Why did getting a bruise help my keratosis pilaris?
August 30, 2013 9:56 PM Subscribe
I got a wicked bruise on my upper arm about a month ago. It's basically gone, but there is a totally keratosis pilaris free space where the bruise used to be. Why did this happen? And/or, how can I replicate it for the rest of my arm? Specific feedback about the bruise thing, as well as any pro tips about remedies for kp, are welcome.
Mine has also got better with age (I'm 29). I find that exfoliation helps a lot too, but only really if I moisturise afterwards. I just use one of those plastic-netting poufs. I have no idea about your bruise but that's an interesting data point!
Dimes, do you just use the coconut oil in the shower and then rinse it off, or do it some other way? I keep hearing coconut oil recommended for everything, and I'd like to give it a try.
posted by daisyk at 3:14 AM on August 31, 2013
Dimes, do you just use the coconut oil in the shower and then rinse it off, or do it some other way? I keep hearing coconut oil recommended for everything, and I'd like to give it a try.
posted by daisyk at 3:14 AM on August 31, 2013
I suspect that the bruise encouraged lots of extra blood flow and healing attention (non-scientific terminology) to that specific area of skin that helped clear your KP. That's all I've got.
Try some zinc, it cleared up the worst of my husband's KP (didn't do the same for me).
posted by nanook at 6:48 AM on August 31, 2013
Try some zinc, it cleared up the worst of my husband's KP (didn't do the same for me).
posted by nanook at 6:48 AM on August 31, 2013
Try using glycolic acid and uric acid. The former increases helps unbind dead skin cells (amongst other things) and the latter is known to be an effective humicant (draws moisture from the air) which will help soften your skin. I wish I could offer up a specific product, but I'm using what's left of a discontinued lotion from Lubriderm with an obscenely high amount of glycolic acid in it that I've stockpiled. It was that good.
posted by redindiaink at 7:42 AM on August 31, 2013
posted by redindiaink at 7:42 AM on August 31, 2013
No opinion about the bruise, but the only thing that helped my kp (which is virtually non existent if I keep this up) is consistent daily rich moisturization. I keep a tub of Vaseline and a very moisurizing moisturizer in the shower, and use one or the other after my shower while my skin is damp. Every. Single. Day.
posted by Kololo at 8:07 AM on August 31, 2013
posted by Kololo at 8:07 AM on August 31, 2013
My lifelong KP went away when I moved to a low carb diet. No clue about the bruise issue...Though through my experience, I'd guess that local metabolic resources were diverted to rebuilding the damaged tissue, rather her than building up excess deposits in your pores.
posted by Sublimity at 8:23 AM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sublimity at 8:23 AM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
It sounds to me like this condition is likely due to an unidentified infection, possibly viral.* So I would assume the bruise (or the cause of the bruise?) somehow killed some infection locally and that infection is the cause of the keratosis pilaris. Different microbes thrive or die in response to different things. Ex: Sunlight kills or inhibits some things but causes others to grow (chicken pox gets wildly worse in sunlight).
I do not know what mechanism would have been at work. Change in oxygenization of the area? High iron content of the blood distributed in the bruised area? You could look up info on bruises and try to infer from there what condition changed locally in the tisdues which might have starved or killed an unidentified infection. Then see if you can find a means other than bruising to replicate the effect. Maybe more iron in your diet? Maybe less? Maybe something else.
*Part of my reasoning: The wikipedia article indicates salicylic acid is a known treatment. That is also used to treat warts, which is caused by a virus. The coconut oil that Dimes finds effective has antimicrobial properties. In other words, it kills infection.
posted by Michele in California at 12:52 PM on August 31, 2013
I do not know what mechanism would have been at work. Change in oxygenization of the area? High iron content of the blood distributed in the bruised area? You could look up info on bruises and try to infer from there what condition changed locally in the tisdues which might have starved or killed an unidentified infection. Then see if you can find a means other than bruising to replicate the effect. Maybe more iron in your diet? Maybe less? Maybe something else.
