulite once or twice a week. I have noticed that coffee scrubs also help my kp but this time I will be mixing the ground coffee with grape seed oil. I use more oil in the mixture to help the coffee grounds stick to my skin, I rub it in for 5 minutes and I leave it on for 20 minutes to help with cellulite. If you don't have cellulite then you can just mix brown sugar with grape seed oil and use that as a scrub.

Grape seed oil has also helped lighten uneven or hyperpigmentation in skin and has also helped people with acne and dark under eye circles (remember you don't need too much of it, maybe only 3 drops for your face).

I've also noticed my kp gets worse when I drink soft drink so I've only been drinking water and tea :)

I wish you all the best of luck with finding a treatment or better yet a cure. Maybe even taking grape seed extract supplements could help but I hear it's a blood thinner so that might not be good for us women if you know what I mean.

It's only been 5 days so I will get back to you and let you know how I go. Thanks for your time. I hope I've helped :)

I just wanted to comment on the amazing results we have had using Coconut Oil for Keratosis Pilaris. My 10 year old daughter has had the bumps on her upper arms and just a small amount on her cheeks for as long as I can remember but as it was not too noticeable we have just always moisturised it but otherwise left it alone. Just recently seemingly overnight her whole face became covered with it. She was becoming quite anxious about it so we tried a few different things which only seemed to inflame it. After reading some other posts on this website I decided to give the Coconut Oil a try as we already had some that I use in cooking so I thought it couldn't do too much harm. I have to say this stuff is amazing for your skin. After just one application overnight there was over 50% improvement. We have been applying it twice a day now for just over a week and I would say about 95% of the bumps have gone. Her skin is glowing and smoother than it has ever been. Thanks to those who suggested it.

Apple cider vinegar and bentonite clay have been like a miracle for my bumpy arms. Cured in less than two applications. I maintain with 1 /wk applications.

I am 50 years 'young' and have suffered with Keratosis Pilaris since the age of 13. I have been to doctors who prescribed me retinA, which is just not reasonable when the KP covers my arms and legs and the tube of gel/cream is the size of a tube of travel tooth paste, costs $30, and the directions say to apply it 3 times a day. DUMB! I have also been to a doctor who told me that I was just being borderline obsessive compulsive and to just live with it - I wanted to smack that guy in the head. After living with and fighting this condition for 37 years and reading a lot about it on-line this is what I have come to believe.

The condition is caused or triggered or aggravated by different things for different people. There is no cure. Don't give up trying to find something that will work for you to control and manage it.

My daily routine is to wash with Dove soap and exfoliate as I wash. I use a finger nail brush and use circular motions. It is extremely important to keep your skin exfoliated as the keratin plugs will never come out on their own. The exfoliation process takes time and consistency. And you are never done with it, this is a forever thing. I use Amlactin lotion. It's very good at hydration and softening the skin. This is another thing KP skin requires. It took me a long time to find a lotion that did not make my KP whelp up, I just found this one 6 months ago. I have found that the only hair removal system for me is shaving. Any other method leaves the end of the hair too soft, it cannot break through the skin, and then becomes caught up in the KP plug. I also use a microdermabrasion device several times a week. There is a huge difference in the amount of dead skin cells that are removed from the KP areas vs the skin that is not affected by KP. This just shows how KP skin does not shed well on it's own and the follicle will continue to be plugged by the keratin if I don't continually exfoliate.

I thought this was all working well for me as my KP had all but disappeared for the past 2 years BUT this past spring I took a hard look at my diet due to my nails and hair becoming brittle and thin and decided that my protein intake was extremely low. I added Ensure plus protein to my diet and in a matter of 1 1/2 months my KP was back. I researched this and found that there can be a connection between KP and casein. So I switched to a soy protein and in less than 1 month I can see that my KP has settled down. This entire thing really surprised me because up to this point I thought my KP was hormone related, as in it showed up with puberty, it went away while I was pregnant, came back really bad right after I gave birth and was getting better as I approached 50 and maybe menopause. But now I am sure it is at the least aggravated by certain foods.

The next thing that I want to try is a salicylic acid peel. It is supposed to clean out the pores really well. This would be maintenance as there is no cure.

So there is no 'one size fits all' answer for KP. Keep trying, but only try one thing at a time and give that one thing time, like a month, to show if it is working or not.

Hi there, I am currently taking cod liver oil which I heard can help with Keratosis Pilaris but I haven't yet seen any difference. Should I try fish oil instead? I really want something to work.

Hello..A few weeks ago I started "washing" my face with coconut oil and a few drops of lavender and amazingly enough my rosacea is clearing up, about 50 % better! I use this mix to remove my make up. I premix about 2 Tablespoon of Coconut oil with 5 drops of lavender. I leave this mixture in the bathroom and use a small amount on my face every night. I wash it off with a hot wash clothe. Then I add a bit more of the mix to the red patches.

I heard it could make it worse because it has keratin in it and too much keratin is what causes KP. I asked the pharmacist and she said l-lysine is only for cold sores and nothing else and since I don't have cold sores I might not try it. Thanks anyway :)

Hi everyone. I heard that L-lysine has worked wonders for people with rosacea but it has protein in it so can that make your Keratosis Pilaris worse?

I have both these skin conditions and I was wondering if anyone has tried L-lysine and found that it made their kp better or worse? I would really like to try it for my rosacea. Please help. Thank you in advance :)

Nicole, I don't see how L-Lysine and Vitamin C could make anything worse unless you overdo it!

Hi there. I have both rosacea and kp. I've heard a lot about vitamin c and l-lysine being a natural remedy for rosacea. I was wondering if it would work the same for keratosis pilaris or can it make it worse. I would like to try this remedy, but I'm scared it will make my kp worse. Please get back to me if you have an answer. Thank you in advance :)