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Yeah, Jack...seriously. It's so hard to stop. I actually had a small relapse last night and I'm sort of upset about it.
I have a weird thing about wanting to have something to heal on my face. It's "fun" for me to use products and such and so I want to be able to use those and to play doctor or something on my face. God...that's so messed up.
I have two pimples on my face because I'll be starting my period tomorrow. BUT. Those pimples, of course, spark something in me that makes me want to check ALL my pores and such. It's got to be related to anxiety or OCD or something.
I know for sure that if I stopped (because I've done it before) that my acne would also subside to almost nothing.
heitea i agree. when a few spots crop up, it sets a chain reaction off. I am pretty sure its OCD/BDD, in turn causing anxiety. I freaked earlier and once again picked at what is relatively nothing there...
i felt so stressed but doing so was calming, almost feeding the addiction inside me.
On the whole though, I am feeling pretty down for the messed up surface that is my skin. it isnt flat or smooth. rough and bumpy here and there. then i get more freaked out because there is no way to heal it is there?
i am close to getting some microdermabrasion on the go in an attempt to re level and re surface the damage i've caused. what do you think?
I don't have that app 
I don't think that communicating on the fly will work for me, mostly because when I start picking, it's hard to even tear myself away to write a text or check the time. I need to work on personal coping mechanisms instead. For example: not looking in the mirror too closely after washing my face, keeping the lights dim, telling my fiance to check on me if I'm in the bathroom for more than 10 minutes.
I'm getting better though and the left side of my face is starting to look-- dare I say it-- **NORMAL**
AHA is working so well to get rid of my red marks.
Congrats on your progress heitea! I messed up again recently and picked at my face, but today is day 4 of me not picking again and my skin is looking pretty good. I have decided that I really need to take care of my clogged pores so I'm not tempted to pick at them. I recently purchased a salicylic acid peel to help unclog them and I should be getting it delivered soon. I'm excited to see if it helps 
May i join your thread! i've had the nasty habit most of my adult life. i'm 33 now and i've had all sorts of acne since i was 12.
i'm getting better but i could use all the support i can get.
what are your fav tips and tricks to stop ?
You can absolutely join!! 
I've been picking for a long time, too and have had at least some form of acne since around 11 or 12.
A few of my favorite things to stop myself from picking:
- Make picking ONE spot a big deal. As in, clean that one spot with an alcohol pad, pop it with a clean tissue, sterilize again with an alcohol pad, and then treat it with AHA. This makes it a lot of work to pick even one spot, so picking any others is more difficult.
- Go into the bathroom with only DIM lights or a candle (most effective for me!!)
- Make someone else aware of your problem so that they can stop you when you start.
- Put a timer on in the bathroom so that you can't be in there for more than the allotted time.
- Literally tell yourself in the mirror to be nice to your skin.
- Think of the healing power of your skin and how it will only heal if you don't rip it apart.
When I first tried stopping my picking, I would tell myself that I could only pick ONE spot at night....that was a total fail because then I'd start picking the rest of my face. When I started treating my zits like wounds and being really careful with them, I stopped going on picking sprees-- or as I like to call it "binge picking." I haven't had a *true* binge in a while, but I have had setbacks.
What is your main concern? Over picking blackheads? Peeling off scabs? Picking at dead skin? Digging at the under-the-skin variety? All of the above? (I have problems with all of the above...lol)
wish aha worked for me, just breaks me out
but i agree, i go into that zone if i pick so nothing would break that.
i am getting professional help soon i hope, just waiting to hear from the consultant.
I have picked for at least 6 years, 6 years too long. I have irreversible damage because of this illness, I am considering microdermabrasion soon at least on a patch to see how my face does.
i need to get into the mentality to be gentle with my skin, i think thats the key.
wish aha worked for me, just breaks me out
but i agree, i go into that zone if i pick so nothing would break that.
i am getting professional help soon i hope, just waiting to hear from the consultant.
I have picked for at least 6 years, 6 years too long. I have irreversible damage because of this illness, I am considering microdermabrasion soon at least on a patch to see how my face does.
i need to get into the mentality to be gentle with my skin, i think thats the key.
