The bumpiness and breakouts are caused by a condition called Keratosis Pilaris, or as its commonly referred to, "KP".
What exactly is KP?
During the lifetime of normally functioning skin cells, they're born, live for a while at the bottom of the outermost layer of our skin, and just when more new cells now start to push older cells up and out of the way to form the next layer, these cells slowly start to produce and accumulate keratin protein granules. As more and more protein granules accumulate inside older cells, they take on a slightly bumpy exterior.
Continuing to move up closer to the surface, these protein-stuffed cells start to flatten and smooth out, and various waxes, fats, and sugars glue all these cells together to form the brick-and-mortar-wall-like top layers that make up the protective, slightly acidic barrier we call the Acid Mantle. These days, you might hear it referred to as "the skin's natural barrier".
Of course, not everyone with redness issues has rosacea. Rosacea is a vascular disorder, usually inherited, usually shows up around the age of 30, and is marked by a chronic redness that gets worse with age when left untreated.
I once had a client who’d been trying all sorts of topical and internal antibiotics and other medications, even birth control (though she was in her late 40s), and nothing was working. In fact, most of what she was using topically was making things much worse, and what she was taking orally was helping a little or not at all (like the birth control).
Did you know that only 10% of the world's population has truly dry skin? As in, genetically does not produce enough oil to maintain its acid mantle, aka natrual barrier. We call this skin type "Oil-Dry" because it doesn't produce enough of the natural oils skin needs to function properly. 10% of the world's population has skin that produces so much oil, their pores are so large and free-flowing, the skin actually never experiences acne. The rest of us have combination skin, with oil production occuring along a spectrum. This is why I believe there are 4 skin types, not three - Dry, Slightly Dry, Slightly Oily, and Oily. As my instructor at beauty school (may she rest in peace) said, "There ain't no such thing as normal skin."
Winter dryness actually affects everyone’s skin, not just those born with a genetic lack of oil in theirs. However, for people with acne, or even just skin on the oilier side, dryness can be quite baffling, becuase we're just not used to it. On top of that, this kind of dryness can have many people breaking out more in the winter than in the summer, even though the opposite may seem to make more sense. Dryness isn't not just about itchiness, flaking, tightening, or redness. Personally, my skin always used to look far worse in winter as an adult, with more breakouts, dullness and redness. My oily adult skin always looked its best in summer.
Knowing what to do about winter dryness starts with an understanding of how it happens in the first place.
Have you ever had an acne breakout as an adult that you didn't try to explain yourself? In my experience, people who break out pretty regularly have read and watched enough on social media to have quite a few ideas on what's causing their problem. Sometimes they're right.
My job as a specialist in adult acne is to help my clients examine their daily habits, diet, hormonal history, medical history, and products, as well as have a visual picture of their breakouts by being sent photos, to determine and navigate through all possibilities for causes of their breakouts.
I'd like to share some of those possibilities.
