I have been a chronic picker all my life, and since coming out with cystic acne in the past 6 months - due possibly to the mirena IUD (it is a known side effect and have only had problems since insertion) I tend to exile myself for days at a time as it is too embarassing to face the world, plus is too painful to attempt to cover with makeup. Recently however, and as a joke, i put a pair of cotton fishnet stockings on my head when i had some (close!) friends over. What started out as a laugh - now seems to be a valid solution! i can operate as normal - but cannot access pimples - gloves are a silly idea, and i also tried bandaids over some but the itching was unbearable. Anyway - my point is - if you can restrict access for a few days it will give them time to heal. I know not everyone has this option of exile - but if you do, i can recommend the fishnets it for even the most disturbed picker! (kinda cute if you tie up the legs to look like puppy dog ears!) WARNING - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER A CONVENIENCE STORE LIKE THIS!

Ok here's the deal. I have clear skin. I know this because I got very sick for 2 weeks in March and all I did was stay in bed, didn't look in the mirror, didn't touch my skin, nothing. And my skin was completely clear! I am convinced that my picking is the reason for my mild acne :/ Does anyone have the same problem as me? It would be so nice to have support on this... I'm going to try not picking for 30 days because I've heard 30 is the magic number for breaking habits.

so now it seems whenever my body gets too hot, i somehow see a pimple that isnt happened and try to pick at it. let me give you guys examples.

the other day i took a pretty hot shower and it was about 70 degrees outside. im really hot and sweaty and i have to admit it was pretty dumb of me to take a hot shower. somehow i manage to see a pimple forming (it really wasnt, just a blackhead) so i tried to pick at it and before i realized it i was putting as much force as i could, but i got nothing out. so i had a small scab on my face.

just now i was taking a nap and i had on a heavy blanket and its like 80 degrees outside right now and i didnt turn my fan or ac on. so i wake up sweating bullets, run to a mirror and see another pimple starting to form, or so i thought. i just tried to squeeze it, this time it wasnt even a blackhead, i don't really know what i was picking at. so now im pretty sure that will turn into another small scab.

atleast i think i learned my lesson and after having it happened to me twice, no that my brain cannot properly function in the heat and i will try my best not to do it again, i hope.

My therapist tells me to take up knitting to keep my hands busy. Bah.


(if the link is dead -- www.stoppickingonme.com)

^ I recommend this. It scared me away from even touching my skin for as few solid weeks. Might help some of you.

I'm 24, and managed to stop picking periodically throughout the years, alas it has never lasted more than a few weeks at a time. Got a script for Sotret (Accutane) @ 30mg, and read that it makes your skin more fragile than rice paper, so if I want to still have a face once I go on the meds, then I'd better quit cold turkey.

On a side note: happy to have found this community - much lovin and support here.

So I have been very happy with my skin recently, it has been the clearest it has ever been and I have been feeling very confident with it. Unfortunately with every step forward one must take two back. Around that time of the month I got a little cystic one on the upper part of my forehead. Ugh I mean whatever, hormones, what're ya gonna do, right? So I have been very patient monitoring the little sucker for the past few days. At first it wasn't that bad just a little flesh colored bump.

Then it got ugly.

This thing must have had two heads or something, it was disgusting and ruining my entire clear (for once) face! It was at the stage where it's not just a reb bump, it's like shiny and pulling the skin around it up too, I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. But I was a good girl I just kept my hands away from it and didn't touch it. I tried a few different things to get the thing to come to a head (hot compress, lemon juice, lots of bp) but the spot was stubborn and stayed lurking under the skin.

Today I was happy to note that the swelling had gone down quite a bit and the pimple was begining to retract back down into my skin. Again, I didn't touch it, I was so excited. Maybe this would be the first time I could make it all the way through without picking.

I was just about to watch my face, minding my own business, but I could feel the thing looking at me. It wasn't anywhere near the size it was at it's worst but something in me just couldn't stop me from thinking about it. The skin it was attacking needed relief! I ran my finger over it and the bump was hard and seemed as if the head was right there below the surface. I poked it a little. I should have known at that point that it was a lost cause and that attempting to pop it would only make things worse.

But I cracked.

I went crazy on that thing, poking it and pinching it every which way to try and get it to pop. I was a woman possessed I was not stopping until I could feast my eyes on the satisfying sight of pus drainage and flat skin again. Sweet victory.

But alas the pimple won.