I'll be interested to see how the microdermabrasion goes. I've never done it before-- I'm a little afraid it would hurt my skin. I have scars that are mostly visible to only me, but they still bother me...I wonder if microdermabrasion would help them.
I went to the dermatologist today and was prescribed Spironolactone, which is supposed to help my hormones even further and I was also prescribed .1% adapalene gel, which is a type of retinoid. We'll see how it goes...
Alright, I'm ready to join you guys in this endeavour. I absolutely hate looking in the mirror and seeing a white head. I don't really get other types of pimples. Especially now that I'm at school, I can't bare to go to class with a giant white pimple just sitting on my cheek. The saddest part is, probably 90% of them would go away in a few days if I just left them. SO, starting today I'm going to join you guys and try my best not to. Day1!
Alright, I'm ready to join you guys in this endeavour. I absolutely hate looking in the mirror and seeing a white head. I don't really get other types of pimples. Especially now that I'm at school, I can't bare to go to class with a giant white pimple just sitting on my cheek. The saddest part is, probably 90% of them would go away in a few days if I just left them. SO, starting today I'm going to join you guys and try my best not to. Day1!
Welcome!! How'd you do on Day 1?
I'll consider yesterday my Day 1, too. Didn't pick at all! The biggest help yesterday was not turning on the bright light in the bathroom.
For everyone on this board:
OH! Update!--- I have new pictures up in a new gallery. The red marks that I have are from a kind of picking spree I had the other day. Damnit....
Also, as you can see, I have really large pores/scarring. Do not pick. This is what happens. lol
I'm not too upset about it as my acne is seriously clearing up on this regimen that I'm on. I feel great 
May i join your thread! i've had the nasty habit most of my adult life. i'm 33 now and i've had all sorts of acne since i was 12.
i'm getting better but i could use all the support i can get.
what are your fav tips and tricks to stop ?
You can absolutely join!!
A few of my favorite things to stop myself from picking:
- Make picking ONE spot a big deal. As in, clean that one spot with an alcohol pad, pop it with a clean tissue, sterilize again with an alcohol pad, and then treat it with AHA. This makes it a lot of work to pick even one spot, so picking any others is more difficult.
- Go into the bathroom with only DIM lights or a candle (most effective for me!!)
- Make someone else aware of your problem so that they can stop you when you start.
- Put a timer on in the bathroom so that you can't be in there for more than the allotted time.
- Literally tell yourself in the mirror to be nice to your skin.
- Think of the healing power of your skin and how it will only heal if you don't rip it apart.
When I first tried stopping my picking, I would tell myself that I could only pick ONE spot at night....that was a total fail because then I'd start picking the rest of my face. When I started treating my zits like wounds and being really careful with them, I stopped going on picking sprees-- or as I like to call it "binge picking." I haven't had a *true* binge in a while, but I have had setbacks.
What is your main concern? Over picking blackheads? Peeling off scabs? Picking at dead skin? Digging at the under-the-skin variety? All of the above? (I have problems with all of the above...lol)
Thanks! What is my main concern? Mainly blackheads with the occasional white head or red lump as i call them. My topicals prescriptions do work but they have a tendency to make me irritated and flaky, which just exasperates the problem. The flaky skin gives me blackheads that i dig out unfortunately. If i didn™t pick, my face would be decent...not perfect but i could live with that i think.
i went back to my derm on Friday and she gave me a good non-comedogenic moisturizer and told me to use the topicals every few days not every day until the irritation heals. I'm hoping this moisturizer works b/c so far everything that i have tried over the counter doesn™t work enough.
I picked one small white head yesterday and i'm pissed at myself. it would™ve dried up on its own but instead not it's a stupid bigger scab. oh well. but i have to give myself credit b/c not too long ago (about 3 years ago) i was digging and squeezing so much it was scary. i've since sought help and slowly have been getting better. i wouldn™t call it an OCD but a form of anxiety. I™ve learned to breathe and use yoga. Especially when i feel myself getting anxious and freaking out over a zit.
