Whiteheads are little white bumps, that can't be squeezed very easily
out, right? I have a couple on my face. I actually used to use a pin to
get them out... any new ideas? I don't like them and it seems like the
easiest way is with a pin!

Zeitgeist wrote:
I suggest that you treat pimple popping as you would any other
surgery. That means sterilizing your tools,the surface skin around
the pimple and your fingers before each pimple is operated upon, and
cleaning up all the mess that comes out before proceeding to the next
one. No point in just spreading bacteria around to find new homes. A
bottle of rubbing alcohol is a very useful part of this process.

That's what I thought. (I believe whiteheads are just pimples, easily
popped out etc.) I just went to the dermatologist with the same issue
(hard little white bumps under the skin), and the Dr said they're
called 'milia' and come from chronic exposure to the sun.

The Dr said that they can be treated with Retin-A at night.

Hi, I'm new. I'd like to share my experience with seborrheic
keratosis-- brownish bumps that appear on the truck as we age. Benign
tumors that can take several forms, all unpleasant! About 10 years ago
I noticed them on my back, rough brownish raised areas, and doctors
began to freeze them off. But as time passed they got out of control.
Finally, the doctor would say, there are just too many.

Last year, a new dermatologist said she'd had some luck using retina
(tretinoin) against seborrheic keratosis, so I tried that. I put retina
all over my back and stomach every night. It was amazing.

First off, I was allergic to the retina, so I had a huge oozy weeping
mess, rather like poison oak. She gave me cortisone cream to tame that
down, and I'm allergic to cortisone, then another cream Elidal? And I
was allergic to that. But after about a month, and this is interesting,
my skin adjusted to the retina.

Secondly, the retina seemed to bring forth hundreds of keratosis that
were not even previously visible, so it was huge.

Thirdly, I scratched at them, so soon I infections all over myself.
When I tried using Neosporin or polysporin to help clear up the
infections, I turned out to be allergic to Neosporin and polysporin.

It took me several months of retina use to clear out all but the most
stubborn tumors. What a mess. Still, I felt much better. My stomach
was entirely clear. Several areas of my back were entirely clear.
Thousands of little and big tumors were gone, and there was no scarring.
Still, about a hundred were left, many along the backbone.

This went on for about seven months, and then I took a rest.

I am now on what I call my second round with the retina, trying to get
the most stubborn tumors out. This time I'm taking tetracycline and the
infections clear right up. Still it is a slow process.. and some of
these tumors are so deep and big and "woody" I am not confident that
I'll ever get them out. They've probably been there for 20 years.

I'm wondering if anyone else has tried to eradicate seborrheic
keratosis? Surely I am not the only one who has tried?

If so, would you please share any secrets of success or what didn't
work? My dream is to have nice creamy skin again on my back and
stomach.

Thanks!
Robin

Robin Harlow wrote:
(snip amazing story)
I haven't been much bothered by my seborrheic keratoses, but in the
last couple years, two of the larger ones on my back started itching
and suddenly came lose. After a month or so, there was no trace left
of either. I wish I knew exactly what caused them to let go. But I
can only guess.

Two of the changes I had made a while before this happened was to use
pyrithione zinc anti dandruff shampoo as bath soap, and to add MSM (a
dietary sulfur supplement) to my diet.

I look forward to hearing the rest of your story as it unfolds.

"John Popelish" <jpopelish@rica.net> wrote in message
news:C-GdnWnx_aTP_WvenZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@adelphia.com:

John, I read that there is no prevention and no cure for keratosis
tumors. My dermatologist has a vague theory that the growths are
responding to insulin. You are the lucky one, to have only two and have
your body reject them all by itself.

I'm hoping that either a doctor or patient whose had some success in
treating them will come forth here. If you freeze them, you often don't
get it all. Many of them just fall off with tretinoin, which is nice,
but many are deep and stubborn and don't want to give up the ghost.

It could be that the prithione zinc acts as an irritant to them, I might
try that. I'll let you know. Tretinoin seems to push them out to the
surface as new skin cells form underneath, and then they lose their
"place" or blood supply.

Thanks!
Robin

Robin Harlow wrote:

Since no one knows what causes them, it is pretty hard for anyone to
find a cure for them, except by trial and error.

I have a lot more than two of them, but the largest (and probably
oldest) were the ones that got itchy and fell off when I scratched
them. One had been there for at least 30 years. My maternal grand
mother had many, especially on her face. I probably inherited the
tendency to develop them from her.

Pyrithione zinc is a biocide, after all. It kills anything, if given
enough exposure, including skin cells. Having too much contact with
it suppresses hair growth, too.

That sounds like what happened to two of mine. They sort of died and
peeled off, leaving perfect, pink "baby skin" behind. I hope a few
more follow their example. ;-)

If I were you I'd take a look at:

http://acne.hammocksurvivalguide.com/

There are hundreds of articles on there about Acne. I'm sure you can
find a better way than destroying your face with a pin.

Zeitgeist wrote: