Keratosis Pilaris and CSP

yup. suffered with KP for as long as I can remember. I manage to leave my arms mostly alone (the scars that I've already made are fading,) and I do EVERYTHING I can--including channel that energy to my shins, to leave them alone. My legs are a hideous mess. All began with ingrowns and KP. But don't ever feel alone. Something like 80% of us pickers started due to a pre-existing skin condition. stay on here and talk to people. It's kind of amazing.

So relieved to find this forum. I can so completely relate to everything you are talking about. After 20+ years of shame, I'm ready (or hope I am) to face this disorder squarely and create some compassion for myself. I have been filled with loathing for too long! Now I have two little girls, age 2 1/2 and almost a year and I so don't want to model this behavior for them. My 2 y.o. has the KP bumps (from both her dad and me) and I hate that feeling her skin is a trigger for me to pick. I can feel so "on top of it", feeling no urges at all, and then just sensing a bulge under the skin prompts me to pick, with no hesitation. Long sleeves do help me; I'm wondering if I am destined to wear long sleeves forever since botht the picking marks AND the KP are unsightly! I look at women with perfectly smooth arms and feel such longing and self hatred. It's tough. Thanks for the vent.

Yess. And it sucks a lottt.. I just found out what KP was actually, but I'm certain I have it...I've been picking at those bumps for like 5 years. It's addictive...I hate them.

Yess. And it sucks a lottt.. I just found out what KP was actually, but I'm certain I have it...I've been picking at those bumps for like 5 years. It's addictive...I hate them.

I started picking my KP this year... I didn't know what they were and thought they were just pimples that I could pop and then they would easily go away. I was wrong and picking at them has just made my arms look terrible. I have been picking for less than a year and i already have scars on my upper arms. I loathe my arms and just wish i could stop this terrible habit of mine but it is so hard! What's even worse is when people ask me about it and to make things worse the day after i pick i get small bruises on my arms because i bruise easily, and always have. This year my start of 8th grade, i was very stressed and had a lot of anxiety. My classes were getting harder and being a straight A student i was always worried about the upcoming test, or quiz, and how i was doing academically as well as socially. This just added to my stress and anxiety and when i had these feelings I would just pick away at the bumps on my arms that i soon got to know as Keratosis Pilaris. KP is my EVERY DAY battle and i can barely go a day without picking it. I'm hoping to drop this habit before next year but it is just SO DIFFICULT. Does anyone have any product/treatment recommendations? Also, if there are any prior pickers out there, what helped you to drop this habit, advice anyone?

I've just turned 21 and I can't remember when I started picking, but I think it was about 11. I've been researching KP for a long time, and tried numerous things to clear it up, but basically because I haven't been addressing the picking problem I have, nothing has worked. I only found out about CSP about an hour ago, and I'm hoping this might really help me conquer this once and for all. I've always had KP on my arms, and because I'm pale it's always been quite noticeable. I remember when I was about 14 I managed to stop picking for a while, but I don't know how I managed to do it now. Then when I was 15 I started to notice little bumps on my legs as well, but only a few. I started to pick those, and once I was 16 and my adolescence was in full swing I was picking both my arms and my legs worse than ever. Then when I was 18 I managed to calm down my picking to an extent, because I was having a lot of fun and I had a tight group of friends and was generally too busy to pick. Then when I was 19 my father passed away, and because of the will and all the legal stuff I was constantly stressed and had no time to go out or see my friends. I started picking really badly then, I've calmed down a little bit now but really I just want to STOP, and heal my skin. I also started to get blemishes on my face, but not severe acne, but I do suffer from occasional cystic spots on my face that I used to pick really badly using pins and tweezers, but I think I've managed to stop that but it's very very hard still. At time the combined picking of my arms legs, face, back or just about anywhere I can find a blemish, has meant I haven't been able to leave the house for days, and have felt really down. For the last, well for as long as I can remember, I've not been able to show my legs or my arms all year, and always have to tights or hoodies to cover my arms and legs. A few times recently when my skin has started looking better I've worn skirts and it's actually felt okay, but at times I've felt really self conscious. Though I think letting the skin breathe a bit might have helped the KP. I've also been wearing my arms out but this has made me very uncomfortable, and because my arms have been bare I've been picking more. I've never written this down like this, or really told anyone. I've never been to my GP, and while my parents and friends have noticed I've never told them about the picking and just blame it on the KP. I really want some help, I want to go on holiday to the beach or go swimming, I want to wear skirts and not look in the mirror and just have this urge to pick, or sit watching TV and suddenly realise I've been picking without even noticing. Or for once to not leave an argument and instantly try and find solitude so I can pick and calm down. I've tried distracting myself with other hobbies I enjoy but it has never worked. Hopefully now when I want to pick I will post here so I can talk about it. I feel a lot better just for typing this out already. Thanks so much xx

im just realizing i have this. I always knew there was something weird about why i pick . when i was little i picked scabs. and now, i have keratosis pilaris, which seems like ingrown hairs or pimples to me. i hate when i have a ready pimple and i dont pop it. so seeing the bumps on my arms i pick ..a lot. there are red marks all over my upper arms. also, my thighs are starting to show some scarring... and i have always picked my face. anywhere i get keratosis pilaris, i pick. and then it scars, or leaves a red mark forever. i think that ive picked so much, that ive caused so much scar tissue, that my hairs cant grow in through the scar tissue, and i get ingrown hairs. which makes my sores take forever to heal. i also have been told by a doctor before that i have staph infection. she prescribed me something, but it was long ago , and i dont have insurance. so im sure that i could very well have staph again. im not sure. just worried. feeling a scab or pimple just bothers me, and it will eat at me until i pick of the rough scaly bump ...and i dont do out of self mutilation. im tired of wearing long sleeves in the summer