It sounds so stupid to say...they are just zits right? but we know it's more than that.
thank you so much for making this thread. I can™t talk to anyone about this, except my doc. They say...just get over it and stop. It™s not that easy.
day 1 
wish me luck
May i join your thread! i've had the nasty habit most of my adult life. i'm 33 now and i've had all sorts of acne since i was 12.
i'm getting better but i could use all the support i can get.
what are your fav tips and tricks to stop ?
You can absolutely join!!
A few of my favorite things to stop myself from picking:
- Make picking ONE spot a big deal. As in, clean that one spot with an alcohol pad, pop it with a clean tissue, sterilize again with an alcohol pad, and then treat it with AHA. This makes it a lot of work to pick even one spot, so picking any others is more difficult.
- Go into the bathroom with only DIM lights or a candle (most effective for me!!)
- Make someone else aware of your problem so that they can stop you when you start.
- Put a timer on in the bathroom so that you can't be in there for more than the allotted time.
- Literally tell yourself in the mirror to be nice to your skin.
- Think of the healing power of your skin and how it will only heal if you don't rip it apart.
When I first tried stopping my picking, I would tell myself that I could only pick ONE spot at night....that was a total fail because then I'd start picking the rest of my face. When I started treating my zits like wounds and being really careful with them, I stopped going on picking sprees-- or as I like to call it "binge picking." I haven't had a *true* binge in a while, but I have had setbacks.
What is your main concern? Over picking blackheads? Peeling off scabs? Picking at dead skin? Digging at the under-the-skin variety? All of the above? (I have problems with all of the above...lol)
Thanks! What is my main concern? Mainly blackheads with the occasional white head or red lump as i call them. My topicals prescriptions do work but they have a tendency to make me irritated and flaky, which just exasperates the problem. The flaky skin gives me blackheads that i dig out unfortunately. If i didn™t pick, my face would be decent...not perfect but i could live with that i think.
i went back to my derm on Friday and she gave me a good non-comedogenic moisturizer and told me to use the topicals every few days not every day until the irritation heals. I'm hoping this moisturizer works b/c so far everything that i have tried over the counter doesn™t work enough.
I picked one small white head yesterday and i'm pissed at myself. it would™ve dried up on its own but instead not it's a stupid bigger scab. oh well. but i have to give myself credit b/c not too long ago (about 3 years ago) i was digging and squeezing so much it was scary. i've since sought help and slowly have been getting better. i wouldn™t call it an OCD but a form of anxiety. I™ve learned to breathe and use yoga. Especially when i feel myself getting anxious and freaking out over a zit.
It sounds so stupid to say...they are just zits right? but we know it's more than that.
thank you so much for making this thread. I can™t talk to anyone about this, except my doc. They say...just get over it and stop. It™s not that easy.
day 1
tomorrow I am seeing the doctor to seek help for this, hopefully get CBT set up and I am going to join anxiety UK.
how did you get help ? how did you slowly get better? mine is OCD and BDD - no doubt. I have had OCD in various forms since i was 15.
What upsets me deeply is the scars i've inflicted. I am seeking help because it needs to be stopped now, I also need to find ways to heal my skin.
I am thinking diamond tip Microdermabrasion and red light therapy perhaps.
there are clinics in the UK called Sk:n - I am probably going to book an appointment with the leading doctor in scars and burns.
wish aha worked for me, just breaks me out
but i agree, i go into that zone if i pick so nothing would break that.
i am getting professional help soon i hope, just waiting to hear from the consultant.
I have picked for at least 6 years, 6 years too long. I have irreversible damage because of this illness, I am considering microdermabrasion soon at least on a patch to see how my face does.
i need to get into the mentality to be gentle with my skin, i think thats the key.
I'll be interested to see how the microdermabrasion goes. I've never done it before-- I'm a little afraid it would hurt my skin. I have scars that are mostly visible to only me, but they still bother me...I wonder if microdermabrasion would help them.
I went to the dermatologist today and was prescribed Spironolactone, which is supposed to help my hormones even further and I was also prescribed .1% adapalene gel, which is a type of retinoid. We'll see how it goes...
Heitea i saw your photos in the gallery, and checked what you are doing just now, how come you are using so many products now? you seemed to have great skin in the holistic thread?
i feel that you are like me, in the sense that you have tried everything but keep going in circles. this is because we pick.. thats the bottom line, if you are trying to heal acne, you are approaching this wrong. you need to cure the root cause.. picking.
we are like people who suffer anorexia. We see things in a way others do not.
my immediate goal is to treat the root cause. It seems I will always get black heads, but so long as i dont squeeze my face, i wont inflame them and or get any more scars.
