20 replies to this topic

[Vanbelle]

Here I am, finally coming to my own conclusions about my acne. It doesn't matter how many days I lurk this site, looking for the cure, because I already have it. It's to stop skin picking.

I shouldn't be so dumb, to think manuka honey will completely cure my acne. To think Apple Cider Vinegar is the cure-all. To think I'm not exfoliating enough. To think I'm not applying enough BP.

It doesn't matter what I do. If I pick, I will always have acne. I have to accept this. I can't keep thinking I can get away with it. Picking will lead me nowhere good.

So I have to stop. I have to think how good it will be for my skin if I stop.

I'm not quite sure if I can, but I have to try.

More importantly, if I want to succeed, I need to realize why I pick. It's not really a compulsion, for I would not mind having clear skin and never picking because of it--I do it because I don't want to leave my house with whiteheads, inflamed acne. I want to get off as much dead skin as possible and drain all my acne, then medicate, and then I can leave my house in peace. Oh, not to mention the coats of makeup I put on my skin. I want to make my current acne as least noticeable as possible. And, of course, it just makes the situation worse.

So, where do I go from here? I'm not sure. Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up and want to pop every zit. I'll want to do this very badly. Can I handle going to school tomorrow with whiteheads, and no makeup? It will murder my self esteem.

I should only attempt to tackle one thing at a time. So, maybe I can leave the whole makeup situation alone for a while. Who knows. My makeup is "noncomedogenic," I clean my brushes, and I don't apply a lot. I mean, I do sometimes, depending how much of a self-esteem boost I need. So I'll limit how much makeup I put on.

And I won't pick at my skin. I won't...I won't...I won't...

[Vanbelle]

So, day 1 of *attempting to stop* picking. I'm going to log what I have actually done:

I washed my face in the morning. Then I saw 5-6 poppable pimples. So I popped them. I felt bad because it's just about the exact opposite of what I was supposed to do. But, the good news? I stopped myself. I wanted to keep digging, to keep squeezing, to keep picking, fidgeting, but I stopped. But, as I would naturally do, I washed my face again. I usually do this after picking, in the hopes of getting rid of the bacteria or oil residue from my fingers. Of course, that's my reasoning. I think I just wanted to wash my face again.

I knew what I was doing (irritating my skin), so I made it an extra gentle wash. I tried to meet myself half-way. And then I went about my daily routine (treatment, moisturizer, spot treatment, then makeup), then left for the day. I went to a dance class, and despite getting a little sweaty, I didn't wash my face again. I just left it. And then I met up with some friends, and then I went back to my dance studio to do a little more practicing. Then I came home and showered, then washed my face. I looked at my face, and saw things worth popping, but I didn't pop them. However, I did pick off like, 3 flakes. I saw them practically resting on my face, and couldn't help but just gently pull them off. I don't think this did any harm. Now I am in the process of finishing my night routine (currently letting treatment set and dry).

I think not washing my face in the middle of the day has proven to be a good thing. My face, despite having whiteheads, did not look irritated or anything.

Update: Since this post, I went through a phase of washing my face once a day, and sometimes none at that. Washing your face has nothing to do with clear skin. My final conclusion! Consistent regimens that utilize topicals for their anti-inflammatory benefits and for exfoliation are what should be looked at. Combating oil is pointless if you are speaking in terms of an acne solution--and even then, less oil is produced when you wash less.

I think I should set a goal for myself, and as a reward, I'll go get a facial. I hope the facial won't make me break out or anything! But the esthetician I've gone to before performs extractions properly. I've heard that the proper method is actually good for healing acne, so I'll wait until the *no picking* business heals a lot of my skin, then allow the facial to help nab some stubborn acne.

Update: Got that facial. It was well worth it.

As for exfoliation, I used to want to this every day, but I'm not sure how to do this at the moment. I don't want irritate my skin, but if I know anything about myself, it's that I won't be able to stand the dead skin. At all. Whatsoever. I'll need that dead skin gone.

Update: This was during my use of DKR, so flakiness was absolutely. horrid. Do not have this problem anymore!

After my skin clears a little more, and when I can begin to exfoliate, I'll attempt using less and less makeup. So, I can do this: No makeup Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Just Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday, I could even go to school and then just apply the makeup later. We'll see. I just need to slowly ween myself off makeup as well. Everyone can see the acne anyway. Who am I trying to fool? So, I'll just have to take the plunge.

Update: I did this no makeup thing for a while, during some of the worst skin of my life. It was crippling mentally. I am trying it again now that my skin is looking better, but honestly, I do not recommend going makeup free if you're not ready to handle it. It's a very psychological process, and I did not handle it very well.

