lol....74% gives you pretty good odds, I guess.

I have exactly what you have, Jack. Little tiny indentations that may or may not go away after some time. I don't have any real scars, though. Maybe one or two really small ones, but I don't really care about those. Honestly, at this point, I'd be happy with indentations and hyperpigmentation and no more active marks to pick at. Also, too bad about the girl being distant! Hopefully you'll get another chance before next weekend!

I did an Epsom salt bath last night and it was the most relaxing thing I've ever experienced. Epsom salt is supposed to calm your body down and take away pain for some reason. It really did that. Oh my gosh...my whole body felt more relaxed than it has in so long and the muscle pain that was lingering after a particularly hard workout has completely gone away. It also reduced the redness in my face. I'm gonna rinse my face with Epsom salt water every night to see if it will make a difference in my red marks/existing marks. My skin is really soft today- body and face!

Alice, I think you're right about the severity of scars being from the type of acne you have. I also think it's from the type of skin you have as well as how much you pick at it. I wish I had never picked because it caused more acne on my face. Boooo..

as of now... i have no active spots. All just hyperpigmentation and pick marks..

I know it wont be flawless, but i hope over time using a moisturiser and exfoliant that new skin will surface and be much better ?

I really don't like the indentations they make me sad its depressing what i have done to myself.. i dont know how to feel about it other than stupid and ashamed

What up sets me is that i've picked for years knowing its not good yet haven't been able to stop. its an anxiety thing to, is the only excuse i have for the reason.

mm its a strange one, she is replying to me, but seems to take a while and i'll be honest her interest was more the other day.. going to ask her regardless before end of next week..

epsom salts, hmm, well salt heals things i guess! i've heard of them before, what is there intended use? muscle pain?

out of interest how many years have you consciously picked? for me its been about 5 years.. far to long

i looked in the mirror again and i have a few sort of 'pore sized scars' i mean, when i don't move my mouth to one side to stretch the other side, you cant see it, looks like a small like line. Then when i move my mouth to the other side to stretch the skin i notice how it become a depression and slightly more noticeable. I dont know if this will ever go away in time or not :/. I will keep using BHA and hopefully that as well as time will get rid of it. I might use red light therapy just on that spot and see if that helps. If it does of course i'll let you know. (ive got a small love my skin LMS red light device)

My favorite exfoliants are AHAs, especially the 5% stuff from Paula's Choice-- well, actually, that's the only one I've ever tried. It definitely reduces my pore-size and. I always thought I just had scars that were "pore-sized," but I guess they're just my pores. In fact, I just ordered some more AHA! Woo! Have you seen my pictures/log for when I was using AHA and BHA exfoliants? I got really clear for a nice, long time. It was awesome especially because I was a high school teacher and being in front of kids can be bad if your skin is bad! haha If you're wondering (which maybe you aren't ), I quit teaching to join the military as an Officer Your BHA may help, but when I used BHA, it was best for just getting stuff out of my pores and kind of "cleaning" my skin up and making it feel nice.

I guess I've consciously picked for about 6 years-- so since I was about 16-17. Although, back when I was 14, when I only got an occasional spot, I remember trying to dig out any "blind" zits that I would get and would end up with HUGE scabs that didn't go away for a month or two. Needless to say, I was not a "cool kid" in high school.

And Epsom salts are used for muscle pain, but they seem to work really well for swelling and redness in spots on the face, as well.

In terms of picking, I've been doing really well! Although, last night, I drank some wine with my boyfriend and ended up going to sleep without washing my makeup. I woke up with a ready-to-pop whitehead. So...I may have popped it. BUT. I did it in a sanitary manner.

Other than that one spot, I have no other actives. Yay!

Oh awesome, thats a big career change right there! what made you change?

Yeah I was using the sample of the 8%AHA gel and it just eventually broke me out by making the skin too oily.

i think the only thing i can do is continue to use the charcoal loreal for men, dermo lotion, the red light and maybe BHA/Tea tree oil + witch hazel (sounds a lot but its not) wash (which also exfoliates) then moisturise.. then spot treat/scar treat

for me I picked when I was around 19-20 here and there as i was relatively clear thanks to anti-biotics. then I came off them and it got bad/ progressively worse at 21/22. Up to now i've picked and caused havok and I think when you age your skin wont repair itself fully like it used to.