50% is picking 50% is the way you view it.
I need to hopefully find a way to smooth my skin and even skin tone (microdermabrasion) and to stop picking. Then I may have good skin but even more a good mind set
Thanks! What is my main concern? Mainly blackheads with the occasional white head or red lump as i call them. My topicals prescriptions do work but they have a tendency to make me irritated and flaky, which just exasperates the problem. The flaky skin gives me blackheads that i dig out unfortunately. If i didn™t pick, my face would be decent...not perfect but i could live with that i think.
i went back to my derm on Friday and she gave me a good non-comedogenic moisturizer and told me to use the topicals every few days not every day until the irritation heals. I'm hoping this moisturizer works b/c so far everything that i have tried over the counter doesn™t work enough.
I picked one small white head yesterday and i'm pissed at myself. it would™ve dried up on its own but instead not it's a stupid bigger scab. oh well. but i have to give myself credit b/c not too long ago (about 3 years ago) i was digging and squeezing so much it was scary. i've since sought help and slowly have been getting better. i wouldn™t call it an OCD but a form of anxiety. I™ve learned to breathe and use yoga. Especially when i feel myself getting anxious and freaking out over a zit.
It sounds so stupid to say...they are just zits right? but we know it's more than that.
thank you so much for making this thread. I can™t talk to anyone about this, except my doc. They say...just get over it and stop. It™s not that easy.
day 1
It's really helped me to talk about my picking here on acne.org. I would say that mine is mostly anxiety-induced as well. I'm glad you're here on our thread! 
The flakiness that some products gives me really makes the picking problem worse for me, too. What has helped my blackhead issue is AHA 5% every night as well as my Olay Pro-x exfoliating brush every couple days. It's good to slowly allow your skin to adjust to new chemicals and topicals, so it's a great idea to just use them every few days and then eventually work up to every day if you need to. That's what i'm doing with my Differin gel that I was just prescribed.
I get anxious over a zit because I'm afraid it means that 1) I'll pick, 2) I'll get even more to follow it and 3) I look bad... 
You're definitely not alone in this!!
When someone says "get over it and stop picking," I just want to cry...it's so much more complicated than that. I think the only way to combat it *for real* is to be actively diligent about not picking, but also to forgive yourself when you do pick. Because the feeling of guilt after a serious picking session can last for days if you let it...and that's what causes even MORE anxiety and therefore picking.. Good luck! You can do this! Just think, you could be free of picking!
Heitea i saw your photos in the gallery, and checked what you are doing just now, how come you are using so many products now? you seemed to have great skin in the holistic thread?
i feel that you are like me, in the sense that you have tried everything but keep going in circles. this is because we pick.. thats the bottom line, if you are trying to heal acne, you are approaching this wrong. you need to cure the root cause.. picking.
we are like people who suffer anorexia. We see things in a way others do not.
my immediate goal is to treat the root cause. It seems I will always get black heads, but so long as i dont squeeze my face, i wont inflame them and or get any more scars.
50% is picking 50% is the way you view it.
I need to hopefully find a way to smooth my skin and even skin tone (microdermabrasion) and to stop picking. Then I may have good skin but even more a good mind set
Hi Jack,
I stopped with my natural regimen because it was not controlling my hormonal acne at all. Those pictures were from about a month of not picking followed by a high exercise lifestyle, low-calorie (almost starving) diet, with almost no touching of the face at all. I still had lots of blackheads. I wasn't living as "healthy" as I thought. I had an eating disorder without knowing it. I was "happy" because I was "controlling" my life to such an extreme degree. But as soon as I got back to school, about 20 days in, I got a little breakout. I was stressed and picked it to no end. I ended up having terrible skin again. I tried to get the same results (and even tracked them in a thread), but could never quite get there. I couldn't get the same results.
