? Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis (CRP)

All of my poor parents of CARP & CRP victims/patients

My son got CRP in January of his 8th grade (2008), he is now finishing 10th grade (2010).  He is African American and plays varsity football.  Every football season when he starts his “two a day practices” with  all of the heavily sweating, the hot heat, the sun, the steamy workouts, and the vigorous exercise along with the daily showers, all of this does a total ANNIHILATION of his CRP skin infection!!!!!!

  I mean his skin is as “shiny” as a sooth copper penny, I love this time of the year for him!!!.  However no less than one month after football practice/season ends, he is up in his room just playing video games, no exercise, no sweating, and that terrible CRP creeps up on him with a horrific vengeance.  

Well summer training for his 11th grade football season is coming up, and I anticipate the same thing.  My son is brilliant, very smart,  but a bit uninterested in caring or nursing his CRP and he does not work out unless it is football or track season.  I tried to get him to take hot steamy showers at home and rubbing with diluted Bleach???  I really think he should go to one of those Turkish Bath Houses with the Steam rooms or even a gym/health club steam room during the off season.  It all started with Acanthosis Nigricans around his neck when he was in the 5th grade and with a very poor diet.  Cannot get him to eat healthy foods at all????   Let me know if you have similar experiences???

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis is a rare disease typically affecting young persons. The most consistent results may be seen with minocycline and other antibiotics. Other treatment options include keratolytics; intramuscular, oral, and topical forms of vitamin A, sodium thiosulphate, ammoniated mercury, oral contraceptives, oral and topical retinoids, thyroid extract, ultraviolet light, propylene glycol, antimycotics and calcipotriene.

There is no specific diet for this but weight reduction may help. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.