Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faceii

• 08-22-2008 10:59 PM

  OurBabyPeterson Joined on 08-22-2008 Posts 2

  Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faceii Reply Contact Can anyone relate? My peditrician said it's fairly common. My husband has had it for 28 years. It is caused my a build-up of keratin under the skin which causes a pimple like bump, if popped you'll find either a white substance (keratin), often making these confused with pimples or baby acne. It will also contain a hair, tightly coiled, more than likely. It is also common to be associated with Ichyitosis (dry skin). It's heriditary. My 2 year old has it. I noticed at about 1 year, her arms and legs became bumpy and red. Her skin dried out. And as the year has gone, it has now presented itself on her right cheek. The Rubra Faceii part is the pink cheeks. My husband has that as well, before having our daughter we had no idea what he had. We have tried home treatments. Milk and Oatmeal Baths, Oatmeal and Goat Milk Soap, Eczema Cream (for the heck of it), Coconut Oil, Exfoliating, etc. Laser hair removal is out of the question for her, not because of her age either, trust me, we considered it, but her hair is very blonde, meaning that laser hair removal won't work for her. Which is not cool. We would like to find something that works... nothing is helping. They say it can go away with age, it didn't for my husband, so I don't have high hopes of it happening for her. We can't afford the fancy creams online, but there is no cure, so I won't spend money on them anyways. Since nothing will make it go away forever, unless her body tells it to go away. So I am wondering, is anyone else dealing with this, have you found a way to make it fade? I've heard there are steroid creams for it, but I am afraid to use them. Steroids will be my very last option, and it wouldn't be till she starts school or until she shows embarrassment because of it. Anyone?

• 08-29-2008 8:41 PM

  In reply to

  maygan Joined on 11-14-2006 Trent 6-16-07 Posts 4,213

  Re: Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faceii Reply Contact I also have KP, but just on my upper arms. You can get a perscription for Amlactin, or a similar lotion, from any dermatologist and maybe even from her pediatrician. It's not a steroid cream, just a very moisture-rich lotion. I used it for a while, and although it never went away for me completely, it did helped clear things up. I've had it since I was about 10, and it's just now starting to calm down on it's own now- 14 years later. While it is slightly embarrassing especially during those early teen years, it really is so common she likely won't be the only girl she knows with it.

• 08-29-2008 9:30 PM

  In reply to

  OurBabyPeterson Joined on 08-22-2008 Posts 2

  Re: Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faceii Reply Contact A prescription with no steroids... that sounds fantastic. I was told by a forum online for KP that they wouldn't give her a prescription for it if it's not bad enough, but it varies day to day. I have her on a regimen, one that has ruined bathtime for her, she freaks out horribly at bathtime cause that means more home remedies, and less fun, I try to let her play after, and calm down, but she has just learned that bathtime is a nightmare. I don't have insurance right now, but when we do, thats the first thing I will ask for, thank you so much. I hope they will give her some. My husband has had it his whole life, he's a boy, so no big deal. Boys aren't nearly as self-concious.

• 08-29-2008 10:36 PM

  In reply to

  Tinas twins Joined on 09-08-2004 Oregon Posts 1,912

  Re: Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faceii Reply Contact I have twin boys who both have this. One boy has it very minor on his upper arms. The other boy has had it severly on his thighs and arms. It came around first when he started crawling (on his thighs) so the Dr told me it was irritation from carpet/crawling etc. When it didn't go away when he'd been walking for a while (and both boys started developing it on their arms) I brought it back up with her. She said it was KP and simply said it's a common skin irritation, leave it alone and it will go away sometime between now and when they are teenagers!! That wasn't acceptable to me. So I took him to a dermatologist. She again said it's KP and recommonede amlactin if his skin could tolerate it. It's got lactic acid I think in it which makes in sting or burn on their skin. My boys couldn't tolerate it. I stopped using any scented soaps and/or lotions on them (I use Dove for sensitive skin/unscented) and switched to a mild, unscented laundry detergent. I also stopped using drier sheets. The bumps have gone completely away on both their thighs since I made these changes. They still have them on their arms but aren't too bad. I keep hoping that someday soon they will go away on their own. They have fluctuate in severity but have never completely gone away on their arms. I felt so bad for them when they first started showing signs of realizing they were there and pulling something over to cover their legs to cover the bumps. I was so relieved when they went away cause I was so tired of being asked "what's all over their legs" anytime I changed their diapers in front of someone. I hope it goes away soon for your DD also and hopefully some of what helped my boys will help you too. I think the biggest change came when I switched their soap to the Dove. Good luck!

• 08-29-2008 10:37 PM

  In reply to

  Tinas twins Joined on 09-08-2004 Oregon Posts 1,912	Re: Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faceii Reply Contact BTW, Amlactin here (in Oregon) is non-prescription. I was able to get it at BI-Mart (but that's a NW only store) and Costco