Now the whole thing is swollen to the size of a quarter. All the skin surrounding the actual pimple is pink and shiny and angry looking. I iced it and covered it with toothpaste for the night (I'm low on bp) so hopefully that will bring down the swelling a bit. Honestly, I could kick myself for being so dumb. I am supposed to go to the beach tommorow with my two girlfriends (who all have flawless skin, btw) and I was hoping to not have to wear any makeup! GRRRR acne makes me so angry.

Don't make the same mistake I did, it's so not worth it.

I'm very interested in giving up my skin picking habit, but having a strong interest in giving it up doesn't seem to be enough. When I pick, my skin looks terrible. Also, I cut into my sleep time since I usually pick before bed and again first thing in the morning. What do you do to distract yourself from the opportunity to pick? Has anyone successfully given up the habit altogether?

I cannot stop picking! If i look in the mirror, and i see a pimple, it is popped in the next 2 min.... I rly wanna stop but I cant! My face looks terrible with scabs and ugly picked pimples all over! Also, im a teen and im so conscious of how i look, so yea lol. Im on accutane so my skin gets worse when i pick it bc it is so sensitive. my derm said I dont have any permanent scars, but i will if i continue picking... Please help!!!!!

ok i just joined this site because i need support from people who know what its like to walk past a mirror and pick out every little thing you possibly can about your skin! i've always had acne since 7th grade, i used to have a couple spots and thought my skin was horrible, now graduating as a senior in high school, looking back i didn't know what acne really was. this year my skin has gotten so bad i've always had cystic acne but now i get 4 or 5 at a time, i never had acne on my cheeks before but now they are pretty well covered as well as my chin and all i can do is sit on my bathroom counter under my huge fluorescent lights and practically pick and prod every pore on my face until i finally pull back and see how swollen and red and how much worse it looks than before i even touched it! i don't know how to stop. i tell myself all the time that it will look much worse if i do pick and i'm not doing myself any good. i do well for about 2 weeks and it clears up but soon after i begin breaking out again, after not even touching my face so i always end up back sitting in my bathroom sink doing a number on my skin once again. i feel so guilty and even uglier when i pull back and look at the damage i've done. i just cant stop and nothing seems to help my acne either. i was just put on doryx by my dermatologist i'm on day 12 and haven't really seen any improvement, i'm basically a nazi with washing my face twice a day if not more yet i do wear alot of makeup in attempts to hide all the bumps and redness which now makeup isn't even seeming to cover. please give me tips, support, anything! i need help outta sitting in my bathroom sink and destroying my skin even further!

- thanks for taking the time to read this, any thoughts or comments you might have are definitely appreciated

hello all, my name is Andrea and I have been picking since I was a sophomore in high school. I just graduated high school and I really want to stop picking. It takes up my entire life. All i care about is my appearance. It stops me from doing things that I would normally enjoy.. like going out. I'm reading a book called "The Broken Mirror".. its amazing! it's about skin picking. maybe it would help other skin pickers out there? idk if its helped me yet.. bc im not done reading it. but yeah.. i'm going to STOP picking. i can do it. i will post my progress.. or non-progress.. everyday. if you have any tips of comments to me.. please help me! i need all the support i can get. i'm just gonna take one day at a time in getting over this addiction.

Wish me luck!

hi there,
i was standing in the bathroom before and completely attacked my face yet again for the past 5 years, so i decided to actually reach out for some help with my acne picking, i googled why do we pick our face and this great website showed up and gave me some really great ideas like removing the mirror in the bathroom to buying a pair of gloves.
sometimes i feel as if i am the only one that does this and that there is something wrong with me but it was really inspiring to see these people that are experiencing the same problems that i am and are changing there habits to help themselfs from doing distuctive face picking, so i am starting the regiment now to stop picking because if theres a site out like this one that so many people can talk to each other about how they are doing each day, i feel as though i can do it to and help others on how i gave up the bad habit to i really hope, so stay tuned and send me any thing that might help and i will do the same,
thankyou to everone that has shared there familar story on there acne causings its really helped me to start from now to really stop destroying my face

I pick with tweezers (not my hands). I don't have pus acne, mainly blackheads and whiteheads- I think. I'm not familiar with all the names yet. Anyway, I pull the white heads, etc. out and they do come out, although sometimes I don't get all of it. There are a lot of threads about picking and not picking, but I want to know, for the record, Why is it bad? Not that I don't believe it isn't. I just need a line, a reason, that I can think of every time it comes to that time - to make me stop! What are the effects? Please, someone tell me it's horrible and not to do it, but tell me why, too.

