Dealing with Keratosis pilaris (KP)?
in Health ·
Here’s my take on this. I haven't been losing sleep over it because it’s not like I look totally horrific like some people
but yeah, it can be pretty awkward. Honestly, I usually worry more about other stuff going on with my body, but turns out everything
with my KP is actually linked back to the same root cause.
I've had Keratosis pilaris for as long as I can remember, though I didn't even know what it was until a few years ago when I stumbled
onto it online.
Back when I was a kid, maybe 6 or 7, it showed up as some redness and slightly rough patches
on my cheeks. As I got older, it started popping up on my upper arms, though during the summer
the Sun would usually do its thing and clear it right up—then it moved to my butt and my shins, where I'd get this light redness without
any actual bumps, especially after shaving, and later on, the occasional "pimple" on my forearms.
My mom had a little bit of it on her upper arms too, but hers cleared up in her late
teens.
I’m 24 now and things have actually started getting worse. Over the last two or three years, it spread to my back,
and it used to itch sometimes, even though my skin was basically baby-smooth otherwise. My face cleared up out of nowhere, but
the whole thing just kept progressing, hitting my upper arms, forearms, back, and even
a little bit on my thighs. Now, even the Sun barely helps anymore.
Creams, lotions, scrubs, and all that other crap don't do squat. It’s clearly an internal issue.
I’ve been on an anti-candida diet for two and a half weeks (a strict version of LCHF; low-carb, high-fat) for health reasons, and one of the side benefits was that my KP started receding!
I wasn't even expecting it, so it was a massive surprise, and it kind of became a benchmark for me
to see how my body was healing.
Now I finally realize and feel how much a carb-heavy diet absolutely wrecks me, and
that I am definitely intolerant to gluten, which triggers all sorts of inflammation and allergies in my body, along with
this relentless cycle of weight gain that really messed with my head.
So, I dove deep into researching how allergens affect the mind and body, the link between
food and KP, and all that.
From what I can see, most people's experiences point toward gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance,
or both, or even leaky gut being the culprit. Some places even claim that overgrown Candida is
what causes the leaky gut in the first place.
As for my current KP situation:
Right now, my upper arms just have some leftover redness with the "bumps" having dried up or almost disappeared entirely—no new flares,
just skin that's nearly smooth and way less rough, with more and more patches of clear skin showing through.
The redness is also starting to fade everywhere else.
Mentally, which caught me off guard too, I feel freaking amazing, like a completely different person. After
years of weird moods like apathy or anxiety, and my palms sweating like crazy... I don't give a damn about the usual little things, I have way more energy, and I feel "sharper." I've already dropped 4 pounds, and I can finally eat basically anything
as long as it isn't carbs, or if I keep them to a bare minimum so I don't pack on the weight.
Anyway, I snapped some photos of my arms as soon as I noticed the change. I'll post again in two weeks once it's fully cleared up—hopefully. (My camera is absolute garbage, so you won't see the tiny details).
but yeah, it can be pretty awkward. Honestly, I usually worry more about other stuff going on with my body, but turns out everything
with my KP is actually linked back to the same root cause.
I've had Keratosis pilaris for as long as I can remember, though I didn't even know what it was until a few years ago when I stumbled
onto it online.
Back when I was a kid, maybe 6 or 7, it showed up as some redness and slightly rough patches
on my cheeks. As I got older, it started popping up on my upper arms, though during the summer
the Sun would usually do its thing and clear it right up—then it moved to my butt and my shins, where I'd get this light redness without
any actual bumps, especially after shaving, and later on, the occasional "pimple" on my forearms.
My mom had a little bit of it on her upper arms too, but hers cleared up in her late
teens.
I’m 24 now and things have actually started getting worse. Over the last two or three years, it spread to my back,
and it used to itch sometimes, even though my skin was basically baby-smooth otherwise. My face cleared up out of nowhere, but
the whole thing just kept progressing, hitting my upper arms, forearms, back, and even
a little bit on my thighs. Now, even the Sun barely helps anymore.
Creams, lotions, scrubs, and all that other crap don't do squat. It’s clearly an internal issue.
I’ve been on an anti-candida diet for two and a half weeks (a strict version of LCHF; low-carb, high-fat) for health reasons, and one of the side benefits was that my KP started receding!
I wasn't even expecting it, so it was a massive surprise, and it kind of became a benchmark for me
to see how my body was healing.
Now I finally realize and feel how much a carb-heavy diet absolutely wrecks me, and
that I am definitely intolerant to gluten, which triggers all sorts of inflammation and allergies in my body, along with
this relentless cycle of weight gain that really messed with my head.
So, I dove deep into researching how allergens affect the mind and body, the link between
food and KP, and all that.
From what I can see, most people's experiences point toward gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance,
or both, or even leaky gut being the culprit. Some places even claim that overgrown Candida is
what causes the leaky gut in the first place.
As for my current KP situation:
Right now, my upper arms just have some leftover redness with the "bumps" having dried up or almost disappeared entirely—no new flares,
just skin that's nearly smooth and way less rough, with more and more patches of clear skin showing through.
The redness is also starting to fade everywhere else.
Mentally, which caught me off guard too, I feel freaking amazing, like a completely different person. After
years of weird moods like apathy or anxiety, and my palms sweating like crazy... I don't give a damn about the usual little things, I have way more energy, and I feel "sharper." I've already dropped 4 pounds, and I can finally eat basically anything
as long as it isn't carbs, or if I keep them to a bare minimum so I don't pack on the weight.
Anyway, I snapped some photos of my arms as soon as I noticed the change. I'll post again in two weeks once it's fully cleared up—hopefully. (My camera is absolute garbage, so you won't see the tiny details).