Edited by sgoodleitz, 05 May 2011 - 03:10 PM.

[Vanbelle]

This morning I woke up, and wow! My skin looks great. I still have acne, sure, but it is much less inflamed and dying down. I went to the gym, got all sweaty and gross, and came home to shower. As I was driving home, my right hand subconsciously went to my jawline, and I started picking at zits on my jaw. Then I realized what I was doing and stopped myself. I couldn't believe I just started doing it without thinking. I guess picking is much more a habitual behavior than I realized.

I showered, and afterward washed my face at the sink. I started rubbing in jojoba oil, and felt the roughness of my zits. They bothered me so much, that I knew I could pick off their scabbed over surface, but I tried my best not to. In the end, I ended up gently scraping off 3 flakes, and I popped one massive whitehead right above my upper lip. I saw approximately 10-15 more pimples I could have picked at, popped, etc, but tried my best not to. I even let a whitehead on my cheek stay there. That's crazy to me. A whitehead! The horror!

I just have to remember: I have to let this process happen, and then once this is done, I can begin proper gentle exfoliation. And I can stop wearing makeup, and have naturally beautiful skin. I just have to let my skin heal.

[Vanbelle]

Ah. End of Day 2. Okay, so here's what happened:

I finished putting on my moisturizer, and I added a couple drops of jojoba oil. That combination cause the BP and lotion to ball up, and I ended up picking up the balling bits. And then, in class, I picked at my neck, right near my jaw. There was a lot of "gunk," or a paste made by BP and my lotion. I guess I can't use jojoba oil in the morning. I'll try that tomorrow maybe? Maybe I should try using my regular moisturizer, but no jojoba. I think the Eucerin itself balls up.

I picked at the side of my face too, for there was lots of pickable gunky paste. I went to the bathroom during class, And got a paper towel and rubbed it along my jaw. So, I don't blame my picking on my habit: I blame it on the damn gunk! If I didn't have that stuff, I wouldn't have picked.

But, honestly, I did better than most days. I didn't flat out pop zits in the bathroom, pick scabs off till they bleed during class, etc etc.

After showering tonight and massaging with jojoba, I popped two zits: one on my right cheek and one on my left cheek. I also picked off about, 3-4 flakes. I'm really attempting not to do this. Trying so hard not to pop every zit possible.

That all being said, I still think I've done sufficiently better than before. I didn't wash my face in the middle of the day, I didn't sit in front of my mirror and do a picking fest, and I didn't pick until I was bleeding during class.

So here I am. Less and less picking every day. Less and less makeup every day. Less and less. Trying to get purer and purer. Here's to hoping I can keep this up.

[taylorobvi]

welcome and congratulations on beginning your journey to stop picking. youve made a HUGE step!

it is great that you are recognizing what a success it is to be picking less and less, and as long as you keep doing that, you are on the right track! this is a very difficult disease to quit cold turkey. There will likely be a few slip ups oon your way, but it happens to all of us. (i slipped up after being pick free for 4 weeks! agh!) but the best part is that you are here, and you have support, and you can DO this now! Nothing is going to stop you. You are strong, and you can beat this and finally get the clear skin you know you can get!

Keep up the good work!
-Taylor

[Vanbelle]

welcome and congratulations on beginning your journey to stop picking. youve made a HUGE step!

it is great that you are recognizing what a success it is to be picking less and less, and as long as you keep doing that, you are on the right track! this is a very difficult disease to quit cold turkey. There will likely be a few slip ups oon your way, but it happens to all of us. (i slipped up after being pick free for 4 weeks! agh!) but the best part is that you are here, and you have support, and you can DO this now! Nothing is going to stop you. You are strong, and you can beat this and finally get the clear skin you know you can get!

Keep up the good work!
-Taylor

Wow Taylor, thank you so much. Yes, slip ups. I can count today as a legitimate "slip-up" I suppose. I was running very late to class, and had no time to put on my makeup, so I ended up going to class without anything on. I didn't really mind because I don't know anyone in my classes, but when I ran home afterward to put makeup on for work, I picked. I popped quite a few zits and squeezed at quite a few pores.

Okay, I'm not going to lie, I was meeting up with a guy. A guy I hadn't seen a long while, and I really didn't want to see him with a bunch of whiteheads. So, yes, I picked. I did as little as possible, but nonetheless...it is what it is.

I have to remember that tomorrow, I don't do anything. Even tonight, I'll be so tempted, but I just shouldn't do a thing. I'm all sweaty and gross at the moment (Tuesdays are my longest day), and will be needing a little shower.