Today, the same as every day, I resolve to stop picking my face.
I have been picking it for 3 years now. It has been much better at times,
and much worse at others. It has interfered with my social life and
killed my self esteem. Thinking about my skin occupies hours of my day.
I wake up thinking about my skin. I hate it.
I have gotten better as of late. I have decreased the amount of time I spend
mirror checking. I had been checking in a mirror every 10 minutes or so, and
now I check only a couple of times throughout the day, and perhaps every hour
at night. Also, I haven't had a major session within the last month although I've
meddled with blackheads daily and rubbed skin off of my face.
I have stopped wearing makeup, as I feel makeup only hinders the healing process
and the overall look of the skin tone. Wearing makeup also allows me to damage my
face more, as I have the means to hide what I have done.
The most infuriating thing about this whole situation is the fact that I have
wonderful, beautiful skin. Anywhere that has not been picked, ie. the sides of
my face, my forehead, around my eyes, has a lovely olive colour. In contrast,
where I have picked, my skin is red and raw looking. At one point I was able to
stop picking for 2 weeks, and as a result, my skin was much more even toned, and
looked healthy and healing. I would love to be able to have that again. I know I can.
What I am looking for on acne.org is not a miracle cure for acne; I do not have acne.
I am looking for support, and any advice as to how to stop picking. I refuse to
allow this to take over my life. Please, I need this to stop. If you write to me, I will
be more than happy to discuss my situation with you, and help you as much I can.
I will post to this every day, and document my attempt to stop picking my face.
Thank you very much.
healingtime

I have a huge picking problem. Doesn't matter if it's the smallest pimples or the biggest or a blackhead, I pick it until it comes out. But lately I just brush off the ones I know I won't be able to pop.. but if I know I can I just go for it and most of the time it works. Then after I pick, it just leaves a scab that goes away in a couple days but leaves behind a dark mark. I don't know what to do to stop this, it's honestly ruining my life just like it has to others. Is there any other way to take your mind off of it? How to stop looking in them mirror? And does this count as having OCD? By picking your skin every time you see a blemish? It's so exhausting.

So I'm on Tetra and Retin-A and my skin has been slowly improving.

But I have a bad picking problem. I think it's really a psychological issue...


I had this clogged pore/blackhead on my left cheek near my nose under my eye area. And I tried to unclog it. Normal, every day procedure. But it wouldn't come out. And the area around it is now very red and raised up and I'm worried that it may turn into a cyst because I probably pushed the stuff down into the skin further. :[

I'M SUCH AN IDIOT.

I'm so pissed off at myself. I ALWAYS do this. I don't know how to make myself stop. Just this morning I was like 'Wow I'm starting to look a bit better' and then I go and ruin it like a fucking moron. Why am I so stupid?? It's like my brain temporarily shuts down all logical thinking mechanisms and eliminates all thoughts except "PICK PICK PICK" and then I wonder what the hell happened. WHY DO I THIS?!

My graduation is Friday night and now I'm probably going to have at least one bright red cyst in the fucking CENTER of my face. I'm sooooo upset. And it's all my fault. I did this to myself. My relatives are coming into town tomorrow and now they're going to see me looking so fucking disgusting.

Why can't I be normal? Why? I'm not good enough for anyone. All I do is pick at myself and attack myself until nothing at all is left except a destroyed, ugly, hideous version of myself. I don't deserve any of what I have. I deserve NOTHING. I am worthless. A piece of shit. I can't control my own mind or my own body. I can't DO ANYTHING. I ruin myself. I tear myself into bits, and it's because I deserve it and I'm so used to other people torturing me that when they aren't, I guess I fucking do it myself.

I can't control myself. I can't trust myself. I can't forgive myself.
I guess I'll always be this way. Some people cut themselves or hurt themselves in other ways.
I suppose this is just my own way of punishing myself... for existing and for not being good enough.

I just want to hide and sleep and cry and hurt myself more. I don't want to face the world. I don't want to face my family or my friends or my boyfriend. He doesn't get it. He just wants me to stop. But I mean, I want to stop, too, but I can't. I've tried. I don't want to do this anymore, but I can't save myself. I'm stuck this fucked up way forever, it seems. I just wish I could be beautiful for him, for myself. So I would be worth something to this world. I'm surrounded by perfection and beauty and I don't fit the standard. I never will.

I will never find anyone who can see me without makeup and still want me.
I will never get married.
I will never have a family.
I will never succeed in anything.

I have no future. There it is. The truth. I was born ugly and worthless and I will die the same way.
I'm sorry if anyone is offended or annoyed by what I'm saying. But I have to vent.


And does anyone know if there's anything I can do to possibly reduce or kill the cyst before it forms?? I've been putting globs of Retin-A on it over and over and I'm about to take a Tetra pill.