I still think its ok to pop a juicy white head that is ready. its not ok when it isn't ready and you try digging for it.

I am going to see how the land lies after a month of this new regime and go from there. May or may not need to see a dermatologist if the scars get worse, or don't heal.

I wish I could get some AHA, I always hear good reviews (Jack I guess you're an exception ) but I don't live in the US so it's hard to find... so is tea tree/jojoba oil. I currently use a salicylic acid off-brand scrub, and it works quite well with blackheads.

I started picking a few months ago, as of last year I didn't even pop them... it grossed me out. So this escalated kind of quickly haha.

And on an update, the scabs are aaaalmost gone!! Amazing!! Though I did pull one before it was ready so it's kind of bloody now. But by next weekend I'll hopefully be 100% clear! I'm so excited! My skin has actually never looked better except for the scabs, it's softer and has a kind of glow. I think this is because of the change in my habits, I've been eating super clean and working out for the past month (I lost 5lb too ).

Jack, I'm sure that they will at least improve within a month, because these things might take some time. Maybe a dermatologist might give you a prescription to speed things up, but don't lose hope!

heitea, good job picking in a sanitary manner! Haha, but honestly. Almost every time I drink I come home and spend a full hour picking my face, and definitely NOT higienically. The perks of having your judgment impaired.

I love salicylic acid products-- waaay more than bp. Benzoyl peroxide literally gives me itchy, raised rashes. Tea tree oil does too if I don't dilute it to the point where it's like.... .01% tea tree oil and 99.99% water. Neither of them used to do that to my skin, but for some reason, I developed the allergy. Strange. It's too bad salicylic acid doesn't kill bacteria quite as well.

Jack: You're only 26! haha your skin probably heals just as well as it did back when you were 19. I'm 23 and I'm pretty sure my skin bounces back after a particularly bad spot. I do have a couple scars, though... and I'm glad and thankful that I don't have too many scars. My boyfriend has pretty nice skin, but his scars from his *very few* cysts that he's gotten over the years are quite deep. They don't bother him, though. Or me.

Anyway, teaching was great, I loved the kids, but I didn't feel fulfilled, and that's really important to me. I know my potential, and it seemed like the military was the way to go. My mother was an officer and my father was also in the military, so it only felt natural.

lol, Alice, I guess once you start telling yourself that it's "okay" to pick, it's kind of hard to stop. That's what happened to me. I was doing so well for about 6 months while I was teaching, but then one day I was just like: "I should just pick these blackheads out...and then this bump, and then these blackheads..and then THIS bump." And well, the cycle continued. But thinking about this thread has helped my compulsion quite a bit! And yes...drinking definitely does not help the picking problem...

But congratulations on your healing scabs! It's the best when they heal and then just kind of flake off. Then you know you're in the clear for a while.

thanks guys (: well i hope that my 26 year old skin will heal nicely! i seem to suffer from hyperpigmentation pretty badly where a small spot makes a stupidly large red area (no joke like a zit the size of a pin head makes at least a 1p coin size red surrounding..) which then gets darker and darker and eventually goes.

I am glad girls don't find scars a turn off (hopefully), i was looking at this the other day and so many celebrities have had acne and got scars etc. That makes sense then the military would be pretty rewarding, i personally couldn't deal with the regimentation and rules etc but you never know, the structure might be good once you settle in.

so true about the escalation. before you know it you have screwed your whole face up!

abc where do you live? no tea tree or AHA !!!! whaaat

Picking when drunk? thats a new one haha! that must be so weird, i never like looking at myself drunk in the mirror i just think to myself, where did i go wrong in life lol

Just reading through the comments, and everyone seems to be doing so much better with not picking/picking less - yay!

