Pregnancy may play role in onset of keratosis pilaris

OB/GYN News, May 15, 2002 by Sharon Worcester

NEW ORLEANS -- Keratosis pilaris should be included on the list of dermatoses associated with pregnancy.

That was the conclusion following a survey of five patients who presented over a 1-year period with onset or exacerbation of the hyperkeratotic condition. Three of the five patients developed keratosis pilaris (KP) during the late first or early second trimester, and two developed the condition in the first postpartum month, Amy Norton, a fourth-year medical student at West Virginia University, Morgantown, reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Of the three patients who developed KP during early pregnancy, two had also developed the disease during an earlier pregnancy.

Development of KP's characteristic skin-colored follicular papules surrounded by erythema, which generally group together on the lateral arms, thighs, and buttocks, have been shown in numerous studies to be associated with hormonal fluctuations.

The three patients in this study who developed KP during pregnancy improved within 4 months of delivery; these findings strongly support a role of pregnancy in onset of KP, Ms. Norton said.

The other two patients developed KP shortly after delivery; their condition may have been associated with hormonal changes related to breast feeding. These patients experienced improvement of lesions within 9 months of delivery.

Individual variations in fluctuating hormone levels might account for the differing presentations of KP during pregnancy Ms. Norton said.