*Part of my reasoning: The wikipedia article indicates salicylic acid is a known treatment. That is also used to treat warts, which is caused by a virus. The coconut oil that Dimes finds effective has antimicrobial properties. In other words, it kills infection.
posted by Michele in California at 12:52 PM on August 31, 2013
My KP has eased with age, though it's still present. In college, I had a textbook case (as the excited intern explained to other interns passing by, when I was in the hospital for a case of pleursisy; I didn't mind, since it was a teaching hospital, and my KP was, indeed, very impressive). Now that I'm in my 40s, it has faded. It seems less prominent on the parts of my arms and legs that have gotten a lot of sun, but that may be a consequence of the fact that those are the parts of my limbs that aren't covered by my bike kit, so I slather them with sunscreen before going outside.
It never bothered me enough to seek remedies, probably because as a fat kid, KP was the least of my worries.... :-)
Michele in California's reasoning is flawed. Universal affirmatives can be only partially converted (as a professor [John Cleese] said in The Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail). The fact that salicylic acid is used against one illness whose cause is viral implies only that *some* illnesses against which salicylic acid is used are viral, not that all are. I use acetate of salicylic acid (Aspirin) against headaches, but that doesn't mean that my headaches are caused by a virus. I also use it against muscle soreness from unaccustomed exercise; again, no viral cause there.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:13 PM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
It never bothered me enough to seek remedies, probably because as a fat kid, KP was the least of my worries.... :-)
Michele in California's reasoning is flawed. Universal affirmatives can be only partially converted (as a professor [John Cleese] said in The Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail). The fact that salicylic acid is used against one illness whose cause is viral implies only that *some* illnesses against which salicylic acid is used are viral, not that all are. I use acetate of salicylic acid (Aspirin) against headaches, but that doesn't mean that my headaches are caused by a virus. I also use it against muscle soreness from unaccustomed exercise; again, no viral cause there.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:13 PM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
For the record, that is only the tip of the iceberg for my reasoning. This is not the place to debate it. If the OP wants to hear more of why it looks that way to me, memail is always welcome.
posted by Michele in California at 7:27 PM on August 31, 2013
posted by Michele in California at 7:27 PM on August 31, 2013
The KP on my arms and legs has recently responded very well to CeraVe Renewing SA Lotion. Way better than it ever responded to anything with lactic acid. I scrub with a cheap plastic scrubbie and a low residue body wash, then put the lotion on right after my shower.
I have some of the world's most sensitive skin, and I love CeraVe products. Even the esthetician who is trying to push $50 an ounce products that I can only buy from her grudgingly allows that they are very good.
posted by monopas at 12:48 PM on September 1, 2013
I have some of the world's most sensitive skin, and I love CeraVe products. Even the esthetician who is trying to push $50 an ounce products that I can only buy from her grudgingly allows that they are very good.
posted by monopas at 12:48 PM on September 1, 2013
I have KP on my upper arms and two things have fixed it: being pregnant (kind of a drastic step) or 2% beta hydroxy acid. (I use Paula's Choice.) The nasty urea lotions never worked for me. Good luck.
posted by marmot at 1:08 PM on September 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by marmot at 1:08 PM on September 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
There's no real cure for KP, but mine has lessened with age. Mine don't bother me or are that noticeable, so I've never worked on them specifically. However, I have been using a lactic acid body wash, and pure virgin coconut oil on my scalp lately-- and the coconut oil (which gets everywhere) has helped my KP on my arms. I think it's partly the combo with the lactic acid wash though, that has helped. However, there are articles that extoll the virtues of cocout oil on KP.
Also, I have a microfibre cloth that I use, like the Salux but softer. Something like that should help, but be careful not to dry out your skin because that can exacerbate the KP. Salux can be a bit scratchy though, so if you find that it's too harsh, facial microfibre cloths are more gentle.
posted by Dimes at 2:54 AM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]