So, I'm not even using that many products. I'm using Differin and then occasionally AHA as topicals. And Beyaz and Spiro to control my hormones. Not that bad. I get hormonal acne (cysts) that will come up regardless of whether or not I pick. But I agree, my skin is much better without picking. I'm a little offended that you're almost telling me what I'm doing wrong and what I need to do. I'm doing my best and what I feel is best for me. It's working, so why are you being critical?
Thanks! What is my main concern? Mainly blackheads with the occasional white head or red lump as i call them. My topicals prescriptions do work but they have a tendency to make me irritated and flaky, which just exasperates the problem. The flaky skin gives me blackheads that i dig out unfortunately. If i didn™t pick, my face would be decent...not perfect but i could live with that i think.
i went back to my derm on Friday and she gave me a good non-comedogenic moisturizer and told me to use the topicals every few days not every day until the irritation heals. I'm hoping this moisturizer works b/c so far everything that i have tried over the counter doesn™t work enough.
I picked one small white head yesterday and i'm pissed at myself. it would™ve dried up on its own but instead not it's a stupid bigger scab. oh well. but i have to give myself credit b/c not too long ago (about 3 years ago) i was digging and squeezing so much it was scary. i've since sought help and slowly have been getting better. i wouldn™t call it an OCD but a form of anxiety. I™ve learned to breathe and use yoga. Especially when i feel myself getting anxious and freaking out over a zit.
It sounds so stupid to say...they are just zits right? but we know it's more than that.
thank you so much for making this thread. I can™t talk to anyone about this, except my doc. They say...just get over it and stop. It™s not that easy.
day 1
It's really helped me to talk about my picking here on acne.org. I would say that mine is mostly anxiety-induced as well. I'm glad you're here on our thread!
The flakiness that some products gives me really makes the picking problem worse for me, too. What has helped my blackhead issue is AHA 5% every night as well as my Olay Pro-x exfoliating brush every couple days. It's good to slowly allow your skin to adjust to new chemicals and topicals, so it's a great idea to just use them every few days and then eventually work up to every day if you need to. That's what i'm doing with my Differin gel that I was just prescribed.
I get anxious over a zit because I'm afraid it means that 1) I'll pick, 2) I'll get even more to follow it and 3) I look bad...
You're definitely not alone in this!!
When someone says "get over it and stop picking," I just want to cry...it's so much more complicated than that. I think the only way to combat it *for real* is to be actively diligent about not picking, but also to forgive yourself when you do pick. Because the feeling of guilt after a serious picking session can last for days if you let it...and that's what causes even MORE anxiety and therefore picking.. Good luck! You can do this! Just think, you could be free of picking!
>Heitea i saw your photos in the gallery, and checked what you are doing just now, how come you are using so many products now? you seemed to have great skin in the holistic thread?
i feel that you are like me, in the sense that you have tried everything but keep going in circles. this is because we pick.. thats the bottom line, if you are trying to heal acne, you are approaching this wrong. you need to cure the root cause.. picking.
we are like people who suffer anorexia. We see things in a way others do not.
my immediate goal is to treat the root cause. It seems I will always get black heads, but so long as i dont squeeze my face, i wont inflame them and or get any more scars.
50% is picking 50% is the way you view it.
I need to hopefully find a way to smooth my skin and even skin tone (microdermabrasion) and to stop picking. Then I may have good skin but even more a good mind set
Hi Jack,
I stopped with my natural regimen because it was not controlling my hormonal acne at all. Those pictures were from about a month of not picking followed by a high exercise lifestyle, low-calorie (almost starving) diet, with almost no touching of the face at all. I still had lots of blackheads. I wasn't living as "healthy" as I thought. I had an eating disorder without knowing it. I was "happy" because I was "controlling" my life to such an extreme degree. But as soon as I got back to school, about 20 days in, I got a little breakout. I was stressed and picked it to no end. I ended up having terrible skin again. I tried to get the same results (and even tracked them in a thread), but could never quite get there. I couldn't get the same results.