I don't know what else to do. I've really fucked up. It simply is NOT possible for me to have a good day.

Is picking as bad if one is a frequent user of anti-bacterial hand gel? **sigh** I think I need a strait jacket.

And oh boy was my acne horrible. I wish I knew back then what I do now. It could have saved me so much scarring, misery, tears, etc.

So yeah basically: stop picking. It doesn't help. It only makes things worse unless you have magical skin like my boyfriend.

What I have learned: If you have a zit, best thing to do is wait for a white head to appear. Then take a pre sterilized needle (I have diabetic lancets ready since they come pre-sterilized) use that to take the white part off, exfoliate the area using uncoated aspirin dissolved in water to make a paste. Let it dry, rinse it off, then put on a nice dab of clean and clear persagel 10. I alternate between that and pure tea tree oil.

If there is no head, you can start exfoliating over the area, and i've found that helps the white part come to the surface quicker.


Hope this can help someone.

How do you guys handle the sensitive healing process of scabs and little flakes, especially on your face? I have one spot near my mouth that I feel like is perpetually raw and pink because no matter how delicate I try to be, I end up with a layer of the scab rinsing out in my hands.

I picked a pimple that i thought was ready and a little of white stuff came out then blood. The blood would not stop so I grabbed a towel and wet it and kept wiping it. The towel had large blood spots all over and then I had to hold the towel on it for about 5 min before it stopped.

sooooo last night my boyfriend and i got into a big of an argument, and i was reallllyyy upset. and of course took out this frustration on my face. my face has been good lately, except for the closed comedones on my forehead (errr), but hey at least they are skin colored, and a littleeee bump on my jawline.

and of course, i looked in the mirror last night. and attempted to pop the little bump on my chin and on my forehead, and now they are nice, red, and huge.

i was so bummed because i had not picked my skin in forever.


this is a reminder to all us skin pickers, do notttttt pick! no matter how upset you are about anything. it only worsens things lol

HELP! I NEVER pick my skin, but today I accidentally bumped my cheek where there was a healing pimple. It's a pustule that was pretty big (almost a cyst) and was drying up and still inflamed. I scraped off the drying layer and now all I have is the red bump. Is this going to scar?? Have I done something terrible? From what I can tell I didn't open up the pimple- it's just a great big red bump that's really obvious on the side of my face. UGH. I'm sick of this acne.

Hi Everyone,
My name is Rosie. I'm new to this website, having just registered five minutes ago. I have a lot going on right now in my life. Recently completing treatment for chemical dependency, following up with a suboxone doctor, learning how to live like a real human again, and last but not least, giving up my entire life (surrendering)--meaning: I have absolutely NO friends anymore! (and so many other things....!)

I have gotten into this HORRIBLE habit, after giving up on another. I pick my face now. You guys, it is absolutely insane. I'll go into the bathroom with the intentions of just using the toilet, and then...it's almost like a veil falls upon my face. I'm in a different state of mind; I'm in the zone. I start picking at nothing, and I don't stop until there is blood just pouring out of my skin. As I feel and see all the blood, it's like I'm awake again...I'm me again. And I just cry everytime after it's over because I will completely destroy my face! I have scabs and bruises...swelling all over! I avoid public places because people ask me what's wrong with my face all the time, and I'm tired of just bursting out -- crying because all I can think is "I do this to myself."

You guys, I almost feel like I'm punishing myself for everything bad I've done during my life. I'm 18 years old and I feel like I'm 80, with my face all beat up I probably look like I'm 40...*sigh*

I just don't know what to do anymore. I've started my entire life over again, so I feel as though I'm 12 again, just now learning the facts of life. And as the days pass, this picking habit just gets worse and worse. So please, if anyone out there is reading this, and you can find it in your heart to help me-- do not hesitate. Not only am I lacking common knowledge; I also lack self confidence, courage, energy, and friendship.

I'm open to any ideas, thoughts, and just anything anyone who decides to reply has to offer me.

Love you all,
Rosie

Does anybody else pick/touch more when their skin is oily?

I've noticed, when my skin is oilier than usual....

My skin is worse than usual
I pick more

When my skin isn't oily as it usually is, it is clear, and when it's clear I don't pick.

But when it's bad, I pick, and when I pick, it gets worse.
When Im stressed, I pick too, which makes it worse, which makes me stress more and pick more and my skin gets oilier and more broken out.

Stress, picking, break outs, and oil.

All it takes is one of those to occur, and they all occur.

Evil.

Anyone else find themselves transferring their picking to other areas after they stop attacking their face?