I discovered something about the regimen, however. The longer I wait, the better the results. For example, waiting 10 minutes after washing my face, waiting 20-30 minutes after BP, and moisturizing and leaving that on for another good 30 minutes before doing makeup. I think I've continually made the mistake of doing the regimen and not waiting before applying makeup, which has resulted in clumping.

What I'm getting at: if this is true, then I won't have the "gunk" that I created with the Eucerin. No need to pick.

I will get better at all this. I will get better.

Edited by sgoodleitz, 14 September 2010 - 11:26 PM.

[ivanna]

welcome and congratulations on beginning your journey to stop picking. youve made a HUGE step!

it is great that you are recognizing what a success it is to be picking less and less, and as long as you keep doing that, you are on the right track! this is a very difficult disease to quit cold turkey. There will likely be a few slip ups oon your way, but it happens to all of us. (i slipped up after being pick free for 4 weeks! agh!) but the best part is that you are here, and you have support, and you can DO this now! Nothing is going to stop you. You are strong, and you can beat this and finally get the clear skin you know you can get!

Keep up the good work!
-Taylor

Wow Taylor, thank you so much. Yes, slip ups. I can count today as a legitimate "slip-up" I suppose. I was running very late to class, and had no time to put on my makeup, so I ended up going to class without anything on. I didn't really mind because I don't know anyone in my classes, but when I ran home afterward to put makeup on for work, I picked. I popped quite a few zits and squeezed at quite a few pores.

Okay, I'm not going to lie, I was meeting up with a guy. A guy I hadn't seen a long while, and I really didn't want to see him with a bunch of whiteheads. So, yes, I picked. I did as little as possible, but nonetheless...it is what it is.

I have to remember that tomorrow, I don't do anything. Even tonight, I'll be so tempted, but I just shouldn't do a thing. I'm all sweaty and gross at the moment (Tuesdays are my longest day), and will be needing a little shower.

I discovered something about the regimen, however. The longer I wait, the better the results. For example, waiting 10 minutes after washing my face, waiting 20-30 minutes after BP, and moisturizing and leaving that on for another good 30 minutes before doing makeup. I think I've continually made the mistake of doing the regimen and not waiting before applying makeup, which has resulted in clumping.

What I'm getting at: if this is true, then I won't have the "gunk" that I created with the Eucerin. No need to pick.

I will get better at all this. I will get better.

Hey!! i'n so glad i'm not the only one here!! i tried to make my own blog ,, but i'm clueless!! =)
anyway no- picking is one of the hardests things!! I had i whole week of no pickin whick i totally f up last night!! so i'm starting over!!! day 1 2day!! =) so far so good!!!
anyway i'm sure you would give anyting to have clear skin... i would... i would even give 100 bucks,,, =)
but all we need to do is not pick at it!! i have proven it to myself a couple of times!!!
Its just 3 days of my whole life that i have to sacrifice , then 10 days, then 20 then hopefully the habit will be broken =)
i'll update again 2morow!! =)
good luck!!! Stay strong!!! and remeba its just somethin that u have 2 sacrifice for a couple of days!!! ps. i find i stressball handy if i have the urge to pick!!! think of this blog everytym u wana pick!!!!!! =)

[taylorobvi]

i would suggest that if you havent already, i would suggest visiting stoppickingonme.com

it is an incredible resource absolutely FULL of information about picking and how to stop. make sure you read the whole site!

[Vanbelle]

Hey!! i'n so glad i'm not the only one here!! i tried to make my own blog ,, but i'm clueless!! =)
anyway no- picking is one of the hardests things!! I had i whole week of no pickin whick i totally f up last night!! so i'm starting over!!! day 1 2day!! =) so far so good!!!
anyway i'm sure you would give anyting to have clear skin... i would... i would even give 100 bucks,,, =)
but all we need to do is not pick at it!! i have proven it to myself a couple of times!!!
Its just 3 days of my whole life that i have to sacrifice , then 10 days, then 20 then hopefully the habit will be broken =)
i'll update again 2morow!! =)
good luck!!! Stay strong!!! and remeba its just somethin that u have 2 sacrifice for a couple of days!!! ps. i find i stressball handy if i have the urge to pick!!! think of this blog everytym u wana pick!!!!!! =)

Thank you! I like all your uses of smiley faces.

Yes, I would give 100 bucks! I think we all have. I've probably invested over a thousand in various beauty products (Until I discovered the return policy at Sephora...which lets you use product and you can return it, half empty, if you weren't satisfied. And they give you a full refund!).