Jack, the exact same thing happens with my skin when I get a spot, I always get a massive red ring around it - not fair! I agree with heitea too, my boyfriend has some ice pick scars on his cheeks and I really could not care less! I think it's just one of those things that almost everyone has suffered from acne/scarring at some point.

I think it's been nearly a week since I picked! Yesterday I sat myself down in front of the mirror and was looking at my skin in one of those 20x mirrors (I should probably throw it away), and was thinking, I could do with picking that, and that. But then I got up and walked away! I was so pleased with myself

aw congrats! please throw that mirror away!

I was thinking about reviewing my skin in 3 months time at xmas and then deciding wether to do an acid peel or not.

Anyone got any good advice about acid peels? safety etc? (i'd get it done properly in a clinic, probably london)

I've never had an acid peel-- it would definitely irritate my skin, haha. I have the most sensitive skin on the planet. In fact, I have a rash right now because I tried to use tea tree oil again...which I know I'm allergic to. lol. So right now, I literally have tons of hydrocortisone cream on my face. I have a pillowcase wrapped around my head because I don't want my boyfriend or sister to see me hahahaha...I look like I've lost it.

Good news, though. My face is quite nice as I haven't picked at it in a while. However, I got a new, painful spot on my cheek and I think it's due to the irritation from the tea tree oil. And a little spot above my lip that'll probably (hopefully) go away in a day or two.

Anyway, acne scars on guys are kind of sexy in a way. Sounds kind of silly, but facial imperfections definitely add a certain rugged character.

Acid peels didn't work for my mom, the only thing that improved her scars was a laser treatment she got at her derm. But most guys I know have at least some scars on their face anyway, I don't thing it's an issue at all.

I am soooo mad, I picked at a zit yesterday and at another one today... although I didn't make any holes this time lol. It seems as if I lower my guard for a moment I can't keep myself from doing it. So frustrating. And on top of that, the scabs don't seem to be improving anymore, if anything there's one that looks worse. I wish I could fast forward to a few weeks from now when they are already healed, why can't I just get this over with??

I also get huge red rings around spots, I guess because my skin is very fair and sensitive, and I can be quite harsh sometimes...

stop using it if you are allergic!!! no no no haha!!

A pillow case lol, sounds inventive! Just remember - gentle, simple routine. I wasnt sure to mention this or not because in some ways its helped me but other times its caused mahem - buuut, ages ago I bought a tool called a comodone extractor (from tweezerman) and basically it has two loops, you simply press the loop over a black head or white head and it hygienically gets it out the pore.. it will leave a red mark but nothing on squeezing and using fingers..

I'd say its helped me recently using it with caution, being very gentle, it pressed out 2 white heads leaving no damage and rapid healing time.

abc, my skin is the same, its not fair by any means but it obviously doesnt like being touched or spots, always comes out with those red marks even for the smallest white head.

oh good lord. I have one of those extractor tools. They are the devil. haha, I literally had my boyfriend hide mine so I wouldn't use it. I end up pressing too hard thinking that it's a miracle tool that will bring forth any infection deep within the skin. haha, I have created many a wound from this evil product.

Alice, I'm so sorry! I know the feeling of wanting a week to pass by just so you can heal.

Good new, my skin is healing! The rash is going down significantly! I have a zit on my chin that I can feel but can only see juuuust a little raised spot. I popped a weird spot on my cheek, but I think it was a mistake because it's still hurty.

Also, Jack, when you referenced that coin a couple posts back...lol, I do not know the size of that.

haha they are the devil in disguise! but if you have self control and are careful, a god send. but i agree, i threw my old one away because i swore i would never use it again after damaging my face with it.. ended up buying another one down the line..

my skin is healing, but I am seriously left with dull/ discoloured blotchiness which I am scared wont go away :/ (marks from years/months of being too harsh with my fingers on my skin)

oops so you picked a spot on your cheek. bad news! I haven't picked for 1 day as in "nothing!".. 2 days ago though i did pop a small white head that was in my beard but that was gentle, and clean, used an antiseptic wipe on it..

here is a photo of my forehead now, its calmed down a lot, the lighting is fairly dark making it look better, there are still the post marks of were it broke out and were i picked..

what do you think?

haha the coin! what did I say 1p or 2p? i guess that would be the size of a one cent coin

so, acid peel (chemical peel?) wouldn't be good then ? too scared to use laser

anyone else want to upload a new photo of progress

I was about to press "post" on my update when I accidentally hit the wrong button and closed the tab - boo! Now I'll write a lazy one.

