With all of the different types of keratosis pilaris, many people (even those who have some form of KP) aren’t quite for sure what type they have, or what the differences really are among the many types of KP.
There are many forms of keratosis pilaris, however the three most common types of KP are:
Keratosis pilaris rubra
Keratosis pilaris alba
Keratosis pilaris rubra faceii
While there are many other types of KP (or keratin related skin disorders), such as Keratosis Seborrheic or Keratosis Pilaris Atrophicans, these are much more rare and far less common then the primary three types listed above.
What most people would call ‘standard KP’ is keratosis pilaris rubra, a condition in which there are areas of the skin that are rough with small goose bump sized bumps, accompanied by redness on the affected areas. The difference with keratosis pilaris alba is that the symptoms are almost exactly the same as above, except without any redness on the affected areas of the skin.
It’s for this reason that many people don’t even know that they have it. It’s so much easier for anyone with standard KP to describe their symptoms online and have many people answering them with “You have keratosis pilaris”, yet that doesn’t seem to be the case with KP alba.
If you’re still not sure if it’s keratosis pilaris alba that you’re looking at or not, you could always have your doctor conduct a biopsy (a small sample of the skin is taken) on the affected area of your skin. This type of testing will let you know for sure if it is KP alba you’re dealing with or not.
One of the good things about KP alba is that the affected areas of your skin will hardly ever be sore, itchy or irritated. Other types of keratosis pilaris tend to be much more prone to itchiness and can become irritated quite easily. It’s important that you do not try to pick at your KP bumps in any way (some people with KP develop a sort of unconscious habit of doing this).
Picking at the bumps over time can cause them to easily become red, may cause bleeding and therefore the risk of infection. If, for any reason the bumps become itchy or irritating enough that you would scratch or pick at them in a conscious manner, see your doctor immediately and get it checked out!
As with all forms of KP, try to keep your skin covered from direct sunlight, wear lose fitting and light clothing and be sure to read through our site for lots of different keratosis pilaris treatment options.
Recently, an all natural treatment for keratosis pilaris has been getting a lot of national media attention. Many people are attributing their being KP free to this new system, which uses commonly available ingredients that can be bought at any grocery store. You can learn more about it here.