If you’ve been really frustrated with that chicken skin (also known as Keratosis Pilaris), you’re not alone. There’s no medication for it, but there is a way to get rid of KP naturally.
There are a few important considerations though which I want to highlight for you today. I’m sure your doctor has really only said that this is a skin problem.
But the truth is, Keratosis Pilaris is actually a symptom of something else!
Fortunately, you’ve got options to support your skin both with diet tweaks and supplements.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing what you need to know to get rid of Keratosis Pilaris naturally!
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In this episode:
- Why Keratosis Pilaris is not a skin issue
- The importance of Vitamin A for your skin and other body systems
- What’s the best test?
- Keratosis Pilaris diet recommendations
- Supplements for Keratosis Pilaris
Quotes:
If you have struggled with Keratosis Pilaris, know this — you don't have a skin problem. You have a gut problem. KP is a symptom of something else directing you to investigate. And that something else happens to be low or deficient Vitamin A status.
To up your Vitamin A game in your diet, the easiest and most obvious answer is to add sources that contain it! These foods include liver and cod liver oil, both of which give you way more than your daily value of active vitamin A. You can also choose from other food options that offer a much lower amount but could still be really helpful such as king mackerel, salmon, Bluefin tuna, goat cheese, and butter. Beta-carotene is not the same as active Vitamin A and requires work on your body’s part to make that conversion happen. Not everyone can easily make this conversion.
How To Get Rid Of Keratosis Pilaris (Naturally) (FULL TRANSCRIPT)
Welcome back to episode #61 of the Healthy Skin Show!
In today's episode, I'm talking all about Keratosis Pilaris.
If you're wondering what exactly that is, it's often described as chicken skin that appears on the back of your arms in the tricep region. It can also appear on your legs, buttocks, and sometimes cheeks.
Keratosis Pilaris can affect both men and women (and children and babies) of any age! Though many sources say that it often improves as you age, that isn't the case for everyone.
You might even think that you've got goosebumps that just never go away!
Now here's the thing about Keratosis Pilaris (KP) — it's not really a skin disorder like all of the other rash conditions that we talk about like Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea, etc.
KP is really more of a symptom pointing towards underlying issues. So from a functional nutrition standpoint, it’s a helpful sign that we need to investigate because KP isn't something that will flare up and get worse like eczema, for example.
Keratosis Pilaris Causes You Need To Know
So there are three points to this that are very worthwhile understanding.
If you struggle with KP, you don't have a skin problem. You have a gut problem.
And I know that for somebody new to this, they might be thinking, “well, it's on my skin, I'm going to the dermatologist. They're looking at my skin so what’s this about the gut?”
But KP is a symptom of something else.
And that's something else happens to be low or deficient Vitamin A.
So when your skin shows KP, that typically tells me as a clinical nutritionist that we need to double-check what's going on with your Vitamin A status.
Are you in an optimal state or are you in an insufficient or deficient state?
And here's the thing, if you're saying to yourself, “Well, you know what? KP doesn't really affect my life all that much. It's not that big of a deal.”
The reality is that vitamin A is vital, not just for the development of your skin. It's critical for healthy thyroid function, eyesight, and healthy immune function. There's recent research indicating that vitamin A in your digestive system can actually help modulate gut flora.
And so now you're wondering, “All right, what do we do about this? Because if vitamin A is a problem, I'll just take more vitamin A supplements.”
But here's the issue with that —
If you're low or deficient in vitamin A, you need to consider a couple of things.
First, you’ve got to consume enough vitamin A for your body’s needs.
Second, if you ARE getting a lot of Vitamin A in your diet, then you’ve got to dig! In case you aren’t aware, Vitamin A (along with D, E, and K) is a fat-soluble vitamin. The big question here is this — “Can you properly digest and absorb fats?”
The third most critical point has to do with having the right digestive factors available to support digestion and absorption of fats.
Your gallbladder is integral to the process of absorbing fats (like Vitamin A).
It is a storage center for bile which is then squeezed out in order to solubilize the fat. It's like adding dish soap to a greasy pan in order to wash it. So if you don't have a gallbladder, you’ve got a problem.