Jack, ever thought about wearing some kind of tinted moisturizer or something? I can't see any discoloration, honestly, so it must be mild enough to cover with that. Your forehead looks fine.

heitea, I'm happy for you! Hope it keeps healing nicely.

I noticed reading my last post how much of a drama queen I am. My skin is healing (slowly, but still), and I'm definitely picking less. I still find it very hard to resist 100%, but I'm not hurting myself anymore, which is great.

My old scabs are still there, I'm just applying a salt + water paste to see if I can dry them out. I give up on trying to guess how long they will take to disappear. They will, eventually.

The new spots that I picked are small enough to cover with makeup, one has healed completely, the other one is almost there. And no scabs! Score.

Wow, Jack! Your forehead looks so nice! And thanks for clearing up the coin issue.

My skin isn't looking too much better only because my red marks take forever to go away. Lol, I feel a little bad because I have much worse skin than either of you guys. Also, I'm doing worse than both of you about picking my skin. Boo! I hate being the worst.

On a good note: I got my hair cut today!

Obviously I have makeup on...but! Yay! Also, ignore my goofy face in the top left corner. haha...

Alice, you're not a drama queen...it sucks when you think your face is bad or when it feel uncomfortable. Totally understandable. Plus, this where you're allowed to vent.

Wow Jack, your forehead is looking great! It's seems like it's calmed down a lot!

I've never had an acid peel either, my skin is way too sensitive I think!

heitea, your hair looks amazing!! It's so pretty and flatters your face really well

heitea, I like your hair either way! Though I admire you for pulling off the short cut, which definitely isn't for everyone. And regardless of having makeup on, your skin looks great.

sorbet, good job! I think it'll still be a while until I last for a week =D

My hair is so long, though I don't think I'll chop it off (at least while I'm young) because short hair makes me look too serious. But if I had the guts, I'd love to go for a bob (think Olivia Munn).

I have two tiny whiteheads right now, one on my chin and the other on my cheek. I haven't touched them so far. I also noticed I have more blackheads on my chin, but the rest of my face is very clear.

thanks for the replies gals!

I've been trying hard to not pick at the skin. I'll admit earlier after a hot shower i used my tool on 3 small white heads and one black head. it sorted them out and hasn't damaged the skin!

I think i am at the stage where i need to figure out what is keeping me 80% clear.. basically these are the things i changed >

1) diet > no dairy or grains PALEO diet

2) Dermo lotion + black charcoal wash loreal

3) no masturbation (sorry but I havent for a week now or so)

4) growing a beard

this combo has helped so much, i cant believe the improvement!

abc thanks, i havent thought about using one, because any cosmetic skin products esp moisturisers, all break me out. The marks could *easily be covered with a BB cream or tinted moisturiser though yes!

seems like you are doing better (: keep going with the being gentle!

sorry to hear about your skin, but nice hair cut and photos! the red marks will fade, i swear black charcoal helps. The coin issue haha (: made me laugh, also thumbs up for the goofy photo.

sorbet! a week is amazing so well done you! and thanks, i am amazed with how calm my skin settled down. Hmm seems acid peels are rather harsh then :/

surely they would calm down though after a day or so?

abc, try and resist touching them, they will go away on their own (:

Seems like everyone's doing pretty good! Just a quick update because I felt like I was going to pick this morning due to some intense stress. I wanted to post some photos to see if there has been progress in a week... And also to distract me from picking :/

Hey guys and girls, I'm a bit slow on the uptake here because I haven't been online much recently...everyone seems like they are doing really well I completely understand what you're going through because I've been there. For me picking is one of those things that never really goes away, but I've been pretty good recently and I think it may be due to the fact I got a kitten...I appreciate that sounds strange but it's honestly helped me in a weird way!