I have been picking for about 5 years now and I'm sixteen. I have KP but also just sometimes get little bumps that are barely pimples and pick them till i have huge scars. My chest is now covered in scars so I can never wear low shirts or feel comfortable at the beach. On top of that my arms are covered in small white scars from picking along with the bumps(KP). It's so embarrassing and I don't know how to stop!!!! I usually do it when im feeling down, or if i do it I end up feeling down. I don't understand why there is a satisfaction with picking, but there is. I hate not feeling comfortable in t-shirts so I usually wear high necked long sleeves. I have been researching ways to rid my scars, but apparently the white scars from picking are the hardest to remove and they dont really ever go away. I really wish there was a way to stop my picking, lessen my kp and clear up the scars!!! If Anyone knows of a way to cure this please let me know. So happy i found this site, I really relate to everyone and it makes me feel good that im not the only one out there with this odd addiction.

a message to everyone. Like all of you i too am also a victim of kp. Heres my story. in the sixth grade i remember i liked this guy, he had texted this kid (lets just call him g) telling him hey i like lauren. g replied with "lauren? the girl with those pimples on her arms?" and that just shook me. Ever since that day I've been picking at my arms and let me tell you. it has been the worst most satisfying thing I've ever began to do. Eventually i wanted to get rid of it. I spent YEARS looking up "how to get rid of kp" "diy scrubs for kp" "does kp go away" ect ect. And i finally just gave up for awhile in the 7th grade and just left it alone. Soon after that my parents decided to homeschool me and i didn't have time to " pick at my arms " so they healed. in the beginning of that 8th grade summer i had a mental breakdown and i just was full of self hatred and agony and just confused and jealous of every single smoothed arm girl out there. i went on a field day that day and just popped every single dam bump. I was so ashamed, i knew this was going to haunt me all summer.. And it did, my arms were sore to the touch and swollen, every time i poked at the bump it would bleed. It looked as if i was attacked by mosquitos, i spent my whole summer hiding, regretting, crying, and in long sleeves shirts. school came and i just hated it, in pe i was forced to show my skin, my upper arms were covered in white spots and scabs. i decided to beat the crap out of kp because i was not going to let some stupid arm condition screw uo my life without a fight. >>>>>>>!HERE IS HOW I DEFEATED MY KP AND SCARRING! <<<<<< i started off by tricking my dad into buying me coconut oil. i got a fair sized amount, put some sugar in it (any kind will work) and then made it into a paste. I kept this in my restroom in a cute little tuppaware and I've been gently exfoliating each night. i work the suger into my skin kinda like a toothbrush on your teeth then i rinsed off, i patted off the extra water. There will be oil on your arms but leave it! Then apply more coconut oil and a light moisturizer NON SCENTED. If you have scars take a blob of petroleum jelly or anything SUPER moisturizing and slap it on. The wrap your arms in plastic wrap and leave it on overnight. in the morning wipe it off and apply a light moisturizer. (: yes, i have seen major improvements and i am so freaking happy. my arms are smooth and there are just a few >WHITE SCARRING< but thats ok guys its completely normal. Leave the scars alone And keep on moisturizing. TO FADE WHITE SCARRING im experimenting but give me three days and i will give you an update.ere is my hypothesis FROM MY REASERCH. white scarring happens when your body doesn't produce enough Melanin (the stiff that sets your skin tone) anyways, when you tan your body is suppose to make melanin, so im about to text this out. Im going to dab baby oil on the scars, cut little holes onto paper then place the holes directly above the scar then tan. Ill get back as you as soon as i can thats for letting me vent. <3

That's amazing Lauren. I've been dealing with kp for an year now. It got bad when I was pregnant last year and got worst after I delivered this year. I've been applying coconut oil for a month now and i've noticed the bumps disappear. The thing i am worried about now is the marks that are left. they look bad. How do i get rid of the dark spots left??

Hey guys! I'm new here :). I finished accutane about 2 months ago and everything was going great! I have picked at my skin for a good 14 years, but on accutane with out the small blemishes the temptation to pick was gone! However, about a month ago I started to get tiny cyst like things on my scalp, then my kp returned on my arms (haven't had this since high school) and then I got a big pimple on my nose (LIKE, WHAT HTE HELL?) My picking started back up in an instant. My right arm is now a disaster. I had to go on topical steroids for my scalp because I was scratching at the pimples there and causing numerous, huge scabs, and my face has a bunch of red areas and small scabs now. My confidence dropped to 0% so fast I can't believe it! Any ways, today is going to be my first day not picking, and I'm writing on this forum in hopes of getting some encouragement! Hope you all are doing well! Love !