You also need lipase which is a type of pancreatic enzyme that specifically breaks down fat.
And here's the other piece to this…
If you have leaky gut, you likely also have higher levels of inflammation in your gut.
Natural Keratosis Pilaris Treatment Tips
At this point, you're wondering “what should I do now?”
Here are the steps that I would recommend taking!
First of all, get a baseline to understand what your vitamin A level is. Right now the test to get is the serum vitamin A and optimal levels are between 0.8 to 1.0 mg/L.
Here’s my resource for the best skin tests to ask your doctor for!
Next, evaluate your diet for really good sources of vitamin A — like cod liver oil and liver rather than plant-sources that predominately contain Beta-carotene.
The reason is that it can be very difficult for some people to convert beta-carotene to the active form of vitamin A.
If you haven't done this yet, remove gluten from your diet because it has the capacity to increase gut permeability.
We know this from research that every single person's got becomes leakier with exposure to gluten. When your gut has lost its ability to return to a state of being tightly sealed, then we would consider that a state of leaky gut, but gluten alone shouldn't be the only thing that you focus on.
You're also going to remove other allergens that you know of and these would have been diagnosed by a doctor. When I say allergens, I'm indicating IgE Response Allergies that could if they became so severe result in anaphylaxis.
If you have a lot of food sensitivities or an increasing number of them, this is a totally different matter. Yes, it's important to take out foods that you are moderately or severely sensitive to (not mildly sensitive indicated on a food sensitivity test).
That said, if you have an increasing number of sensitivities, I would highly recommend that you explore the possibility of gut microbiome dysbiosis or infections.
They typically drive the increasing leakiness of your gut which in turn increases sensitivities and gut inflammation. I commonly see this issue in my clinical practice that underlies major skin problems and there are at-home testing options that yield a ton of information!
Just so you know — these issues typically require more than just diet alone in order to resolve them.
Keratosis Pilaris Diet & Supplement Tips
As for your diet, the easiest and most obvious answer is to increase Vitamin A-rich foods. Those include liver and cod liver oil, both of which give you way more than your daily value of active vitamin A.
After that, we've got some foods that offer a much lower amount but could still be really helpful such as king mackerel, salmon, Bluefin tuna, goat cheese, and butter.
If you are grossed out about eating liver, you can try other preparations like paté and liverwurst. Some of my friends like Mickey Trescott have helpful recipes to hide liver in dishes like Meatloaf so you don't even notice the flavor.
As far as supplementation is concerned, a Vitamin A liquid formula is my preferred choice. The reason that I prefer a liquid over capsules is because you can much better control how much of it that you take.
I'm not a big fan of desiccated liver pills simply because you don't know how much Vitamin A is in them.
And if you've got digestive issues, it would be better while working on Keratosis Pilaris treatment to focus on getting an amount that you can really control. That's why I prefer the liquid vitamin A drops over the liver pills as well as the larger dosages oftentimes found in capsules such as 10,000 IUs.
Other helpful supplements include:
- Cod Liver Oil (This is one option you could try)
- Potent Omega-3 for its anti-inflammatory boost (LOVE this one)
- Megasporebiotic so you can help your gut microbiome (Get it here!)
I cannot finish this without circling back for a moment to talk about your gallbladder!
As you already know, your gallbladder is a crucial piece to the whole entire digestion and absorption process of your body. If you don't have a gallbladder anymore, ideally you need some sort of fat digestion support aid for life.
Generally, you take digestive aides about 5 to 10 minutes before eating a meal (not a snack) as well as all of the supplements that contain fat-soluble nutrients. A routine digestive enzyme is probably not going to be sufficient.
The key ingredients to look for in a digestive aid that helps you break down fat must include ox bile as well as lipase! (THIS IS A GOOD OPTION!)
Ox bile is derived from ox. There are no vegetarian or vegan sources because bile is not a requirement for plants to break fat down.
The only caveat is if you have developed the Alpha-Gal allergy where you cannot consume anything from mammals. In this particular instance, you would not be able to take this type of supplement because of the ox bile. A good fat enzyme formula will help as well as working on all the other facets of your gut to make sure that you optimize fat absorption.
