Giving Advice on KPRF
Hi everybody!
I never really post on Reddit, however I have definitely made progress in the last year with this chronic condition - and given that it is so understudied, I would like to share with you guys what has massively helped me and got my confidence back!
For context, I am a 20 year old guy: like most, I have suffered with KPRF since youth (starting around puberty initially at 10/11), and similarly have had KP (chicken skin) on the rest of my body - although this does not really bother me.
Below, I will disclose a photo of my skin a year ago today (which prompted this post) during a flare, a picture of it what it looks like daily, and also a picture of what it looks like covered up with minimal and natural looking makeup (which will be discussed later).
1) KPRF - my triggers, my diagnosis.
For over 4 years, I have been trying to tackle this condition. Thinking it was vascular rosacea for almost 3 of these years, I tried many diets and many creams (such as Ivermetcin or vasoconstrictors like brimodine) - none of which worked. The diets would make little impact, and the vasoconstrictors would give me rebound redness that made my baseline redder for months.
My triggers were easy to identify.
My big trigger was the cold: if it was windy and my cheeks were cold, they would be bright red - even now I can make little difference to this as it is unavoidable in the UK - so I usually opt to cover it up in winter.
Another trigger was artificial heating. If it was hot outside, I wouldn’t flush. However, put me in a room during winter with a radiator, a hot fan, or a fireplace and my cheeks would be bright red.
Another trigger would be alcohol, especially in combination with laughter during a night out.
And a final trigger? Dry skin, particularly after I’ve shaved.
These above triggers are pretty much the only things that cause a flare, and due to my geographical location being in the UK - I often flare in winter due to the combination of central heating indoors occurring directly after walking outside in the cold. However, due to my routine, I never flare during spring, summer or autumn. Maybe once a month? And these flares disappear overnight after sleeping anyway, only lasting a day.
My routine
One thing I realised that would be easily combatted was the flushing due to dry skin, or flushing due to socialising/anxiety. The dry skin in particular is the root cause in a lot of flushing I’ve seen on this subreddit, and can also be used as an explanation for winter flushing as central heating and artificial heat severely dehydrates skin, unlike natural heat outside.
So, for my social flushing, I take 40mg of propanalol whenever I am going out without colour corrector on my cheeks, or if I know I am doing something that involves heavy socialising.
Easy fix - my cheek colour now does not change when I talk.
For my dry skin flushing, I employed a rigorous skincare routine focusing solely on hydration and nothing else, which I would do twice a day. I’ll list it below.
- Cleanse: I only cleanse my face with face wash once a day, in the evening, but wash my face with just water in the morning. This is because your body produces essential hydrating oils overnight, and your face wash (even gentle ones) strip this, leading to dry skin. My face wash in the evening, I typically avoid using on my cheeks and instead focus on the rest of my face which needs it more: I have found this makes a dramatic difference in my flares.
I also use the Kenzen hypochlorous acid spray after this and let it dry on my face to help clear our pores whilst also hydrating my skin.
- OPTIONAL
- LED face mask on red light setting for 15 minutes in the morning. This is optional, however I have noticed reduced inflammation in my cheeks from consistent use of this over the last couple months.
2) NON-OPTIONAL
Toner: I use the Byoma milky hydrating toner on my entire face - a very generous amount. It takes a while to sink into skin, but this is because it’s very hydrating. Skin doesn’t have to be dry to the touch before proceeding to the next step.
- Active
Inkey List hylauronic acid serum - pea sized amount spread over entire face: this active is excellent in helping the skin absorb and retain moisture given through skincare.
Side note: ditch the Azelaic acid! I had used it for 4 years before ditching it (10%), and I really thought it helped and was a staple in my routine. I found after ditching it, my skin was less irritated and sensitive.
Milky serum
I use the Rhode milky essence to help add a huge amount of moisture into my skin, as well as other peptides that help sustain a healthy skin barrier.Moisturiser
I found many moisturisers trapped in heat onto my skin and increased my redness and frequency of flares.
This did not occur with the Inkey List omega water cream. I found it thin and hydrating on my face and neck, whilst allowing my skin to breathe.
NIGHT TIME - Rhode barrier butter
This is an extremely thick, almost occlusive, moisturiser that I will put only on my cheeks at night. The difference this product has made in the level of hydration my cheeks retain is night and day. This is the most hydrating product in this list.
It is thick and uncomfortable though, which is why I only recommend to use it at night.
- SPF - optional, but recommended
I found many SPF products were flare inducing. I use the Byoma SPF 50 to protect and shield my skin during outside activities in UV3+
Whilst this routine sounds like a lot overall; it can be done in 5 minutes (minus the optional LED face mask time) and has made an absolute difference in my KPRF (which is dermatologist diagnosed).
Another recommendation is a Hypochlorous Acid Spray - I carry it around and spray it when I begin to flare. It calms the flare down in about 5 minutes. Stopping it before it gets bad is the best technique to prevent serious flares.
I would like to note that my KPRF does not include bumps on my face, just the redness. Many will tell you that KPRF is essentially based around bumps and inflammation on the face. The bumps part is wrong - they can be present, however KPRF is essentially unique vascular hyperactivity occurring around irritation involving keratin buildup in hair follicles - this buildup doesn’t necessarily always show up in bumps.
Another note, my skincare routine does involve some products that are expensive and thus inaccessible to some. I would encourage you guys to do your own research and purchase based on what you know about your own skin, as everyone is different in this subreddit to an extent. If looking for more affordable products, I would strongly advise through the general rule of thumb that you avoid products with alcohol in, exfoliants, or fragrance.
OPTIONAL MAKEUP RECOMMENDATIONS
Makeup is something that a lot of guys aren’t comfortable with and this is okay. I’m more comfortable with it as a gay man, however I also don’t want to look like I’m wearing makeup as I am wearing it out of necessity. Here is my routine and some products that I find are excellent at covering KPRF naturally for both guys and girls.
My skin is fair, but I also use self tanner on my face in summer (spf50 means my face don’t match my body 💔) so I will note how it changes for each tone.
For fair skin - I find the Erborian CC green colour correct cream is most undetectable. I apply it with my fingers and go over with a wet beauty blender to give it back some skin texture. It has almost full coverage, and even after lifting heavy in the gym the redness I get is very sheer - it’s almost like a grey colour.
To help make it more natural, I often apply a ‘brontour’ (bronzer mixed with contour) to help bring dimension back to my cheekbones. People never notice this and have been surprised I’ve told them I’m wearing makeup with this routine.
For tan skin: elf green colour corrector. I apply it to the red areas of my cheeks and blend out with a beauty sponge until redness is undetectable. I then go over with a warm toned bronzer in places the sun would hit to bring back that tanned look to my cheeks. This is the technique used in the third picture (where it’s covered)
Conclusion
I have written this on the train, and I am unsure of how long I’ll keep this pic up as I don’t really like to share pics of me online hahaha. I just think it’s important for me to share what has worked for me, as I can go out without inhibition now. I had no confidence about this only 2 years ago, and the difference now is extreme. I hope this can help somebody else.
Feel free to ask any follow up questions below!