So I had my first appointment with my dermatologist on wednesday. Went along with no make-up on (COMPLETE TORTURE) and got an absolute bollocking for my skin-picking.

I've been prescribed Roaccutane and am due to start a 4 month course as soon as my blood tests are done and dusted.

I understand that my skin will be very very fragile etc whilst on the medication and that I really really need to stop picking at my skin.

The dermatologist just didn't listen though. I try!! I really do try!! But it's a compulsion. I'm sure I do it my sleep for example.

This isn't a message asking for advice in particular. I'm going to have a look round the site for tips etc. I just needed to vent as to just how frustrating this is. I've finally been prescibed a drug that could kick this problem skin which I've had for 8 years now. But I could mess it all up my not stopping this stupid stupid habit. ARGH

no matter how many times I say that I am going to stop picking I never do, I know that it s bad for me but i just cant stop! *sigh* I wish they had like a picking rehab or something. NOthing seems to motivate me to help me stop, and I am starting to get really scared because I am scarring and I am only 14! Picking used to feel so good when I was done, now i just feel disgusting. If anyone feels how I feel write about it or if you have some advice to help me stop could you plz give it?

Ok... So I've decided that my current skin picking (mostly on my arms) has gotten way to out of control so I'm going to keep a daily long here with pictures so that you guys (and I) can track my progress at breaking this habit...

So, a little about me. I'm a 24 year old 2nd year medical student living in the US. I have been picking on my arms since I was probably 14. I was able to break the habit for a few years, but I started doing it again when I got stressed out my senior year in college when I was applying to medical school. Lately since I'm stressed to the max (I have to take my first board exam in a few months) that it has gotten a lot worse. Luckily I've never picked at my face... I'm to vain for that.

So, I'm going to be posting pics and updates daily until I can get my skin clear (I would have great skin if I didn't pick at it).

If anybody has any questions or comments I'll be happy to reply...


Thanks.

Picking along with harming your skin in other ways (harsh washcloths/meds/cleansers) especially if you have severe type acne may cause nodular like acne.

Last week i went to the cosmetologist to look on my 2 huge ass nodules that have been on my face for YEARS (and one smaller one) and he said it was caused by injury to the existing pimple. Ive had really severe acne for like 5 years and i admit i do pick a little but not that much however i did use some otcs that were pretty harsh to my face. About 1-2 years ago i got my face under control by using water only with meds and now i only have very minor breakouts and scars/red marks but the frken nodules are still there and the doctor says its permanent

I'm not saying picking alone will cause this but it does certainly increase the chance of making your acne worse. So keep your hands off your face!!! irritation = more acne!!

My new years resolution was to not pick at my skin...let's just say that didn't work out as planned.
It's almost February and I still haven't gone a day without picking at my face... I think about my skin more and more everyday and want to see a derm. but the closest one is 40miles away.
I find myself evaluating everyone's skin and I actually envy those with beautiful flawless skin. Today, all I have thought about is how much I hate my skin. When I talked with my roommate about it, she just replied, "I've never had a problem with acne." I was furious. What am I doing wrong?!!?
I'm doing a lot wrong....
I pick at my skin.
I go to sleep with makeup on.
I wear too much makeup.
I eat a lot of foods that supposedly worsen acne.
I smoke weed.
I drink alcohol.
I touch my face a lot.

So, this month. I'm starting over. I'm going to STOP picking. Because, I believe this is one of the main problems, and a horrible habit that has gone on for WAY TOO LONG!!!

Hello all...I just joined because I finally got up the courage to type in what I do to my face, and found this website. Figured it would help to get a few things off my chest and maybe help other people in my situation, as I've been frustrated with myself so much in the last few years.

I started picking at my skin when I was about 14ish, and I'm 20 now. I never had acne, never had bad skin at all-- but whenever I'd see anything resembling a blemish or clogged pore I'd squeeze it and get everything out. Sometimes I could stand in front of my mirror for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, etc., without even realizing it, and for the longest time I never really stopped to think of the consequences. Even now that I know that I'm damaging my skin and potentially setting myself up for aging problems in the future I just can't seem to stop myself from constantly analyzing my face in the mirror several times a day. I hate it. I see the difference between my skin from even one year ago and now and sometimes I just want to cry out of frustration.