With all that said, the lesson here is that you aren't what you eat. You are what you absorb!
So if you can't absorb fats, then you can end up with symptoms like Keratosis Pilaris.
Can Kids Get Keratosis Pilaris?
Yes, babies and kids get keratosis pilaris! It's actually considered to be more common in young children.
The general principles outlined here in this article still apply, however I'd recommend that you seek help with a professional who works with children to get an idea of what's going on.
Supplementation for babies differs from that for kids of different age groups as well as from adults.
So it's best to speak with your medical provider or practitioner with experience with kids about the best way to proceed forward.
If you've got any questions or thoughts about KP, leave a comment below so we can continue the conversation!
And don't forget one of the most important steps — share this episode with someone you know who has Keratosis Pilaris and is frustrated that they can't get it to go away!
Hopefully, this episode will provide answers to them that they might not be getting from their dermatologist or their family doctor.
Thank you so much for tuning in and I will see you in the next episode!
Jennifer Fugo, MS, CNS
Jennifer Fugo, MS, CNS is an integrative Clinical Nutritionist and the founder of Skinterrupt. She works with women who are fed up with chronic gut and skin rash issues discover the root causes and create a plan to get them back to a fuller, richer life.
Guess you’re not a fan of being vegan?
I personally am not vegan and while I’m not against any particular diet, there are a lot of nutritional deficits that can be created by a vegan diet. If you’re having health problems on a chronic basis, sticking to a vegan diet in my clinical experience can be difficult. It’s better to acknowledge where your body is, what support it needs and support it rather than pigeonholing yourself into a diet that may not be compatible with where you are right now.
That said, I respect someone’s wishes to eat vegan or not. It’s not my job to judge.
Hi I’ve been suffering from KP. But I get it in the weirdest places like my stomach and thighs and sometimes face. I used topical treatments but they can only do so much. While I was in accutane however, it completely cleared up with just a few bumps here and there. Now that I’m done with accutane it’s starting to come back especially on my stomach. I’ve been taking cold liver oil. But I don’t think it’s working that well. Do you have any tips?
Imane, I’d recommend that you try removing gluten. Sometimes that can help people. And you could ask for your Vitamin A level to get checked. If that all looks okay, then you may need help to look deeper and see what’s going on in your gut.
Hi , I am India and I came to Netherlands 2 years before . Past 1 year I am having this issue (KP)on my upper arms and all doctors I consult says that this is KP and cannot be treated . I tried various lotions and gels to get rid of this but still not . I started getting into fore arms as well now . So finally I gave up all medicines I took and started taking Cod liver oil capsule (2 pills per day) and applying coconut oil . Your views on this please ?? Will this help me . I never faced this issue while I was at home ..
Hi Vignesh, I really cannot say that cod liver oil and coconut oil application will help. You’ll have to test that out for yourself. Consider the other tips such as getting your Vitamin A level checked. Consider removing gluten. If that doesn’t help, then you might want to consider taking a look at what’s going on from a gut perspective.
Hi there, I have noticed that taking Vitamin A (retinol palmitate) supplements gets rids of my KP. The only issue is I have to take 40,000IU in order for them to work. I’m well aware that this is overdosing and just did a test over a week but have since stopped them. Any lower than 40,000 IU my KP does not improve.
My question is, what does this mean? Because I’ve read that this much Vitamin A is toxic for the body, yet why does it clear my KP?
I have tried eating lots of salmon and cod liver oil in the past but it doesn’t seem to have the same affect. If my body needs around 40,000IU to clear my KP, what does this mean?
I avoid gluten and dairy.
Any help would be much appreciated thank you
Beth, so you have to consider that everything you eat may not be being absorbed. What you eat doesn’t automatically mean it’s being absorbed so you need to check your levels as you have and get help to determine if you do in fact have too much in your system or if there is an ongoing deficiency. There can also be genetic SNPs that can increase one’s need for more of a nutrient or the inability to convert beta carotene to the active Vit A form. I can’t really comment on what’s going on in your situation and would advise you to speak with your practitioner about this so they can look at the issue from a larger perspective as this could be connected to other things that you might not realize or know to take into account.
