I. Overview.
Keratosis pilaris, also known as hair moss, is a very common disease in the population, according to statistics, 80% of people suffer from this disease, only the average person has only a few, not easy to find it. It is due to the keratinization of the hair follicle mouth, affecting the growth of fine hair, so the skin surface is not smooth to the touch, like goose bumps, indeed in each small papule there is a curly sweat hair. It is a hereditary disease. Some patients with perihistiasis are more serious, the aesthetic impact is not small, with this nasty disease, many people dare not wear short-sleeved clothes in the summer. So this disease can also be called one of the natural enemies of beauty! Seriously affect the mood, and some patients even have serious psychological problems as a result. For this part of the patients, for the sake of aesthetic needs, it is necessary to consider doing systematic treatment. In addition, Keratosis Pilaris is also very easy to leave pigmentation, more unsightly! Second, the etiology.
Keratosis pilaris is a genetically predisposed physique. Some experts say that people with this physique, the keratin around the hair follicle will thicken, resulting in the mouth of the hair follicle is too thick keratin blockage, resulting in a grain of small bumps. The symptoms are more severe in winter because they are related to the keratinization of pores and the thickening of keratin, so when the climate is dry and cold, the thickening of keratin will be aggravated and the symptoms will become more obvious.
In addition to congenital factors, there are also reports of vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency causes systemic dryness, and dryness exacerbates the symptoms of keratinized pores.
In terms of Chinese medicine, keratosis pilaris is mainly due to liver qi stagnation, liver wood over earth, and weakness of the spleen and stomach, which, as we all know, is the origin of the spleen and stomach.
Third, the clinical manifestations.
If the pores are a little bit red, or even feel a grain of raised, this is pore keratosis. If you’re a little more serious, the color of the pores will be darker, dark red or brown, and the particles will be rougher, looking very much like goose bumps. The most common areas where it appears are on the outside of the upper arms, the thighs, the neck, and in some cases, even the entire back and cheeks.
IV. Treatment.
There is no cure for this disease, but the proper application of some drugs can improve the condition. Urea, on the other hand, has the function of water retention and is also effective for exfoliation, and is a topical drug often used in clinical practice. From the response of outpatients, it seems that a high concentration of salicylic acid such as 3.5% has a good therapeutic effect. Salicylic acid is fat-soluble, so it can follow the hair follicle opening and follow the skin oil to the keratinized area, thus dissolving the keratin and improving the symptoms. In addition, salicylic acid is inexpensive, economical, and mild, and can be used in higher concentrations to achieve good improvement. The application of retinoic acid should be started at low concentrations, such as 0.05%-0.1%, to avoid skin irritation, and used once a day at night. The medication needs to be used consistently over a long period of time to be effective. However, it is difficult to say which drug is the most effective, because different people have different acceptability of various drugs, some people think A acid is good, while others think salicylic acid is effective. Patients can obtain a certain degree of improvement by patiently rubbing the medicine with the instructions of the physician.
However, the production of keratin has a certain cycle, usually one month. However, this is only a “symptomatic treatment” because the inborn genes cannot be changed, so the new keratin will still have the phenomenon of keratinized pores. Usually after one month, the pores gradually return to their original appearance. This is what the patient must know before treatment.
It is important to point out that serious periorbital keratosis is treated early, because delayed treatment is not only easy to form unsightly pigmentation, but also can greatly increase the difficulty of treatment!
V. Matters needing attention.
1, gentle exfoliation There are many ways to exfoliate, we use the bath with scrub particles bath hundred milk, bath sponge, bath ball, etc. rub the body, can achieve the effect of exfoliation. Only, so wash every day, will make the already very dry “chicken skin” by not, and become thinner and drier, in turn will stimulate the “chicken skin” become more powerful. Our skin’s keratin renewal cycle is 28 – 45 days, so so violent exfoliation, 1 – 1 1/2 months to do once is enough.
The milder way to exfoliate is to use bath salts (table salt also has exfoliation effect, but the sodium in it will dry out the skin, “chicken skin” people or appliances moisturizing effect of the Dead Sea bath salts is better). You can take a bath with bath salts, or you can dissolve the bath salts in hot water first, and then mix them in a plant-based body lotion (chemically rich body lotion will react chemically with the bath salts) and use them in the shower. When bathing with bath salts, you can also add rose and sandalwood essential oils to exfoliate and moisturize the skin at the same time.
2, moisturize the most important than exfoliation is more important, is to moisturize the skin – exfoliation is only a means. Keratosis pilaris is a very dehydrated and oily skin, the use of ordinary body lotion will not be enough moisturizing, but should use the pharmacy sold specifically for extremely dry skin formula body lotion, such as Izumi extreme moisturizing body lotion, skin care spring camp moisturizing body cream, Vizi nutritional body cream, etc.. You should also use moisturizing cleansing products when taking a bath, such as skin care soap, Avène soap-free nourishing and revitalizing soap, etc. Another key point is that the bath water temperature must be kept at about 40 degrees Celsius. In the winter, many people like to use hotter water, think that this is comfortable enough. But hot water is easy to “go oil”, but also too much to wash away the skin oil; and when the body leaves the hot water, the surface of the skin moisture will immediately evaporate, but also take away the moisture of the skin. This is “adding insult to injury”
3, the desire for speed is not achieved with the hand squeeze, grab, pick, will make the tissue around the pores edema, so the pore opening becomes smaller, more easily blocked, will produce acne, folliculitis; if scratched, more will cause inflammation and pigmentation. So don’t scratch or scratch. If you have an important occasion to show off your beautiful skin, you can consult a dermatologist. Application of retinoic acid or peeling under the guidance of a medical professional can make the skin look crystal clear within a few days. However, this is only an “emergency solution”, but if you do this often, it will make the skin’s barrier function weaker, making the skin drier and more sensitive.
Severe Keratosis Pilaris requires attention to the following matters.
1, the best early treatment! Because the early onset, not only the rash is easy to get rid of some, and generally will not leave a significant pigmentation. If the onset of time is too long, not only the rash becomes deep-rooted, treatment is much more difficult, and will also leave a difficult to fade pigmentation!
2, mild periorbital keratosis patients must be cautious with western medicine vitamin A acid treatment, because the oral use of these drugs side effects are very large.
3, do not often squeeze the rash, because the rash squeezed out, easy to leave small scars!
Sixth, the way of daily life maintenance advice, after the bath when the skin moisture content is high, keratin also become softened, when the application of ointment, will have a better effect. However, if the skin feels too irritated, it is recommended to rub the medicine after 30 minutes. Apart from rubbing the medicine, you can also do some moisturizing actions by yourself. For example, apply some moisturizing care products to reduce the dryness of the skin, it can help. In addition, vinegar is also acidic and can play a role in softening keratin, so you can also dilute vinegar with appropriate amount of water and apply it to your skin everyday. It is better to use white vinegar.
Some patients use their own exfoliating bath products, such as scrubs, exfoliating brushes, loofah cloths and so on. Moderate exfoliation can be helpful, but too much can cause skin damage. Excessive friction will not only hurt the skin, but also make the stratum corneum thicker. Therefore, exfoliating once or twice a month is enough.