A stressball hmm? I could give it a shot. I need something to keep my hands busy. Thanks again!

[ivanna]

Hey!! i'n so glad i'm not the only one here!! i tried to make my own blog ,, but i'm clueless!! =)
anyway no- picking is one of the hardests things!! I had i whole week of no pickin whick i totally f up last night!! so i'm starting over!!! day 1 2day!! =) so far so good!!!
anyway i'm sure you would give anyting to have clear skin... i would... i would even give 100 bucks,,, =)
but all we need to do is not pick at it!! i have proven it to myself a couple of times!!!
Its just 3 days of my whole life that i have to sacrifice , then 10 days, then 20 then hopefully the habit will be broken =)
i'll update again 2morow!! =)
good luck!!! Stay strong!!! and remeba its just somethin that u have 2 sacrifice for a couple of days!!! ps. i find i stressball handy if i have the urge to pick!!! think of this blog everytym u wana pick!!!!!! =)

Thank you! I like all your uses of smiley faces.

Yes, I would give 100 bucks! I think we all have. I've probably invested over a thousand in various beauty products (Until I discovered the return policy at Sephora...which lets you use product and you can return it, half empty, if you weren't satisfied. And they give you a full refund!).

A stressball hmm? I could give it a shot. I need something to keep my hands busy. Thanks again!

Its a pleasure =)
Anyway i have tried so many things too,, the craziest thing i have done was 12 days without washing my face,,,even with water!!! hehe
i have tried so many washes... but i never really noticed that i had an addiction , because it just got part of my daily routine - picking
Anyway i started making a journal about 5 months ago and i noticed that there wasn't one day that i didn't pick !!! not even one!!! anyway my main point of this journal was trying to figure out what washes and foods go with my face!!! after this journal i began to realize that i have been doing this for more than 2 years!!-- my sister is a compulsive picker!!! she has had really bad acne problems since she was 11 and she is 20 now and still no improvement!! she picks every single day--- i think that is how i started =)
anyway i believe it has a lot of psycological factors....like if i think back , the last 3 years has been my worst ever!! and i have been very depressed!! i'm sort of a perfectionist, i have been underweight several times (my way of being perfect) I think i set very high standerds and goals for myself!!! I have a lot of pressure at school ,, i always get in the high in the 90s,, and i'm very stressfull =)
whenever i do somethin wrong ,, like eat to much, i tend to go and pick at my face,, but then after that i'm even more dissapointed in myself =(
I have had several times when i didn't pick for weeks =) and my skin looked gr8t!! and i felt happier!! =) What i did was i had a picture of someone with flawless skin next to the mirror and at night time i would dim the lights !! i also had consant reminders on my fone,, but most importantly i tried to relax,,, classical music , bubble baths , stressball =)
But about 3 night ago i picked at my whole face =( eeeeeeeee!!! i have this thing of even just pickin at a little , teenyweeny bumb,,, could even b a freckle!! Anyway enough about that =)
today is day 2 , and so far so good =) ... didn't go to school 2day because i have scabs all over my face and i'm not planning to go till monday =)
I contantly remind myself how picking makes me feel =( it's the worst thing ever-- i feel really weak afterwards- because i don't have any addictions ...i hate alcohol etc ,, i dont even drink coffee!!
Let me know how u r doing!!!! i'll update again 2morow!! =)
And everytime you wanna pick -- think of me,, and i'm saying dont do it - you'll regret it!! =)
just let nature do its thing stop interfering!!! and keep busy ,, consentrate on something else!!
good luck!! ps- i know u wont pick!! =)
b strong!!

[Vanbelle]