I can see that my pores have become larger. I can see how the skin around my nose-to-mouth area is less tight than it used to be. Now I have to use pore toners and cleansers and all that stuff and I'm constantly comparing my skin to others' around me, and it drives me crazy.
And yet I have never been able to pull myself away from trying to unclog every pore. I've been better at it lately (as a result of being in a theatre program and realizing that I need my face to get jobs), but I just get depressed when I look at pictures of myself from a year, two years ago, and see how I could look now had I not been so obsessed. I would hate for other young women to have to go through this...so if you're reading this and in my position, I really, really urge you to either seek help from qualified doctors or really work on stopping yourself; because the changes will sneak up on you. I don't go a day now without feeling worried sick about how I'm going to potentially look in ten years.

I would really appreciate any advice from people who have managed to stop, and how (and if) they managed to help halt or reverse damages done to their skin. I'm really trying to stop and I think I can...but now I'm just terrified of what I've done to myself.

Anyway...thanks for letting me vent. I've never expressed these concerns out loud before.

Clare

WOW. I did NOT know so many people picked at their skin like me! It is the worst thing ever. I do it without noticing. If I have a zit, or dry skin I pick at it, making my face look horrible with red marks. If I wash my face and it becomes dry, I compulsively pick at the dry parts, especially when I am trying to sleep, its so frustrating because I want to stop picking and wake up with clearer skin, but I always compulsively pick at night Even when I clip my nails down to where it hurts, I always find a way to pick.

I dont know maybe theres something wrong with me.everyone tells me dont pick your pimples dodnt pop them it just will mae them worse.most of the time it does.but for some reason i just have to try and get all the puss out one more time till it makes my skin really bad.what the hells wrong with me anyway?

i woke up this morning and was kinda picking all the dead, flaky skin off my face and when i picked one, i noticed a small deep hole that was black in the middle. Is this just a build up of dead skin? Should i try the baby brush method for exfoliation?

WOW. I did NOT know so many people picked at their skin like me! It is the worst thing ever. I do it without noticing. If I have a zit, or dry skin I pick at it, making my face look horrible with red marks. If I wash my face and it becomes dry, I compulsively pick at the dry parts, especially when I am trying to sleep, its so frustrating because I want to stop picking and wake up with clearer skin, but I always compulsively pick at night Even when I clip my nails down to where it hurts, I always find a way to pick.

This didn't use to happen very often, but right now I have several examples of this on my face. Maybe it has something to do with the weather, but I don't know.

Here's the problem:

I'll go to pop a zit that looks ready (I know--bad), and it'll turn out that nothing is coming out. I'll keep squeezing in the hope that something will surface, and then give up. The next day, I'll go to wash my face or put on makeup, and any rubbing on the surrounding skin makes the skin peel off! Then I'll have an indent where the top layer of skin is gone, several times bigger than the pimple was. It's painful, it's impossible to cover with makeup, and not keeping it covered makes it dry out and crack and bleed. Luckily I'm not working or in school right now, so I'm able to stay home with a band-aid and neosporin over it, but it takes about four days to start to even out. Then I have a scar.

I've never seen my skin like this. I'm not on accutane or any other prescription for acne, so I don't know why all of a sudden my skin is so fragile. Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do to fix it?

.

What do you guys use for your picked acne? When I pick at my acne, it pops and it pusses (gross, i know) and sometimes bleeds a little. It does start to scab, but it's hard to leave it alone as I try to cover it up for my work day. I have used Neosporin, but that seems to take a long time and ends up clogging pores around it... I've moved on to AQUAPHOR, which heals incredibly quickly, but doesn't necessarily kill the bacteria under the skin. Does anyone have any other options for quick open wound healing?

I know that I wrote that "joys of popping zits" post less than a month ago, but since visiting the "Stop Picking On Me" website and gaining a better understanding of my skin I have realized the error of my ways.

I am still not totally "pick-free" but I don't allow myself to pop more than one zit every few days and it has to really, really, REALLY be ready to pop. If the zit doesn't pop with the lightest pressure, I leave it alone.

My skin has looked so, SO much better since I've stopped tearing it apart. The clusters of pimples on my chin are gone and my acne has gone from moderate to mild over the past few weeks.

It was really, really hard for me to admit that my skin could take care of itself. The first few days of not picking my skin were HELL.
I didn't trust my skin to heal on it's own. At first, my face felt immensely dirty if didn't expel all impurities from my skin and I looked reeeeally gross for the first couple of days. However, after those first two or three days, I realized that my skin was looking steadily better every day. It was amazing!

Now I've got loads of redmarks, of course, and I'm really regretting those 5 or 6 years of picking, but at the rate my skin is healing up, I know I'll look fabulous in a few short months.

