I used AmLactin for over three months as an experiment to treat keratosis pilaris and would like to share my results with you.

Did AmLactin Reduce the KP Bumps on my Skin?

Well, this one is up in the air as I exfoliated on the body part (arm) which I was testing. I believe that the exfoliating of my arm was the most important factor in reducing the roughness of my skin. I think the AmLactin did help make my skin softer, but yet again, the Eucerin that I used (on my other arm) seemed to make my skin just as soft.

Were There any Side Effects From AmLactin?

Yes, I had a couple of issues with the lotion. The first problem was that my skin burned like crazy when I applied it to my arm. The reason my skin burned was because I had small cuts from playing volleyball. The lactic acid in the lotion seared into my skin (felt like putting lemon juice on a cut). The other issue is that the skin on the underside of my arm (close to the bicep) broke out into a rash. I think the active ingredients in this lotion were too harsh for my skin. After a week of applying this stuff (every night) I broke out into a rash that itched like crazy.

Is AmLactin Effective in Treating Keratosis Pilaris?

I didn’t notice any difference between using AmLactin and Eucerin. If you have sensitive skin like me, I would recommend using Eucerin Intensive Repair because the active ingredients in AmLactin could be too much for your skin. PLUS, it’s about four dollars cheaper.

Yes, Cetaphil is a great cleanser to treat Keratosis Pilaris because it’s: hypoallergenic and unscented. I’ve noticed that when I use soaps with heavy perfume and scents, I tend to break out in a rash, which increases my KP. When you use Cetaphil, you should use a loofah and exfoliate with it just like any other body scrub. Cetaphil does not have any active ingredients that will reduce the keratin in your skin, but it’s a great soap replacement on the “off” days when you’re not using body scrubs like KP Heavy Duty. By the way, the other positive thing about Cetaphil is that it can be found in your local grocery/drug store (it’s about $8),

On a side note, I stopped using the body scrubs for about a month and low and behold, my KP started coming back! The dots on my legs were becoming a darker red again…this proves a lot about exfoliating. Exfoliating WORKS! I believe some products are better than others, but whatever you do, exfoliate. This is the key for treating keratosis pilaris.

Also, make sure to keep that skin moisturized and get some sun

That’s all for now!

Right now you’re reading this post because you are interested in treating keratosis pilaris.  I have been treating keratosis pilaris for over three months now and would like to share with you my observations of which keratosis pilaris treatment methods work and which ones have not worked for me.  There are a variety of treatments for keratosis pilaris including the use of topical lotions, exfoliating scrubs, microabrasion beads, sunbathing and Seabuckthorn.  Treating keratosis pilaris can be an expensive process and can cost you hundreds of dollars in topical lotions and scrubs.  I for one have gone the thrifty route and do not like spending a lot of money in keratosis pilaris treatments.

Keratosis Pilaris Treatments

Here are some tips to treat keratosis pilaris.

1. Exfoliate – Make sure you exfoliate every other day with an abrasive loofah or scrub.  I prefer to use the KP Heavy Duty body scrub from Derma Doctor, but you can go the cheaper route and use Cetaphil and a loofah.  The key point is to get exfoliate and get rid of the keratin build-up.  The rough, bumpy skin that is caused by Keratosis Pilaris is due to an excessive amount of keratin that clogs the hair follicle. Exfoliating helps reduce and unclog the keratin buildup in your pores.  Some people have very delicate skin that can not handle the abrasive nature of loofahs.  If so, make sure to lightly exfoliate with a less abrasive scrub or loofah, but most imporantly, you MUST exfoliate.  Without exfoliating, your skin will always stay bumpy.

2. Use a topical lotion – After exfoliating and drying off, apply a topical lotion.  For keratosis pilaris treatment, I would recommend a topical lotion thats main ingredient includes either lactic acid, retin-a or urea.  Again,  I use Derma Doctor KP Duty Repair Lotion, however it’s quite expensive (about $80 for the set).  If you want to go a cheaper route, you can use AmLactin.  AmLactin can be found in your local drug store.  I bought my bottle of AmLactin at Wal-Greens for around $11. The only problem I had with AmLactin is that it stings when you apply it to skin that has cuts or scratches (it contains lactic acid). The benefits of using AmLactin is that it made the skin on my arms MUCH smoother.  If you want to go even cheaper than AmLactin, you can use Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion.  Eucerin also helped my skin become smooth.