Its a pleasure =)
Anyway i have tried so many things too,, the craziest thing i have done was 12 days without washing my face,,,even with water!!! hehe
i have tried so many washes... but i never really noticed that i had an addiction , because it just got part of my daily routine - picking
Anyway i started making a journal about 5 months ago and i noticed that there wasn't one day that i didn't pick !!! not even one!!! anyway my main point of this journal was trying to figure out what washes and foods go with my face!!! after this journal i began to realize that i have been doing this for more than 2 years!!-- my sister is a compulsive picker!!! she has had really bad acne problems since she was 11 and she is 20 now and still no improvement!! she picks every single day--- i think that is how i started =)
anyway i believe it has a lot of psycological factors....like if i think back , the last 3 years has been my worst ever!! and i have been very depressed!! i'm sort of a perfectionist, i have been underweight several times (my way of being perfect) I think i set very high standerds and goals for myself!!! I have a lot of pressure at school ,, i always get in the high in the 90s,, and i'm very stressfull =)
whenever i do somethin wrong ,, like eat to much, i tend to go and pick at my face,, but then after that i'm even more dissapointed in myself =(
I have had several times when i didn't pick for weeks =) and my skin looked gr8t!! and i felt happier!! =) What i did was i had a picture of someone with flawless skin next to the mirror and at night time i would dim the lights !! i also had consant reminders on my fone,, but most importantly i tried to relax,,, classical music , bubble baths , stressball =)
But about 3 night ago i picked at my whole face =( eeeeeeeee!!! i have this thing of even just pickin at a little , teenyweeny bumb,,, could even b a freckle!! Anyway enough about that =)
today is day 2 , and so far so good =) ... didn't go to school 2day because i have scabs all over my face and i'm not planning to go till monday =)
I contantly remind myself how picking makes me feel =( it's the worst thing ever-- i feel really weak afterwards- because i don't have any addictions ...i hate alcohol etc ,, i dont even drink coffee!!
Let me know how u r doing!!!! i'll update again 2morow!! =)
And everytime you wanna pick -- think of me,, and i'm saying dont do it - you'll regret it!! =)
just let nature do its thing stop interfering!!! and keep busy ,, consentrate on something else!!
good luck!! ps- i know u wont pick!! =)
b strong!!

Thank you so much! Well, I gave in to skin picking yesterday. It was unfortunate. I went to school without makeup, just like I promised myself, but my skin was so dry and flaky (I itched once at the side of my mouth and felt all the flakes), that I ended up scraping off dead flakes all class. I felt terrible about it too.

Today I also picked, popping zits etc etc. I haven't had any terrible picking sessions yet. Just the popping and scraping. But I need to stop now or else it's going to head down that road.

I have a perfectionist thing too. In high school, it was all about getting A's and being the best in my class. I don't know what drove me to such crazy standards. I've recently become vegan as an attempt to stay more in control, and I'm a dancer so perfection is all I think about. I'm constantly working out and going to the gym to get into better shape. It's all a game, a game of trying to be something I can't. A little sad.

Tomorrow will be interesting. Tomorrow will be a pick-free day. I can already predict that I'm going to stay home, so I will spend all day doing projects around the house. I won't have to worry about anyone seeing my skin, so I won't pick at it. Stopping my picking has given the best results, above anything else. I need to remember that.

Thank you so much. You stay strong too! It's hard to remember, but I have to think: you will have clear skin if you don't pick. Picking will break you out. You can be one step closer to the girl you want to be if you just don't pick. Don't pick. I have to remember.

[ivanna]

Its a pleasure =)
Anyway i have tried so many things too,, the craziest thing i have done was 12 days without washing my face,,,even with water!!! hehe
i have tried so many washes... but i never really noticed that i had an addiction , because it just got part of my daily routine - picking
Anyway i started making a journal about 5 months ago and i noticed that there wasn't one day that i didn't pick !!! not even one!!! anyway my main point of this journal was trying to figure out what washes and foods go with my face!!! after this journal i began to realize that i have been doing this for more than 2 years!!-- my sister is a compulsive picker!!! she has had really bad acne problems since she was 11 and she is 20 now and still no improvement!! she picks every single day--- i think that is how i started =)
anyway i believe it has a lot of psycological factors....like if i think back , the last 3 years has been my worst ever!! and i have been very depressed!! i'm sort of a perfectionist, i have been underweight several times (my way of being perfect) I think i set very high standerds and goals for myself!!! I have a lot of pressure at school ,, i always get in the high in the 90s,, and i'm very stressfull =)
whenever i do somethin wrong ,, like eat to much, i tend to go and pick at my face,, but then after that i'm even more dissapointed in myself =(
I have had several times when i didn't pick for weeks =) and my skin looked gr8t!! and i felt happier!! =) What i did was i had a picture of someone with flawless skin next to the mirror and at night time i would dim the lights !! i also had consant reminders on my fone,, but most importantly i tried to relax,,, classical music , bubble baths , stressball =)
But about 3 night ago i picked at my whole face =( eeeeeeeee!!! i have this thing of even just pickin at a little , teenyweeny bumb,,, could even b a freckle!! Anyway enough about that =)
today is day 2 , and so far so good =) ... didn't go to school 2day because i have scabs all over my face and i'm not planning to go till monday =)
I contantly remind myself how picking makes me feel =( it's the worst thing ever-- i feel really weak afterwards- because i don't have any addictions ...i hate alcohol etc ,, i dont even drink coffee!!
Let me know how u r doing!!!! i'll update again 2morow!! =)
And everytime you wanna pick -- think of me,, and i'm saying dont do it - you'll regret it!! =)
just let nature do its thing stop interfering!!! and keep busy ,, consentrate on something else!!
good luck!! ps- i know u wont pick!! =)
b strong!!

