Hello moms, I need help. My one year daughter has been diagnosed with keratosis pilaris on her cheeks. This started in July as a few big pustules mostly on one side of her face and has progressively turned in a bright red, bumpy rash all over her cheeks on both sides. I took her to a dermatologist and he told me there is nothing I can do about it and not even to moisturize because it will make it worse. I am desperately searching for answers, advice, etc. I'm not satisfied with being told there is nothing I can do. There must be some way to at least treat this to reduce the inflammation. Please offer any suggestions, reassurance, etc. I really need it :(
MedicineNet.Com has information including ways to treat this.
I had bumps on the backs of my upper arms for years. It was not a problem for me. I knew others with bumps on arms and just thought it was common. When my skin was dry, i applied lotion over all my arms. Several years ago I noticed the bumps are gone.
If that is all that your doctor said to you, then I would be looking for a new dermatologist. He should have, at least, talked to you about how to best care for your daughter's skin condition.
There is no cure for KP, but there are treatments to help. However, since your daughter is just one year old and has KP on her face, that may eliminate many of these options as baby skin and facial skin are very delicate. There's no way to know until you talk with another dermatologist.
Get a second opinion, and this time, ask for specific things you can do to help manage her condition and keep her skin healthy. Also ask about treatments that may be available to your daughter as she grows.
I would not randomly experiment with any creams or moisturizers until she is seen by another doctor and you are told what you can use, particularly if the first doctor told you that moisturizers would make her condition worse.
I have had it on my upper arms since I was a child.
We were told to gently use a soft washcloth to help exfoliate the skin, and we use Eucerin to moisturize. But arm skin and baby facial skin is different - I'd follow your doctor's advice.
Get a second opinion. I was told to make sure to bath my child in warm water not hot, make sure she was well hydrated, and to use a gentle moisturizer on her. It really helped a lot.
My husband, his mom, and his sister all have keratosis pilaris. It's pretty common and funs in some families. It's a build up of keratin in the hair follicle. My husband does nothing to treat it and just lives with little bumps. It's harmless and doesn't hurt. It's worse when skin is dry...so it's helpful to moisturize daily, use a moisturizing soap, and use a humidifier. A lot of people say that Amlactin body lotion helps with kp. It's worth a try...I think you can get it at Target. Good luck!
My kids have it, and I do too. Our doctor said it is genetic. I have noticed that my daughter's will get worse if she eats a lot of dairy or soy. It also gets worse the more foods she cuts out of her diet. She has sensory issues an doesn't eat a huge variety of foods. Mine have really cleared up with cutting out gluten, but I don't know if they are related for sure or not. I have heard they are. Our pediatrician said you can buy a lotion with uric acid in it and that will clear them up, but if you stop, it will come back. I do think it is nutrition and stress related. I hope that helps some.
Wow, our dermatologist told us that moisture was the best way to prevent more.
The Keratin that exudes from the pores can get dried out, hard, making bumps on the skins. To get rid of it you clean the skin well then slather on the moisturizer. This keeps the Keratin from crusting over and drying out. Our doc said if she didn't moisturize it would get worse and worse. She cleans with a good cold cream cleanser then puts on something, I'm not sure but it's a good quality face moisturizer. Her skin is hardly bumpy anymore.
Try some coconut oil.
My daughter's dermatologist suggested several lotions (both OTC and RX) and we use them.
He also suggested allergy testing - not to airborne or food specif allergies but to dyes and food additives and chemicals. We will be doing the tests in November. That may clear some of it up if we see that she is sensitive to, let's say, red dyes. Then it's a whole new can of worms staying away from whatever chemical she is sensitive to.
A second for the AmLactin lotion. Be careful not to put it on cuts because it stings!
My sister and I both got this as children. We have Celiac Disease running throughout my moms side but it sounds from others like it can be related to other foods as well. At any rate, we outgrew it at some point. My kids now have it, even though we are gluten-free but I suspect that there is another food sensitivity involved.
Updated
A second for the AmLactin lotion. Be careful not to put it on cuts because it stings!
My sister and I both got this as children. We have Celiac Disease running throughout my moms side but it sounds from others like it can be related to other foods as well. At any rate, we outgrew it at some point. My kids now have it, even though we are gluten-free but I suspect that there is another food sensitivity involved.
We were told to moisturize.
