I have Eczema and Keratosis Pilaris, anyone know of medications to help improve either?

Any remedies, medications, etc to help the conditions get better? Thanks.

I have Eczema and Keratosis Pilaris, anyone know of medications to help improve either?
I have both as well, so I have had to educate myself about them.





The first thing you should know is that neither can be cured. They can be treated, which will reduce the appearance and make skin look and feel smoother, but nothing will make it go away completely.





There are various types of eczema. The kind I get most often, and which I have every spring and summer, is the kind which causes blisters on the palms and soles of the feet. I have only had a few blisters on my palms over the years (I have had it for about ten years), but I get terribly itchy blisters on my feet which turn into rough dry itchy patches. I also had it on my forearms two summers ago, and that was a real misery. My doctor has prescribed creams for both types, and while they don't make it go away completely, they do help with the itching. Eczema is generally related to immune problems, so it can be caused by allergens like pollen, or costmetics, or even nickel in jewelry. I know from experience that the blistering type I get on my feet happens if my feet stay damp for a long time (like if I put on sneakers and my feet get soaked, and I have to keep the sneakers on until my feet dry out) or if I overmoisturize the soles of my feet. Ironically, proper hydration is one of the only non-chemical things you can do to help the problem--be sure you are drinking a lot of water. Other than that, you can moisturize and try and keep the patches from getting too dried out, which makes them worse. A doctor can give you cortisone or prednisone for inflammation in very bad cases, but my doctor said that thought in the dermatology community is that those should be used sparingly, and that topical creams should be used if possible. He refuses to give me Elidel, which is a fairly new treatment, because he says there is anecdotal evidence and scientific data that suggests it can be a carcinogen. Instead, he gives me anti-inflammatory creams. When I had it on my forearms, it covered them completely from wrist to elbow, and the worst breakout lasted for about two weeks--I had to apply a thick layer of cream and then lightly wrap my arms to keep the cream from rubbing off on other things. It cleared up, but left bumps which look and feel like KP, but which are not--they are simply left over bumps. He looks at them every time I see him, and has told me that eventually they will go away as long as I continue to moisturize and use a body scrub on my arms. He did warn me to not use too much scrub on my arms because it can irritate them and make it come back, so I exfoliate about twice a week on that part of my arms. I only exfoliate my feet after the blisters burst and leave the dry patches, and I am very careful about being gentle about it--for the first time ever I recently had a dry patch which cracked (ouch!), and the only thing that helped with that crack was a bandage and Neosporin--it kept it from getting worse, and helped the crack heal, as well as moisturizing the area. I just moisturize all over every day, and if something makes me itch, be it a new lotion, or detergent, or even something I eat, I make a mental note to stay away from it in the future.





The KP is both harder and easier to deal with. It's a genetic condition, and about 50% of people have it. It's just due to too much keratin building up on the skin. The reason why it's harder to deal with, in my mind, is because once you settle on something to help it, you have to keep doing it, or it just recurs. The reason why it's easier to deal with is because you can buy a lot of stuff OTC to deal with it. The main ways of helping reduce the look of it include using a lotion or cream with an acid in it (glycolic acid, lactic acid, or urea), using microdermabrasion, or using scar cream. Another thing which isn't widely known is that exposure to sunlight helps it a bit--that's largely useless for most people, as they need to use sunscreen, but I have darker skin and can get some sun with no problems, so it does help my arms and legs (those are the only places I have it). The things which have worked best for me are simply exfoliating and using a lotion called AmLactin, which has lactic acid in it. Additionally, shaving helps my legs tremendously, so I shave all the way up. My doctor did tell me that you have to be careful with manual exfoliation or microdermabrasion, as they can be too harsh and irritate the skin, causing an outbreak of eczema! (I know--it's a really great example of a lose-lose situation). I know my KP gets worse in the winter, and he told me that's because the air is dry, and friction from clothing can make it appear worse. Your best bet it to experiment and find a regimen which works for you, and then stick to it. Also, hydration is important, so be sure to drink plenty of water and use lotion to help keep the moisture in your skin. There are some prescription strength creams for it, but my doctor won't give me those because they could cause eczema, as well, and I would rather deal with the KP than the eczema. I do know from experimenting and browsing the internet that there are some very expensive kits which are supposed to help with it, but I bought one and they aren't any more effective than just using an exfoliant and a lotion with acid in it, and they are really expensive. The one consolation with KP is that while it bothers those of us who have it, it is so common that many people don't even notice it--I have found that what looks like screaming little dots on my skin to me isn't even noticed by those around me, or even the girls at the day spa where I go regularly.





So, to recap:





For eczema you can get an anti-inflammatory cream from your doctor, and he or she may prescribe cortisone or prednisone for it if it gets really bad. Drink plenty of fluids, and avoid any triggers as much as possible. You can use gentle exfoliation and lotion to reduce the look of the patches once they begin to clear up, but be careful to not irritate the skin so much you cause another outbreak.





For KP, drink plenty of fluids, and find a regimen which works for you which involves acid creams, or microdermabrasion or exfoliation (be careful with those two), and moisturize regularly. Once you experiment and find what works best for you, stick to it. And remember it isn't as noticeable to others as it is to you.





Best of luck.