Thank you so much! Well, I gave in to skin picking yesterday. It was unfortunate. I went to school without makeup, just like I promised myself, but my skin was so dry and flaky (I itched once at the side of my mouth and felt all the flakes), that I ended up scraping off dead flakes all class. I felt terrible about it too.

Today I also picked, popping zits etc etc. I haven't had any terrible picking sessions yet. Just the popping and scraping. But I need to stop now or else it's going to head down that road.

I have a perfectionist thing too. In high school, it was all about getting A's and being the best in my class. I don't know what drove me to such crazy standards. I've recently become vegan as an attempt to stay more in control, and I'm a dancer so perfection is all I think about. I'm constantly working out and going to the gym to get into better shape. It's all a game, a game of trying to be something I can't. A little sad.

Tomorrow will be interesting. Tomorrow will be a pick-free day. I can already predict that I'm going to stay home, so I will spend all day doing projects around the house. I won't have to worry about anyone seeing my skin, so I won't pick at it. Stopping my picking has given the best results, above anything else. I need to remember that.

Thank you so much. You stay strong too! It's hard to remember, but I have to think: you will have clear skin if you don't pick. Picking will break you out. You can be one step closer to the girl you want to be if you just don't pick. Don't pick. I have to remember.

Remember that your face will itch for a couple of days-- it is becuz it is busy heally all the marks we picked at =) ,, so b patient and know its normal to b itchy the first 4 days or so!!
Yes you need need to stop picking!!!! =) ,, but first you need to forgive yourself for picking , dont get angry at yourself!! this isnt skin deep ,, so strart loving yourself =) even if you do stupid things =)
I know exactly what u mean ,, i have been off gluten for a whole year till alst month-- i was a health freak--- i guess its sort off becuz i was always underweight and i like having taht control over my life ,, becuz in a way i hav lost it,, so i try controlling stuff like that. and i always have this thing that i dont feel ready ... its like i have to lose for weight or become pretier or better!! we have to stop setting such high goals and standers for ousrselves!! =( ,, anyway i'm trying to change now ,, so i stopped,,,
I find it very usefull to spoil myself and relax!! Its all in the mind !! if i we want to stop picking our mind needs to b stronger,, so to acchieve this i take bubble baths, canddles , listen to classic music, meditate- I make my mind strong everyday!!! and when my mind is strong i dont want to pick,,, becuz i feel stronger!!! so learn to love yourself as well =)
relax,,, i spoil myself like this everyday,,, even just going for a walk is good!!
Just see it as anyother habit - smoking, drinking, pulling hair-- if they can stop so can we!! just let your minf become stronger!! make your mind and body one!!!
good luck --- =) and everytime u wana pick just remind yourself you r stronger than this!!! take it day by day!!! relax =)

[Vanbelle]

Remember that your face will itch for a couple of days-- it is becuz it is busy heally all the marks we picked at =) ,, so b patient and know its normal to b itchy the first 4 days or so!!

Oh. my. gosh. The day I read this, I gave myself a honey mask and the itching was so bad I was going to DIE! I'm not even kidding. It was to the point of near pain, so bad itching. I was on my bed, trying not to think about it, and just couldn't bear it. Itching so bad! So I ran to the shower and rubbed my face for a towel. For a very, very long time. That itching though, just unbearable.

I'm not sure if I can say my picking has gotten any better so far. As of right now, I am picking my skin. I've even had a couple class, mindless picking sessions. However, no bleeding. If I don't bleed after picking and scraping, I'm still considering that better than before. I'm stopping myself at least before I get that bad, which counts for something.

Still struggling, still giving in sometimes, still trying to set my limits. My acne is getting better day after day, and I just have to remind myself that picking will do no good. In fact, picking is worse. I have to tell myself this. I so often forget.

I was messing around with baking soda for a couple days, and decided to stop. After my fourth time using it, my skin felt irritated. And I know baking soda is alkaline, so I just used my common sense on this one. If it's already irritating my skin and stripping the acid mantle on my face too, it's going to do nothing for my skin. I'm considering incorporating it in later, when I have no active acne and just want help smoothing skin and exfoliating dead skin cells. For now, I'll just stay clear. I don't want to get ahead of myself, what with already altering so much on this regimen.