So, I'm not even using that many products. I'm using Differin and then occasionally AHA as topicals. And Beyaz and Spiro to control my hormones. Not that bad. I get hormonal acne (cysts) that will come up regardless of whether or not I pick. But I agree, my skin is much better without picking. I'm a little offended that you're almost telling me what I'm doing wrong and what I need to do. I'm doing my best and what I feel is best for me. It's working, so why are you being critical?
hi (: - that makes sense, trust me i've been there too heitea..
i didnt mean it in a critical way! the products you are using are great and you will see a vast improvement, i'd like to know what differin does for you, reason i didnt use that ages ago was because as you say, i was scared of breaking out from anything stronger...
i'm not trying to be critical more just trying to perhaps help you understand that this is more than just spots on the surface, you said it yourself >>"When someone says "get over it and stop picking," I just want to cry...it's so much more complicated than that".
trust me, i've actually cried, and its made me realise that this needs proper help. maybe you can over come this on your own and support from your boyfriend. but I dont have anyone, so I had to open up to my family and ask for help. that was hard.
hi (: - that makes sense, trust me i've been there too heitea..
i didnt mean it in a critical way! the products you are using are great and you will see a vast improvement, i'd like to know what differin does for you, reason i didnt use that ages ago was because as you say, i was scared of breaking out from anything stronger...
i'm not trying to be critical more just trying to perhaps help you understand that this is more than just spots on the surface, you said it yourself >>"When someone says "get over it and stop picking," I just want to cry...it's so much more complicated than that".
trust me, i've actually cried, and its made me realise that this needs proper help. maybe you can over come this on your own and support from your boyfriend. but I dont have anyone, so I had to open up to my family and ask for help. that was hard.
I understand. I know that this is so much more than a dermatological issue. Did you read the study done on people with BDD and PSP (Pathological Skin Picking)? ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1664624/ ) It's really interesting. These two quotes really resonate with me:
"Although the results of the picking may produce an appearance problem that exceeds an imagined or [a] slight defect in appearance which DSM-IV requires [19], these patients still qualify for the diagnosis of BDD because, when they do not pick, their skin appears relatively normal. Many skin pickers use makeup to camouflage minimal skin lesions or more obvious skin lesions that may result from picking."
I think it's interesting that they say "imagined or SLIGHT defect." Those slight defects are my blackheads-- no one else can really see them, but I pick them to no end (well, I used to).
and
"...the purpose of picking in BDD is to improve the skins appearance, not to intentionally self-mutilate. However, this behavior is typically characterized by very strong urges that are difficult to resist or control, and it may consume hours in a day [7]."
So, we're no intentionally hurting ourselves, we just cannot stop ourselves from trying to improve our looks.
I have cried so much over this. The guilt that lingers after a picking session is so painful sometimes that it throws me into a funk for days at a time. Since I've begun looking at this as a psychological issue rather than a dermatological issue, I've been able to give myself a better peace of mind. Since I've started reading body positivity blogs about loving yourself regardless of your appearance, my distorted view of myself has diminished-- and following that, my skin picking has greatly reduced. It's a matter of acceptance. In addition... if I'm treating my acne as a medical issue, it makes me want to treat my face skin the same way I'd treat my body skin if there was a wound. So, I don't scratch and pick at it as much because of this.
I understand you weren't trying to be critical, but please understand that I know that this is not just "spots on the surface." I think it's great that you opened up to your family. My boyfriend (fiance) has been a huge help to me, but since this is such a personal problem, I find that I mostly need my *own* support-- willpower is a difficult thing to control, but I find that I need to do it on my own to get over this.
Anyway, the Differin is for reducing my pore size. They're very large and therefore get blackheads really easily. Blackheads are my picking trigger, reducing the numbers of blackheads will help me cope with this. It seems to already be working as I'm seeing a lot of them come to the surface. I'm trying SO hard not to squeeze them out (I've given in a few times).