I am a compulsive picker. I always think okay. It will better if I pick it, but it never does, but still my mindset stays the same. I am on accutane now, and I am breaking out like mad. And whenever I pick and its whitehead.. and i try to squeeze the pimple and the head of the pimple is about to come out omg its so excruciatingly painful, like so painful, i could almost faint. (I do cry sometimes its so bad) Anyone else have this?

I just picked at the ONE zit that appeared on my face in about the last 2 months. I'm not getting many these days since I'm on accutane. But I know I'm a picker because whenever they DO show up I go at it . Just now I squeezed and prodded this on zit near my mouth (and poked it with a needle) because it was hurting and being annoying....... except now it hurts more and I fear I may end up with a scar. Picking makes me feel very ugly... it makes me feel like I'm ruining myself and it emphasizes everything else i hate about myself like my weight and my lack of passion for stuff like school. I feel quite weak at this time....

How can you cure the itch that some new developed pimple or dirt in your skin? Because the reason I pick on my skin most of the time is due to the fact that my face is itchy. So any tips on overcoming the itchiness, or how to take a stand on picking your skin?

to pop these two pimples that look 'ready'
D: It's so hard not tooooooooo

This website is fantastic. I don't remember where I found out about it but it is a great resource to educate yourself about the effects of picking. It also has a forum for skin pickers. I have registered and participate in the forum for support. There is also a 12 step program, similar to the one found in AA, if you feel it is necessary. Please go visit, all hope is not lost!! I have recently relapsed badly into picking but I am hoping yesterday was my LAST relapse and am starting fresh and new today. So PICK FREE 8/26/08!!

I know we've been advised everywhere not to pick our face.

Option A When I didn't pick: When I didn't pick my face I had two whiteheads, and what happened was they got bigger and bigger and bigger. Finally one popped on it's own, and I got my very first acne scar. The second one turned red, got smaller, then got bigger, then it popped on it's own. Second scar. And these lasted forever! Since then the scars have filled in pretty well, but I can still find them.

Option B When I used to pick: Again, two whiteheads, I squeezed until a little blood came out. Then an hour later there would be a scab, then in two days it would be gone for good. I'd watch that place and wait for a second one, but it never came. Oh and no scarring.

Conclusion? I choose B. Anybody had a similar experience?

Hello. I have a problem. I pick at my face way too much- it makes my skin 3X's worse than it really is. I think im a bit OCD. Anyone else struggle with this?

I want to do better & not worry about imperfections. Life is too short.

I looked at stoppickingonme website- good stuff.

Thoughts? Anything to Share?

ok i think the main reason behind picking is because u can physically feel the acne on ur face. and it might itch at times aswell..however sometimes its to do with mirrors..so this challenge is about looking in the morrorr...so first of all...if u loook in the mirror more than 3 times a day...then lets see if we can minimize that...im from today going to try and do only twice a day...

the thing is...if you look in the mirror so offen then you are more aware of the problem..which can cause stress...then cause more acne..also it can llower ones self confidence.!...sso letss all try and see if we can minimize this!

goooooooood luck

Back in highschool suffering from acne it seemed like whenever I would pop my pimples (whiteheads), all the goop would explode on to the mirror. Was it a teenage thing or something as now mine do not explode on to the mirror these days. I am thinking that perhaps my skin was more oily back then or something. Hmn, the things teeanagers have to deal with eh. Not fun at all. Heck even those of us in our late 30s, acne is so not fun!

so i got cortisone shots on 2 huge cysts...and it hadn't improved dramatically in 24 hours so stupid me decided to pick at it...it had sorta become a whitehead. i didn't pick very much, but did i ruin the chances it will work?

I've only been on The Regimen for about a week, and have noticed that I went from constant picking to no touching at all. I was surprised at how optimistic I was - I assumed I wasn't touching because I thought this new regimen actually might work(!) and I was leaving it alone to do its thing.

But then I realized that the real reason I wasn't touching my face was that I didn't want to get BP on my fingers and bleach my clothes.

But hey, whatever works, right?

I need help. I know I'm not alone in this. Even when I make a promise to myself to stop picking, I always end up doing it again. Sometimes I do it subcounciously. I'll be at work and my hand will just go to my face, my fingers scanning it for anything to pick apart. I just can't stop myself.

I know my skin would greatly improve if I could knock this off. But it seems like everytime I tell myself to stop, I always end up picking apart my face and then cleaning it up and dealing with the damage for a while.

My question is, do you guys have any advice for me regarding this? Especially for when I am bored. (And it tends to happen more when I'm stressed.)

Thanks.