Remember, to treat keratosis pilaris, you must exfoliate and then use a topical lotion that contains active ingredients (lactic acid, retin-a, urea). Keratosis Pilaris treatment is a tedious task, but you will be awarded for your diligence by having beautiful skin.  With warmer weather coming around the corner, wouldn’t it be nice to show off those keratosis pilaris free legs and arms?

Reminder, do NOT use scented soaps or lotions.  Scented soaps and lotions can aggravate your Keratosis Pilaris and cause additional KP buildup.  I also recommend cleansing with Cetaphil because the soap is hypo-allergenic and non-scented.

3. Sun-bathing

Summer is almost here and with summer comes sunshine! Sun tanning is another way to reduce the red spots caused by keratosis pilaris.  However, I do not condone or recommend sun tanning as a way to treat keratosis pilaris.  I just want to state that in my case, sun tanning has helped reduce the red spots on my skin. Actually, it’s helped a lot.  I will post pictures soon.

4.  Drink lots of water

This one is a no brainer, but in order to hyrdate your skin, you must drink lots of water.  Carry a water bottle with you at all times and make sure you drink at least 8 cups of water a day.  Dry skin can increase the keratosis pilaris on your skin.

There are many more Keratosis Pilaris treatments that I will get into in another post, but to review, make sure you exfoliate, use a topical lotion that contains the key ingredients, get some sun (do it responsibly), and drink lots of water. Remember, there is no cure for keratosis pilaris, however treatment for keratosis pilaris starts with knowledge about the condition and being active in treating keratosis pilaris.  I will write about additional treatments for keratosis pilaris in my next blog post.

Here are my results for my Keratosis Pilaris Treatment as of week 4.  In my opinion, none of the topical lotions (AmLactin, Eucerin) are effective of clearing up KP WITHOUT exfoliating first.  The key is to exfoliate with a light scrubber AND THEN apply the topical lotions.  AmLactin and Eucerin made my skin smoother but did not necessarily reduce the red marks on my arms. Oh, and the AmLactin gave me  a pretty nasty rash on the skin between my upper arm and forearm.   There was no considerable improvement with the acne treatment medicine that I used on my chest. Glytone did not work at all!  My leg looks the same as the first day.   I would expect some results in four weeks and this hasn’t proven to be good or bad.

I had better results with the Derma Doctor Heavy Duty for Keratosis Pilaris.  I noticed that my leg was smoother and the red marks from Keratosis Pilaris has reduced in color.  There wasn’t a HUGE difference in color reduction, but I do notice that the red marks have faded slightly.  I’m going to continue using this product as the results are promising.  As for now, I’m going to discontinue using the other products and will start another treatment after a one week rest period.  Here are the pictures for week 4.  I hope that this blog has been resourceful to you.  Also,  I have added a link to the Derma Doctor website so that you can take a look at the product that has worked for me.  Remember, you need the scrub and body lotion as they work together to battle KP.

Here is the product description from the Derma Doctor website:

DERMAdoctor Keratosis Pilaris Regimen Duo
Contains all you need to control the symptoms of Keratosis Pilaris. Includes one KP Duty dermatologist body scrub with chemical + physical medi-exfoliation and one KP Duty dermatologist moisturizing therapy for dry skin . Directions: Step 1: Use DERMAdoctor KP Duty dermatologist body scrub with chemical + physical medi-exfoliation in the bath or shower to cleanse and exfoliate dry skin. Step 2: Apply DERMAdoctor KP Duty dermatologist moisturizing therapy for dry skin to arms and/or legs or where needed twice daily or as often as needed. Receive FREE SHIPPING on this item for all domestic orders! See individual product pages for product details. Click on the pic to go to the website.

Sorry for the late post!  This is week 3 of my picture updates using topical treatments for my Keratosis Pilaris.  First you have to know something about me, I’m a skeptic and “seeing is believing” is my motto.  Saying that, I really do notice differences between the first week that I started this treatment and this week. The red dots on my left arm are starting to fade and same with the KP dots on my legs…especially the left leg. See for yourself and tell me what you think.