4 Ways To Reduce Keratosis Pilaris

 

"What’s with this bumpiness on my arms,

and why do I break out on my butt all the time?!"

I get asked these questions a lot. 

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". 

How To Manage Body Acne

I speak extensively about facial acne on this blog, but in addition to tweaking skincare and make-up habits, people who suffer from Adult Acne also sometimes have to deal with acne on various parts of the body.

These breakouts on the thighs, back or chest, are caused not only by excess oil, but warmth from sitting, salt from sweat, and friction caused by the many layers worn during colder months bothering pore linings.  Friction is especially a factor in cases where exercise is not followed immediately by a shower.  Adding to the mix is one of the biggest issues of all; pore clogging ingredients in dryer sheets being deposited from clothes and bedding onto the skin. 

In order to feel confident baring your skin as the weather warms up, here are a few tips and suggestions on clearing up existing body breakouts and keeping them away for good.

8 Steps To Reducing Redness

In my previous post, "Adult Acne? ...Or Is It Really Rosacea?" I went over the differences between adult acne and rosacea and how to tell exactly what kind of breakouts you're experiencing.  I also mentioned lifestyle changes that could help to manage rosacea flare-ups.

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.

Adult Acne? ...Or Is It Really Rosacea?

While I regard myself mostly as a specialist in adult acne, I also specialize in rosacea, as well as in general sensitivity.  And, as someone who actually has rosacea herself, I can understand the frustrations that come along with not knowing how to properly manage the condition.  This can be especially frustrating when you believe you have rosacea and it turns out it's really acne, and vise versa. 

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).

Surviving Winter Dryness with Adult Acne

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."

Oiliness and Dryness at the Same Time??

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. 

Breakout Stakeout - Common Causes of Adult Acne

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.  

But many, many adult acne sufferers don't have that kind of experience.  To them, their breakouts are just baffling.  They have no idea what's causing them. Shockingly, at least 60% of my adult acne clientele never had acne as teens!

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.

The Year Of Maskne: An Adult Acne Expert's View

COVacne!  The Scourge of the Year

Most people call it "maskne", of course, but I call it "COVacne" because it's obvious to me that more is involved than just the physical wearing of masks.  There is no question that friction and heat from mask wearing play the greatest roles, but there has to be meaning in the fact that for so many the acne also gets bad in areas otherwise designated as "hormonal"; the jawline, sides of the chin, inner cheeks, and lower central forehead.  Stress must play a roll, too!