I'll explain...all the things I've tried in the past have worked but haven't lasted long, I used to play games on my iPad to keep my hands busy in the evening, I put an elastic band on my wrist that I pinged as a form of aversion therapy, I tried ignorance by desperately trying not to look in the mirror and I also tried anxiety/ stress relieving stuff like breathing exercises. Now having a kitten kind of makes me do all these things on a daily basis...I have a crazy kitten so she wants to play all the time which is very distracting, she also thinks biting and scratching are really fun so I've got a lot of scabs on my arms that's basically acting as a deterrent (don't want to cause these things on my face!), when she finally sleeps she always does it in my lap so I can't get up and look in the mirror without disturbing her and finally when she starts biting wires, scratching the sofas and generally doing things she shouldn't I use the breathing techniques.

So I'm not suggesting everyone gets a kitten lol but maybe we need to combine the techniques for them to actually be more effective and long-term? Don't get me wrong, my skin isn't perfect so I have picked the odd spot here and there but I haven't had a 'picking session' and those are the biggest problem for me because I ruin my face so much, then feel so ashamed of doing it afterwards that I go about daily life in zombie-mode counting down the days until the scabs go and I don't have to be reminded of the self-inflicted damage I've cause every time I look in the mirror. So for me, I'm never going to stop picking completely but hearing how other people are dealing with it and knowing I'm not completely crazy either will hopefully limit the picking sessions

ellie, I have those pickings sessions as well (or hopefully used to have, haha), I know how you feel. Hope you keep up with petting your kitten

heitea, your face looks so much better!! Seriously. Give it a couple more weeks and you'll be clear.

Today I had quite a breakthrough with my scabs, though I'm a bit afraid they'll leave permanent scars. If they do, I guess I'll have a reminder on my chin every time I think of picking. Here's a pic:

Ellie, picking at the odd spot here and there isn't my problem, either. Like you, it's the picking sessions that really get me. I think it's awesome that taking care of something else has taken a lot of the picking urges from you. kittens are adorable, so that's really great! I really hope your success continues. I think that picking will always happen for me...like, I don't think I'll ever stop completely. But maybe it's possible to never have a "binge-picking" session again. I have found that breathing exercises have been working for me-- even if I'm not really consciously doing them. As in, I'll take a step back from the mirror as soon as I get even the slightly inkling of an urge to pick...and I'll just close my eyes and breathe...and I say to myself "When I open my eyes, I will continue with my cleansing/treatment routine or put on my makeup and then get out of the bathroom." It really does help. When I tell myself to do something, usually I do it. I like the idea of combining tactics because only doing one thing will not stop me from picking. I need to be constantly working to overcome this problem.

abcd, I just can't get over how lovely your skin is! haha. you have such a nice tone-- peaches and cream. Don't let your scabs get you down! I doubt they will scar if you treat them right. I think my skin will have shallow scars all over and honestly...I think that's okay. Scars don't make people ugly by any means. Your skin, regardless of the scars that you probably won't get, will maintain that pretty color and that's all people will notice

I need to stop picking at my face! I'm starting accutane soon and if I pick at my face it will take longer to heal, because accutane apparently slows down the healing process! argh! Also I have very sensitive skin, whenever I pick the spot and the area around it become really red and the redness doesn't fade for a really long time! I always pick at my face at school and then get embarrassed by how red it is and try to cover it with makeup...which just makes it worse!!

I need to stop picking at my face! I'm starting accutane soon and if I pick at my face it will take longer to heal, because accutane apparently slows down the healing process! argh! Also I have very sensitive skin, whenever I pick the spot and the area around it become really red and the redness doesn't fade for a really long time! I always pick at my face at school and then get embarrassed by how red it is and try to cover it with makeup...which just makes it worse!!

welcome to the club, we are all doing well here so no reason why it cant help you to!

ditto on the large red mark around a spot, so frustrating.

yes you really need to get this sorted now as when you are on accutane i think it makes you more susceptible to scarring