And, in the light of irritation and common sense, there are other things I've been telling myself: if I am going to pop a zit, should I do this in the morning or night? Because I know myself, and I know that I will not leave the house with a whitehead in the middle of my forehead. I was originally restraining myself to the morning, but then I thought, why irritate my skin, only to slap makeup over it and have it combat all external elements I face during the day (ie pollution and such)? That would just make it worse. So, I've changed my daily restriction of popping to night time, before I apply my honey mask. First, I'll wash all my makeup off with jojoba, pop 3-4 zits and ONLY 3-4, splash with water and apply honey mask. Then, after however long, gently massage off the mask and splash again with water. Dabbing a little dry, I'll then massage some more jojoba in. Let the jojoba sit for however long, splash with water, pat dry, and then apply 3 pumps BP. Then wait for a long time, then apply Egyptian Magic. Then wait however long, then spot treat with AHA+ or honey. Depends on the day. This is all essentially what I've been doing, but the difference? No lamb's milk. Eliminating lamb's milk from the night routine might be beneficial because I'm already using jojoba for makeup and the honey I massage off, so why bother with a cleanser? I've heard many people on this site talk about honey cleansers. Why not? Pretty soon I think I might change my cleanser from Lamb's milk to the honey&olive oil cleansing bar I purchased. Since olive oil is already in Egyptian Magic, I'm not particularly adding another ingredient into my regimen. I'm actually subtracting lamb's milk, so net loss. Awesome. Goal is to be less and less irritating. Less and less skin confusion, so less and less random breakouts and better complexion.

Oh, the road to clear skin. Your end is elusive, and I struggle on this path. I hope I get to the end soon.

[pokemonster]

im sorry i didnt read all for now, but i just read that u even pick at school? id suggest be careful, dont start to do that in the middle of a class, uknow..btw there is this video on youtube where one guy was caught picking some pimple, only it was even worse he took it and lol eat it, he was soo unaware, and now its on youtube lolz, might have been most embarassing moment for him evr, so be carefull to not get videocaught or else how noticed at school too

Edited by fugleee_dumbBUNNY, 05 October 2010 - 04:54 PM.

[Vanbelle]

im sorry i didnt read all for now, but i just read that u even pick at school? wow u got guts or something? anyways id suggest be careful, dont start to do that in the middle of a class, uknow..btw there is this video on youtube where one guy was caught picking some pimple, only it was even worse he took it and lol eat it, he was soo unaware, and now its on youtube lolz, might have been most embarassing moment for him evr, so be carefull to not get videocaught or else how noticed at school too

I don't pop zits at school, I usually am scraping off dead skin and agitating the shit out of it. I peel off so, so many flakes...it's ridiculous. I only pick at school when I realize my skin is flaky. I just can't stand flakes. But I've been trying to stop. Thanks for the warning, lol. That would be ridiculously embarrassing.

[Vanbelle]

Hey there, just wondering if you've had any progress? I've just come to the conclusion that I really am a compulsive skin picker, not even just on my face. I think that it has spread from my picking at my legs to my picking at my face. I just scratched a bunch of dead skin off of my face (started doing a water-only regimen about 5 days ago, haven't exfoliated in weeks) because it looks like a mask of dead skin, and I've picked at a few old pustule pus scabs. I also can't stop scraping my forehead, because I have a bunch of clogged pores there. But I know that if I stop scraping, it will probably die down like the ones on my inner cheeks have.

I'd love to see how you are doing, how you are feeling. I wish I had a friend with this problem, or an understanding boyfriend, who I could talk to about this adn get physical support for it. Right now I can feel a weird sensation in my arms, wanting to go to my face and scratch away. Especially at my really big chin pustule. UGGGH. I'm hoping I don't break out in new whiteheads/pustules on my face from where I scratched.

Btw, I find that exfoliating with scrubs or cloths makes my acne worse, so I definitely advise against exfoliating until your acne is no longer really active, and perhaps not even after that unless you have a lot of dead skin build up.

Hey AshleyNicole!

Well, my progress so far? I'm definitely picking less and less. I am a compulsive picker too to the extreme. I realized this thinking back to when I was about 10, I always had this nervous habit of pinching the skin on my neck. My mom told me one day to stop, saying "You've always done that, since you were about 3 or 4." Picking has really been a life-long thing for me, in one form or another I guess.

Update: Since picking less, skin pinching has come back full force.

How am I feeling? It's hard to say. Now that I have less acne, I have less to pick, and I have less urge. So I'm barely picking at all anymore. The last picking "episode" I had was when I had extreme flakes, 1 week ago. That was the last time I used a generous amount of benzoyl peroxide, prescribed in Dan's regimen. I'm not really using his BP a lot anymore, and therefore have hardly any flakes and nothing left to pick.

