Dry skin...

[LindsayT 551]

56 minutes ago, BabySpoons said:

Thank you for this topic Lindsay! It motivated me to scrub and clean my soaking tub. instead of taking showers I'm gonna start using it again as soon as I'm cleared by doctor for baths. 🛁

Not sure when that is. Never thought to ask before.

Probably once your incisions are completely healed

[Arabesque 6,444]

6 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

Are you telling me surgery may cure my Pillaris? O joy! Is this what you had @Arabesque? I've been plagued with it since a young teen. Drives me nuts.

This condition develops when the skin produces too much of a Protein called keratin, which can block hair follicles and cause bumps to develop.

The bumps are usually on the arms, thighs, cheeks, and buttocks. They're white, sometimes red, and typically don't hurt or itch.

I don’t know if that is what I had @BabySpoons. It was only on my arms & randomly scattered & I could pop them or scratch their top off sort of like a pimple so … 🤷🏻‍♀️.

It would be great if it did help you.

[Summermoose 193]

On 05/19/2023 at 22:53, BabySpoons said:

Are you telling me surgery may cure my Pillaris? O joy! Is this what you had @Arabesque? I've been plagued with it since a young teen. Drives me nuts.

This condition develops when the skin produces too much of a Protein called keratin, which can block hair follicles and cause bumps to develop.

The bumps are usually on the arms, thighs, cheeks, and buttocks. They're white, sometimes red, and typically don't hurt or itch.

It cured mine! I had keratosis pilaris from the age of 14, arms and legs (down to my wrists) and it was completely gone a year after surgery ❤️

[BabySpoons 529]

4 hours ago, Summermoose said:

It cured mine! I had keratosis pilaris from the age of 14,

So since we aren't producing the excess Keratin anymore, how has that affected your skin after 2 years? Besides curing the Pillaris. Since extra keratin helped preserve moisture in the skin and prevented wrinkles etc. Are we exchanging the bumps for looking older?

Edited May 23, 2023 by BabySpoons

[Summermoose 193]

On 05/23/2023 at 17:39, BabySpoons said:

So since we aren't producing the excess Keratin anymore, how has that affected your skin after 2 years? Besides curing the Pillaris. Since extra keratin helped preserve moisture in the skin and prevented wrinkles etc. Are we exchanging the bumps for looking older?

Some people who knew me before my weight loss have told me I look younger now, and I routinely get surprised reactions when I share my age with people who didn’t know me before. So I think alls well in my case at least! I do have a skincare routine though 😁

[BabySpoons 529]

1 hour ago, Summermoose said:

I routinely get surprised reactions when I share my age with people

Same here. Just last weekend in fact. I knew that Pillaris was good for something. LOL

And nice to know the anti-aging effects of having it are still at work for you. I'd like to think we are still producing the excess Keratin. Just not to the extent that it creates those crazy bumps.

[Arabesque 6,444]

On 5/24/2023 at 1:39 AM, BabySpoons said:

So since we aren't producing the excess Keratin anymore, how has that affected your skin after 2 years? Besides curing the Pillaris. Since extra keratin helped preserve moisture in the skin and prevented wrinkles etc. Are we exchanging the bumps for looking older?

I thought one of the treatments for pillaris is regularly applying heavy moisturisers as dry skin & pillaris tend to go hand in hand?? Also thought it’s not always caused by excess keratin but from inflammation from twisted hair follicles.

As for looking older, for a period after your weight loss you may look older or tired - drawn. Much of this is temporary until your body resettles. My uncle told my mum I looked like death after my weight loss. Not nice but a few months later he was telling her I was looking so great. The other thing to remember is you may end up with skin laxity on your face from the loss of fat & your wrinkles won’t be plumped out any more. ☹️ The benefit of the loss of facial fat though is the appearance of your cheekbones, a longer neck, a jaw line, etc. Even my hooded eyelids went as I lost the fat that caused them.

