Keratosis Rubra Pilaris Information
My son was diagnosed with acute Keratosis Rubra Pilaris (commonly abbreviated to KP, nicknamed “chicken skin” and often assumed to be “goose bumps”). However my son has it all over his arms down to his wrists, his back and thighs. Very unsightly and, to a teenager, very distressing.

Once I knew the name of this condition I thought the best way to understand it was to research it and this page is the result.

First some facts - some of these sound obvious but its surprising what people can assume without information to the contrary:

• Keratosis Rubra Pilaris (KP) is not skin cancer
• KP is not life threatening
• KP is not curable and often reduces past adolescence
• KP is not catching or infectious
• KP is hereditary
• KP is extremely common, as much as 1 in 3 people
• KP is unsightly, but harmless
• KP tends to be better in the summer months than the winter ones
• KP can respond to treatment but will usually return if treatment is discontinued
• KP is often miss-diagnosed as Rosacea
• KP appears in all races and sexes

Ok What is KP
“Keratosis” means that there is too much keratin (which makes up the tough horny outer layer of the skin), “pilaris” comes from the Latin for hair (pilus). In KP the excess keratin plugs the opening of the hair follicles in the skin. Because keratin is hard this makes a hard plug around the hair and looks very much like red goosebumps.

Treatment
This is the frustrating part because what I've found is treatments vary from person to person in their effectiveness. My sons Dermatologist has prescribed “Lanate” for one arm and “zorac” for the other, to see which works best (doesn't that tell you something). Cant comment on their effectiveness until his three months treatment is finished.

However reading through forums of other sufferers show that a general natural method is a) exfoliate to remove the upper layer of dead skin cells and then b) use a cream, oil or lotion that dissolves the keratin buildup in the hair follicle. Some things I've read that dissolve keratin are Bromain (pineapple extract), papain (papaya extract) and pawpaw extract.

I will update this section as my sons treatment progresses. (last update 6-April-2008)

Weblinks for Keratosis Pilaris info
MayoClinic KP Page - Good medically reviewed information
Wikipedia KP Page - ok but open to compromise by those with vested interests

The following two are good forums to connect with other Keratosis Pilaris sufferers. Be wary though of “snake oil salesman” spruiking their products in the guise of a forum posting.
www.HelpForKP.com
www.KeratosisPilaris.org