Kirby’s Keratosis Pilaris skin journey and a treatment that actually works

So, what is Keratosis Pilaris?

Have you ever heard the term strawberry or chicken skin? It’s the perfect representation of what KP looks like tiny red dots with a rough texture often get mistaken for acne. Usually affects the skin on the upper arms, thighs, chest, and, sometimes, the face. Generally, it is common in children and some people completely grow out of it by adulthood.

Since I can remember I have always had dry red bumps on my upper arms and thighs. Over the years this progressively got worse and I tried everything to get the appearance of beautiful silky clear skin.

I turned to weekly tanning to disguise the red bumps. Bronzers and makeup with a pearl effect to try to deflect the focus away from the redness. I hated the way it looked and felt. I started to experiment with different products.  I was looking for quick results and soon found that this would be an ongoing treatment that I would need to keep on top of to maintain results.

What causes Keratosis Pilaris?

Keratosis pilaris (KP) is a common, benign skin condition that manifests as small, rough bumps on the skin. These bumps are caused by the overproduction of keratin, a protein that helps protect the skin from infection and other environmental stresses. KP typically affects the arms, legs, and buttocks, but can also occur on the face, scalp, and other areas of the body. The condition is often seen in children and adolescents but can occur at any age. There is no cure for KP, but treatments are available to help improve the appearance of the skin.

My treatment options

Cold-pressed hemp oil still left me feeling rough

During my research on KP, I found that to help reduce the redness I needed to use products rich in Vitamin A something that was nourishing for my skin without being clogged. I found the hemp seed oil to work to soothe the redness a little. The dry and rough texture was still however still there and I hated the way the oil smelt. As I’m sure you can imagine any oil with high omega fatty oils smells it wasn’t pleasant. I did however find it helped with my eczema really smoothing the itching and redness.

Salt and sugar scrubs didn’t help

Although these look and smell amazing they can be incredibly expensive and messy to use. Something about these granular scrubs on my skin felt super satisfying, however, the clean-up after was anything but relaxing. Most scrubs contained hard-to-remove oils and the salt or sugar in the scrub just got everywhere. Every time I thought I had removed every trace of the little grains there some more were. I gave up on these scrubs super quickly because I simply hated the clean-up after. It wasn’t worth the results I was slowly getting.

Plastic exfoliating mitts weren’t great either

The fire my skin felt from using these mitts is intense. I soon found that using these kinds of exfoliation gloves paired with using salt scrubs was actually doing more harm than good. My skin would feel so try and itchy immediately after using these in the shower. My skin felt almost like sunburn. I would quickly have to apply the thickest cream I could find to cool my skin down. And believe it or not, this did not help at all to get rid of the red bumpy look. In fact, if anything it made it worse angrier looking. 

I needed something that was gently going to buff my skin to get rid of the build-up of keratin in my skin but also not is super stripping or drying.

After a pile of exfoliation gloves, dry body brushes, oils, and creams I had kind of given up. My skin was becoming sensitized from the different treatments and I just couldn’t find anything that agreed with my angry-looking skin.

Luviri’s Viscose Glove actually works on keratosis pilaris 

Just when I had given up hope, I stumbled across what seemed like a miracle. Viscose fabric!  Viscose production is sustainable and made from wood tree pulp. The fabric has many uses and chances are you will possibly find it in a lot of your wardrobe items. It is Soft and Lighter than cotton, highly durable, and non-allergenic. That last one is the most important because I didn’t need more irritations on my skin.

So why is this Fabric so important? Its exfoliation properties are out of this world. No other fabric can cause a visible peeling effect on the skin. When I first tried this material, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My dead skin was literally rolling off. I wasn’t even using much pressure like I would when using sugar or salt shrubs. Just gently glided the material back and forth after soaking in a bath for about 5-10 minutes.  My skin felt soft it still felt hydrated and not sunburnt and itchy like when I had used other mitts.

We needed to create a mitt using this fabric and fast. I became addicted to watching my dead skin roll off had to limit myself to 2 a week. The Luviri Exfoliation mitt was born. Kirby’s secret weapon for her keratosis Palairs after close to 20 years we had found the solution to maintaining clear skin.

We have the exfoliation to a fine art now we need to add some hydration to the mix to help that glow.

Treatments I use alongside my Luviri glove

Hempz Pomegranate Body Moisturizer

Mornings I want something that I going to be super light yet hydrating. Living in Queensland the humidity is so ridiculous, so I can’t use a thick heavy cream and slide on out the door to start the day. 

The fruity pomegranate scent of this moisturizer is light and gives me the perfect pick me up in the mornings. Add that with the benefits of the hemp seed oil to nourish my skin without being too heavy. It quickly absorbs into my skin leaving it feeling fresh and hydrated. Pomegranate packs a punch of antioxidants to promote youthful skin. Shea butter replenishes even the driest skins and those multivitamins like A, C and E help protect your skin for any other environmental oxidants causing dull skin.

Salicylic Acid Lotion - SA Smoothing Cream | CeraVe® Australia

At night I want something a bit richer and found the SA Smoothing cream from CeraVe perfect for this.  The cream is formulated for skin with Keratosis Pilaris and targets dry rough skin. The cream gently exfoliates using both salicylic which is a BHA and Lactic Acid which is an AHA. These exfoliate the skin by loosening the ‘glue’ that holds the skin together. The AHA and BHA penetrate pores to loosen dead skin cells and excess oils to reveal your healthy fresh skin underneath.  

QV Body Wash

To keep my skin clean without using stripping soaps or body washes is my daily go-to. QV Wash is soap and fragrance-free body wash formulated with Glycerine to cleanse without stripping my skin. Perfect for anyone with sensitive skins. If you like a soft fragrance, I often add a few drops of my favourite essential oil to give the fresh scent.

Have you got KP?  What have you tried that works?  Leave a comment below. 

Liked this blog?  Share it with your friends on social media. 

Watch how Kirby uses our exfoliating glove here