I have some skin laxity but haven’t gone down the face lift route. I am also almost 58 so it is to be expected. But I get some Dysport (Botox), had a little filler just in front of my ears where I had no fat at all, & have done micro needling/RF (mainly fur acne scars) Even before I started those treatments, I was told I look younger than my age. I do take care of my skin but genetics play a big role.

[BabySpoons 529]

10 hours ago, Arabesque said:

I thought one of the treatments for Pillaris is regularly applying heavy moisturizers

I moisturized and exfoliated till the cows came home but it didn't get rid of it. The only thing that seemed to help was suntanning. But I stopped that years ago. I developed a bad skin picking obsession too. That trapped hair follicle always had a plug of pure white keratin surrounding it. If only we could bottle it and sell it. xD

A skin doctor confirmed what I had and prescribed some sort of hydroxy acid but even that was only minimally helpful and a pain in the ass to use consistently. It was easier to just go lay out in the sun.

My Mama had it and called it chicken skin so I know it's hereditary. She also had the most beautiful skin besides the bumps which most people really don't notice except for the one who has it. Whenever I took her into the doctor, the nurses would always comment on how great her skin looked for her age. It healed quickly too after surgeries etc.

10 hours ago, Arabesque said:

My uncle told my mum I looked like death after my weight loss.

That was one of the reasons I put off having WLS for so long. I knew a few people who have had it and thought they didn't look well. Maybe they weren't taking their Vitamins? ?? But then again, if people knew you as overweight, then see you thin, they immediately think you must be sick. But I know that losing weight can cause fat loss in the face. Kinda like what some people are now calling Ozempic face. My GP also has a skin clinic. So when she approved my decision for WLS she told me if I needed help with botox etc I would know where to go.

I'm trying to stay optimistic in that my skin won't fail me now and it will snap back for me without plastics or fillers and that those tiny bumps will somehow save me. LOL

But in the end, I had my surgery to hopefully heal my body of comorbidities. That trumps everything else.

[hills&valleys 130]

My daughter suffered with Pilaris Keratosis from a young age. Fortunately I found Amlactin, resulting in her achieving smooth, flawless skin! It smells like sour milk (it is lactic acid) but the smell dissipates after about 20 minutes. Because of the smell, we applied it at night before bed.

Edited May 26, 2023 by hills&valleys

[BabySpoons 529]

2 hours ago, hills&valleys said:

Because of the smell, we applied it at night before bed.

I remember wanting that smooth flawless skin when I was a teen. I had to live with it till I sought treatment in my 20's. And yes, I remember the smell being not so good. I'm glad that you found something for your daughter that is working for her. I never stuck with it like I should have, Now I'm counting on my WLS to see results. Fingers crossed

[BlondePatriotInCDA 217]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:41 AM, BabySpoons said:

I read somewhere that soaking in a tub helps with hydration and can actually help skin retract with less loose skin. I thought about getting some dry evaporated milk to add to the Water. If it was good enough for Cleopatra....

I had a deep soaking tub installed a couple years ago and need to get back to using it. My skin is dry too and needs some attention.

Soaking in a tub can dehydrate your skin (I work in dermatology), it can remove natural skin oils. Adding oils - they float so don't penetrate as you soak. So if you're not allergic try making your soak an oatmeal soak. It dissolves and mixes with the Water opposed to sitting on it and can help with dry skin. Baking soda can help as well can help detox and balance the skins pH when you add to essential oils and helps bond to the oils.

[BabySpoons 529]

5 hours ago, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

Adding oils - they float so don't penetrate as you soak.

I bought Polysorbate 80 which is an emulsifier and causes oil to mix with Water. But I ended up not using it because I decided I didn't want to clog my water pipes up with a bunch of oil. I used Teal's Hemp Epsom salts soak a few times but that was more for sore muscles and bones.

My Pilaris Keratosis is completely gone now along with my dry skin. I attribute it to the WLS since I've had it since a small child. I still moisturize Using castor oil now. It has many benefits.