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[Babyon86]

I got rid of picking the skin on my face three years ago. I found a methode that worked for me above all else.

Importent is to know what the stimulus is for picking skin and how it works. With me it starting when seeing a pimple or a scab, moslty red mark.

This is the stimulus, the red mark gave the fear. Then comes the coping which is to wanna do something about it, the first reaction is that it shouldn't be there knowing that picking makes it worse. With picking you creat a new wound, more fear so the level of anxiety becomes higher the more you pick your skin. In time it will become a habbit.

In a cirkel it is:

Redness/ bump /scab/ pimple (stimuli)-fear(no control)-picking-wound-more fear (scars)-etc.

This cirkel is destructive and can become an destuctive obsession.

What I did to get rid of it was take the stimuli away, so the redness.
This is maybe going to sound stupid but it was well worth it for me, even if it was embaressing to even consider because I am a guy. I went to a store a long way from home, bought a cover stick to the closest color as my skin and everytime I had the tendecy to start picking I covered the redness up so the trigger to pick my skin was gone.

If there was still the anxiety just give it another sweep and do it until you leave the mirror, if you want to walk back do the same again. I took the cover stick with me everywhere in my pocket and a specially in house. I mad a new habbit when in front of the mirror, instead of picking when seeing redness, I covered it up and took away the stimulus.

For me it took the habbit away to a point that I don't pick unless I think it is not harmfull. No more mirror sessions after a while. Also you should do everything you can about the acne, I mean everything because it could scar and give you al sorts of problems.

For my body acne I do not have a way except just to wear a shirt with long sleaves and shower in dark or vague light, also make note that showering and taking shirt of is the hardest moment.

If this doens't work, or isn't enough, touch the scab or place before picking it and take that time to think what is going to happen in the next two minutes, then walk away from the mirror and promise yourself everything is going to be alright. Don't think you are crazy, it is a anxiety disorder.

Hope to be helpfull

[Babyon86]

It's not like a habbit can't go away, people can learn so observe where it goes wrong. What happens and happend and how did it start so the next time you will be aware when it is happening.

You could create a delay and the have a thought ready like: why should I touch it, what happened last time.

This is how I got rid of it. If you have questions you can always ask or share.

(P.S. excuse my english)