What to do about keratinization of skin follicles, treatment of chicken skin

Keratinosis of the hair follicles is a common skin disease. The main symptom is that the keratin blocks the pores of the hair follicles, causing the skin to feel rough, which is what we often call chicken skin. There are many reasons for chicken skin, but most of them are due to genetics. Therefore, it is very important to treat keratinosis of the hair follicles.

1: Genetic factors (85%): This disease is an autosomal dominant genetic disease with complete penetrance, but there are also single cases, which may be caused by spontaneous mutations. Based on the low serum vitamin A concentration of some patients and the effective treatment with vitamin A, it is believed that this disease is related to vitamin A metabolism disorder.

2: Environmental factors (15%): Since early damage occurs in sunlight-exposed areas, the damage worsens after sun exposure and has a seasonal tendency, worsening in summer and improving in winter, it is believed that sunlight may be an important pathogenic factor. However, skin damage also occurs in areas that are not frequently exposed, such as the oral mucosa, groin, palms, soles and nail beds. Since these areas are often susceptible to physical trauma, non-sun damage may also be a consistent cause of the disease.

3: Pathogenesis This disease is an autosomal dominant genetic disease with complete penetrance. Electron microscopic studies suggest that the primary defects are in the granules and tension filaments. Some people have suggested that photodamage may be a consistent cause of the disease based on the fact that the skin lesions worsen after sun exposure. It may also be related to vitamin A metabolism disorders.

1: (I) Treatment There is no satisfactory treatment at present. Care should be taken to avoid exposure to the sun. You can try taking vitamin A, 100,000 to 200,000 U per day, for at least 2 months. If it is ineffective, stop taking it. If the effect is good, consider reducing the dosage to maintain it. During the treatment process, be careful about excessive vitamin A, especially for children.

2: You can also try corticosteroids. If you have photosensitivity, you can try chloroquine. For proliferative rashes with foul-smelling scabs, antibiotics should be used.

3: Skin damage can be treated with topical keratolytic agents, such as retinoic acid ointment, sulfur salicylic acid ointment, etc. 5-fluorouracil ointment is helpful to a certain extent. For isolated plaque damage, laser, cryotherapy, X-ray irradiation or surgical excision can be performed.

4: Traditional Chinese medicine treatment: It is advisable to strengthen the spleen, remove dampness and moisturize the skin. You can use Jianpi Chushi Decoction, Ermiao Pills, and Chushi Weiling Decoction with modifications.

It is a very common skin disease. The cause of this disease is very complicated. The most common cause is genetic factors. If a parent has follicular keratosis pilaris, there is a high probability that it will be passed on to his or her children. Such a disease is generally caused by a lack of vitamin A. During treatment, you should also pay attention to supplementing vitamin A.