Keratosis
Keratosis pilaris - excess keratin, a natural protein in the skin is cream colored, surrounds and entraps the hair follicles in the pore, appears as a proliferation of tiny hard bumps that are seldom sore or itchy. Present year-round, exacerbated by cold/low moisture air.
Causes
Keratin production is turned on by calcium entering the cells, and is limited by the availability of the amino acid cysteine. Cysteine is formed from homocysteine using magnesium and vitamin B6.
an overproduction of keratin indicates a need to lower cellular calcium. If there is low coenzyme A, then vitamin B5 may be very helpful to put the cysteine in more useful places.
An underproduction of keratin might respond to an increase of cysteine or might indicate low calcium issues. I'd start by looking at magnesium and vitamin B6. If those don't help, look at calcium, but that's a lot more complicated.
Sugar consumption and foods with a high glycemic rating should also be reduced if possible, as sugar flushes calcium from the body at a higher rate.
The problem is not excessive calcium uptake. In fact, I read that most people have impaired calcium absorption due to low vitamin D levels (vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium), even though their diets provide adequate amounts of calcium.
The problem is that deficiencies in vitamin K and magnesium result in resorption of bone minerals.What I'm guessing is that if your blood calcium and blood cysteine levels are high, then you get too much keratin - keratosis pilaris, among other things (like a fuzzy tongue). Vitamin D increases blood calcium, while vitamin A inhibits that.
http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1034056/keratosis-pilaris/20
Vitamin D lowers PTH. Low PTH = higher calcium. Higher calcium = more prone to keratosis pilaris. (lithium also affects PTH)
Vitamin A inhibits vitamin D's action on PTH.
Low vitamin A turns mucous cells in the skin to keratin cells.
Keratin is made (in part) by cysteine. Cysteine is also used to make glutathione. Raising PTH will help raise glutathione. So low PTH = low glutathione = excess cysteine and high calcium?
EFAs help raise glutathione. EFAs help with KP.
Vitamin C helps glutathione levels. Low vitamin C can give you 'corkscrew hairs' which are reported to be inside the KP plugs.
So vitamin A, vitamin C, plus figure out how to get your body to produce more glutathione/use more cysteine?
an overproduction of keratin indicates a need to lower cellular calcium. If there is low coenzyme A, then vitamin B5 may be very helpful to put the cysteine in more useful places.
An underproduction of keratin might respond to an increase of cysteine or might indicate low calcium issues. I'd start by looking at magnesium and vitamin B6. If those don't help, look at calcium, but that's a lot more complicated.
Sugar consumption and foods with a high glycemic rating should also be reduced if possible, as sugar flushes calcium from the body at a higher rate.
The problem is not excessive calcium uptake. In fact, I read that most people have impaired calcium absorption due to low vitamin D levels (vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium), even though their diets provide adequate amounts of calcium.
The problem is that deficiencies in vitamin K and magnesium result in resorption of bone minerals.What I'm guessing is that if your blood calcium and blood cysteine levels are high, then you get too much keratin - keratosis pilaris, among other things (like a fuzzy tongue). Vitamin D increases blood calcium, while vitamin A inhibits that.
http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1034056/keratosis-pilaris/20
Vitamin D lowers PTH. Low PTH = higher calcium. Higher calcium = more prone to keratosis pilaris. (lithium also affects PTH)
Vitamin A inhibits vitamin D's action on PTH.
Low vitamin A turns mucous cells in the skin to keratin cells.
Keratin is made (in part) by cysteine. Cysteine is also used to make glutathione. Raising PTH will help raise glutathione. So low PTH = low glutathione = excess cysteine and high calcium?
EFAs help raise glutathione. EFAs help with KP.
Vitamin C helps glutathione levels. Low vitamin C can give you 'corkscrew hairs' which are reported to be inside the KP plugs.
So vitamin A, vitamin C, plus figure out how to get your body to produce more glutathione/use more cysteine?