Also, KP can be triggered from other concurrent issues… NOT just Vit A.
Hi! What would be your advice for a 4 year old boy who has developed KP? He has a pretty good diet but am reluctant to remoce gluten as I worry that excluding foods this young could lead to food issues later plus I thought all the wholewheat products were good for the gut? I was thinking of hiding some chicken liver in his meals once a week would that be a good place to start?
You could absolutely start by adding in some chicken liver into meals (making sure that the sourcing of quality liver is as good as you can get). Beyond that, I don’t work with children so that’s where someone like Jennifer Brand (who does work with kids — http://www.jennifercarynbrand.com) would be helpful!
Hi! I have been taking the cod liver oil supplement by rosita (a liquid) for about a month now. finished the bottle. I haven’t seen much of an improvement in my KP (on my arms and legs). I’ve been taking the supplement in conjuction with topical products like derma doctor scrub / cream, and AHA & BHA moisturizers. do you think its safe to say the cod liver oil isn’t effective for me or would you recommend i give it more time? And do you think its fair to say that its not a vitamin A / D deficiency for me if the cod liver oil didn’t really help?
thank you!
Hi Amanda, It’s really impossible for me to know whether you have a deficiency or not. The only way to know that is to get your serum levels checked (which is what I recommend.. you really can’t guess on this). There’s so many factors here — what if the dose you’re taking isn’t enough to overcome a deficiency? What if the fat-soluble nutrients aren’t being absorbed efficiently? What if there are other factors in addition to this causing the problem? I’d start with labs to ascertain where you are… and go from there. Also — if you do have a true deficiency, therapeutic doses of nutrients are needed which are likely more than what you’re taking AND typically it can take up to 2 months before that could potentially be rectified — again confirmed by bloodwork at the end to make sure that the nutrients got where they were supposed to go.
Hi there, I have just discovered your amazing podcasts and loving listening to them. My son (16yr) has KP Rubra Faciei which has progressively gotten worse since he was a small child. He is not bothered about the bumps on his arms at all but he is very concerned about his bright red face. We have done an extensive amount of work-OATS test, nutrigenomic work, Microbiome testing etc etc and recently even did a course of very expensive laser which still didn’t remove the redness. We have removed gluten, dairy and eat only organic foods but to no avail. He has to wear BB cream which he hates but feels it is better than all the comments on the redness. Do you have any suggestions for the redness aspect of this? I have done extensive research from the vaso dilation aspect and it seems that it is really only present in those areas where the skin on his face is rougher even though the dermatologists think they are seperate issues (I beg to differ) I will keep listening to your great informative podcasts. Thanks
Hi Kate, we will have an new episode on KP coming out in early 2024 with Dr. Julie Greenberg. I’m so glad that the show has been really helpful for you! Unfortunately KP is not well researched since it’s not considered a condition that is seen as problematic enough to warrant any sort of drug intervention. I’m sorry to hear that your son is going through this. Definitely stay tuned!
Hi Jennifer,
I am loving your podcasts and great resources you have available. I have been listening to Kiran for sometime and loved your interviews with him. My son has KPRF and I have spent years researching it. He is not worried about the spots on his arms but hates the redness of his face. His texture has improved gradually and we take Spore probiotics along with eating lots of liver etc but do you know how to improve the redness aspect of it which is the dilated capillaries in that area? We have tried pulse dye laser at a huge cost and pain and that didn’t work for him sadly. Thanks so much.
Hi Kate, unfortunately I don’t. That’s outside of my wheelhouse. The only “thought” I have would be maybe to consider addressing it similar to rosacea, but I honestly don’t know if that would be helpful. I know you mentioned having done a lot of testing, but how you read the testing may vary between practitioners who have more experience with skin vs someone more focused on autoimmunity and gut problems. There’s a big difference in how I look at that testing in my practice so it’s something to consider that what others didn’t see as problematic, could be part of the issue (or even what wasn’t found and appears normal). Just food for thought!