I stopped picking my face nearly 2 years ago. It was a massive improvement in my skin...no more bloody scabs on my face & far less red marks.

However, now when I am nervous or stressed I pick at my scalp, and there is nothing there. No acne, no itching, no dandruff, no hair product, nothing.
I am a very very high strung person and am almost always anxious, which means I have the urge to do it constantly. I start doing it without even thinking.

When I stop picking one area, I seem to move to another area on my body. I stopped my scalp for awhile, and then I started on my arms, then I went back to my scalp. This is preferable to my face, but my head is raw and people stare at me when I absentmindedly start it in public .

I've read stoppickingonme.com which really helped with my face, but I know the root of the problem is anxiety. I don't have money to do therapy...but what can I do about being less high strung?

Ok, well I heard somewhere that it takes 30 days to break a habit, and for me picking at my face is a really bad habit! So I've decided I'm going to totally stop picking my face for 30 days and see what happens! If anyone wants to join me.......AWESOME! I'll try to post at least every week or so. Keep me updated on how your doing. The way I have it figured since I'm starting today then I'll have to make it through August 28 or 29.

I usually get these dime-sized pimples that are red for a while. But then I put Benzoyl Peroxide for a week or two. Then, I don't pop it. It just becomes purple/dark red/blackish. If I pop it, dark red blood comes out and some white stuff (BP I'm assuming).

So why does this happen to me?! What kind of pimple is it anyway? I have a presentation this Thursday and it's not going away!!! *cries*

Hi Everyone

Im new here and this is my first post. I have been on Marvelon (contraceptive) for 4 years to control my acne. It has done a good job and I only get a couple of spots a month. I decided to stop taking it 3 months ago to see if at the grand old age of 25 my skin would be okay without it.

I am 3 months in, and have more spots than usual, but I would only say mild acne. Im not sure if I am going to go back on the Marvelon yet as I think my skin looks a lot worse than it is because I have started PICKING it!

I have been doing it every day for the last 2 months, I have been really depressed for the last 2 months and have been taking it out on my face trying to make myself feel better, but instead I have made my face into a big mess. Even make up wont cover the wounds. And the worst thing is I just cant stop. I think I am starting to create scars. I have had one wound I have picked constantly for the last month and now it just wont heal.

I thought if I start an online log it might give me the motivation to stop picking, as hopefully some people may give me support and tips, and also if I do pick I would have to write it on here, so hopefully that will give me some motivation not to pick. I really have to stop as it is causing me not to attend lectures at university, and is seriously affecting my friendships as I feel to embarrassed to meet up with friends because my skin looks a mess. I also feel uncomftable around my boyfriend as I think he must think I look such a mess which makes me moody with him.

This morning was the last time I picked my face, it is so bad I came on the internet looking for help and found this sight. So tommorrow will be my first day of not picking. Wish me luck!

Lily x

I always tell myself I won't pick again but tonight I did it again. My acne isn't horrible but I have a bunch of tiny flesh colored bumps on my forehead cheeks and around my chin and mouth They aren't that noticeable unless i'm in light but I picked them all and most of them had little squigly's or seed looking stuff come out but I'm freaking out that some will turn into pimples uhhhh I'm so mad at myself how do you guys keep yourselves from picking?

I don't know if anyone has ever seen this,
but I would totally give up picking my face for this
hahahhahahhaha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6eGjGEZvfs

it's disgustingly fun!

first of all sorry for my bad english, i hope you'll all understand what i mean

just to share:

we all know we shouldnt pick our skin, but u know, sometimes you just cant help yourself

while hoping to clear things up, 90% of the time you screw up and end up with an even worse zit on your face

nestocyl is originally made for small skin irritations, like for example musquito bites and stuff

i discovered that it has a nice calming effect on acne as well

whenever I pick a zit and it gets all big and red and stuff, i put on nestocyl before i go to sleep, and the next morning the zit isnt big anymore, nor red, nor is it infected again, it mostly is just a small wound, but it looks a lot better than what it looks like if i'd just leave it

it also works with cystes: when putting it on cystes, sometimes they become calm and smaller, and sometimes they even dissapear


and i want to make this very clear:

-do NOT put it on your whole face, it isnt a cure for acne
-it wont work on an active zit, only on the one's you couldnt leave alone

and you can only use it at night, because you shouldnt rub it in your skin, just put a bit on a zit

the last thing i want to say is that unaffortunately i have no idea if this is a worldwide sold product, i'm dutch so i dont if its sold in america and such as well

but you can always search for a product just like it, its simple a over the counter product that can be bought at malls and such, for the one who wants to know what ingredient there are in nestocyl just ask

ciao