I have caught myself, however, running my fingers along my chin and upper lip, amazed by the smoothness. So, I guess you could say, I'm having a lot of success, but I can't completely credit this success to less picking. It's my regimen, really.

And, not to be stalkerish, but I already knew all about your regimen (I've always been really curious about the whole "do-nothing" skincare regimen, and found your thread a few days ago). I've read up on other threads about doing nothing, and I conclude that perhaps it isn't the best thing to do absolutely nothing. I hope you're having progress! But, all the dirt and contaminants that our skin collects in a day should be taken off somehow, right? That's just my logic. And some people add water to doing nothing, but water can be just as irritating as cleansers. There are many skin conditions that are induced by hard water, in fact. For example, are you using tap water? If you are, could I suggest switching to distilled water or filtering your tap water? Chlorine content can be really, really irritating.

Update: I do use tap water now, but I should say that if you really are looking into a very gentle, quick approach to treating inflammation and a breakout, using distilled water for a time can be a great trick. It's helped me greatly when combating very sensitive breakouts.

For me, with the regimen I have now, I'm slowly inching towards using no water. Right now, I apply my cleanser (which is really a cream), and wipe off with a slightly damp towel. That's it. Eventually, I hope to essentially be doing nothing, except cold cream. No water either. I just have to have the guts to try it. I'm still too brainwashed to use water.

If you're curious, the regimen I'm doing right now is leaving my skin glowing, I'm getting no new acne, I have no more active acne, and I have no flakiness or blotchiness or dryness. And my skincare routine has been cut down from 1 hour (that was the DKR days), to about 5 minutes.

If you want to talk about anything, feel free to post it here or message me. I still skin pick, regardless, and don't really have understanding friends either. They all have perfect skin, those genetically lucky people.

Edited by sgoodleitz, 05 May 2011 - 03:16 PM.

[Vanbelle]

Glad to hear that your seeing progress! I also have less acne to pick, but I have a lot of clogged pores. I've exfoliated a few times this week and it seems to help a bit, but I'm not sure.

And I'm using water day and night now. I never used to have an issue with water growing up, and no issue with irritation/dryness until I started using skincare products. I've tried no-water cleansers that require being used with cotton pads, and they were just as drying as using regular products even though they were designed for drier skin! I'm hoping my skin can adjust to water so that it doesn't feel super dry or anything. I'm assuming that it will be a bit dry in the winter as the rest of my body is starting to feel a bit dry, but I'd gladly deal with minor facial dryness during the winter than rely on products haha.

I'm hoping to be able to simply rinse with water twice a day and exfoliate about once a week as my regular routine. I already just use water on my body, and I'm in no way looking or feeling dirtier

You say your skin is dry? If it doesn't bother you, well, then I guess it doesn't really matter. But, have you given using distilled water a shot though? I honestly think it could be the answer for some people. I have heard so, so many stories of people clearing their acne just by switching water. For example, have you ever heard of hard water dermatitis? Here's a link about it. I know that article talks a lot about hard water and its effects with soaps and detergents, which doesn't really apply because you don't use products, but the article is still pretty informative.

I know I'm not a professional or anything, but I'd like to be. I do a lot of research on my own time, and really think there is something to hard water. Here's a thread on Acne.org that talks about it.

Please, let me know what you think! I'd really really really like to hear your progress if you switched to distilled or purified water. Hey, there's nothing to lose, right? Except acne, of course!

[Vanbelle]

My skin isn't really dry - it's dehydrated. So it FEELS tight and dry, but it's not dry to the touch. I think that I just need to drink more water to help - if this doesn't work, then I'll consider incorporating hydrating masks during the winter. I've never had issues with water drying me out in the past growing up until I started using a bunch of products (face and body).

I don't think I'll switch to distilled water simply because I don't want to go through all that trouble. If my skin still feels really bothered, then I might, or I will just get a water softener. But if I do decide to try it out, I'll definitely keep you updated

Yes, please keep me updated!

[Vanbelle]

Wow it's been a while. Alright so, yes I still pick. But I don't ever pick to any extremes anymore. I maybe deal with a few blemishes, and then let it be. My skin is fine with this so far. If I don't make more progress on my other regimen adventures, then I'll stop picking completely. I'll be back to modify this thread and clean it up, it's way too long.

[09alisa]

"It doesn't matter what I do. If I pick, I will always have acne. I have to accept this. I can't keep thinking I can get away with it. Picking will lead me nowhere good."

I love this, and feel 100% the same. I hope it's going well for you!