Yes thats right, a slight defect or imagined flaw. where are these body positivity blogs? I need to change the way i think to heal this (mentally)
how do you live with the scars caused though, they stress me out a lot because I always thing 'if only i hadn't picked'.. thats what gets me.
yes black heads are annoying, how long have you used differin? does it heal pitted scars? damaged enlarged pores? is it a retinoid? like retin-a?
sorry for sounding patronizing- just want to help
So I was able to make it few days without picking, but I just gave in last night. My face was finally looking much better than it had, but I noticed a spot forming under the skin on my right cheek. I tried icing it but that didn't do me any good. Out of anger I just picked the damn thing. Every time my face is about to get better and I start to feel happy, a painful spot will form. I hate it! it just never ends and is extremely depressing
So I was able to make it few days without picking, but I just gave in last night. My face was finally looking much better than it had, but I noticed a spot forming under the skin on my right cheek. I tried icing it but that didn't do me any good. Out of anger I just picked the damn thing. Every time my face is about to get better and I start to feel happy, a painful spot will form. I hate it! it just never ends and is extremely depressing
I totally understand. I have an under-the-skin bump and I want so bad to poke at it "just in case" it comes out. But of course, it'll only make things worse if I do. I agree that it's frustrating.
Okay, skin pickers....I'm about to be 100% dead serious about this no picking issue. No picking for me. I only have red marks BECAUSE I pick and I need those to be gone by February. So, no casual picking, no peeling off a scab too soon, no picking 10 blackheads at a time (or even one, for that matter). I'm over picking. I don't want to do it to myself anymore. Even though I've gotten so much better, I'm not 100%. I want to be. I want to be like a normal person who sees a zit and is like "Oh, I'm not gonna pop that because that's bad for my skin!"
So, Day 1. Day 1 of no picking, so exceptions. I'm taping over the bright light in the bathroom so I can only use the dim light to see myself when I wash my face at night. I'll use the natural light of the day in the morning to put my makeup on.
I think this will be Day 5.
Taping over the bright light in my bathroom has had such an impact on my skin picking. As in, I have no urge to sit there and pick out all the imperfections in my face. I will say that I accidentally picked off what I thought was dry skin on my cheek and it ended up sort of making my skin sore and red and a little scabby. I also squeezed a really big whitehead that was the result of a picking spree right before doing this challenge. It was where people get Marilyn piercings...I hate when I get spots there. It changes the look of my face. Otherwise, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. Try to pinpoint your trigger (why do you pick/where do you pick?) and remove it. However, you may pick because of stress. That's not easy to get rid of. So, change where you pick instead. Do you pick in the car? Put on sunglasses right away when you get in. Do you pick in the bathroom? Cover the mirror, tape over the light, light a candle instead of turning on the light.
For me, I had to literally have a physical barrier for the light. Earlier, I was just turning on the dimmer light in the bathroom, but as soon as I felt a zit, I'd flip on the brighter light and then pick at it. Now, the switch won't budge even if I try. I guess I could take off the tape if I was desperate, but then my fiancee would know and I'd be embarrassed/ashamed.
I'll post a new picture at the end of the week.
I don't usually pick too much, but last week, I had a couple truly awful bumps on my chest, so I picked at them and ended up completely tearing away the skin (ultra-thin, sensitive chest skin is the worst...ughh).
Now I have these craters with a strange, flesh-covered crust over them (they feel like scabs to the touch, but are light and skin colored - and they're attached pretty strongly, so they absolutely do not peel off like a normal scab would). Does anyone else ever get these strange non-scabs? I'm freaking out because it's been almost a week and they still aren't showing signs of going away.
Day 6: There were two blackheads/clogged pores that were sort of sticking out of my skin that I couldn't see last night. I could just feel them while touching my face in the shower. I very lightly squeezed at them and they popped out. I didn't do this while looking in the mirror, so it didn't trigger more picking for me. This morning, they're gone completely. I think that if I can keep this up, I'll be clear by February.
I don't usually pick too much, but last week, I had a couple truly awful bumps on my chest, so I picked at them and ended up completely tearing away the skin (ultra-thin, sensitive chest skin is the worst...ughh).
Now I have these craters with a strange, flesh-covered crust over them (they feel like scabs to the touch, but are light and skin colored - and they're attached pretty strongly, so they absolutely do not peel off like a normal scab would). Does anyone else ever get these strange non-scabs? I'm freaking out because it's been almost a week and they still aren't showing signs of going away.
Hey everyone!
My name is Ashley, and I am 16 years old. I have been struggling with "picking" for about three years now. I know that if I continue, I will have deep scarring that is not easy to get rid of. I would love to join this thread because I have read the past conversations and they are very inspirational. Today is my first day of no picking (so far), and I am trying my best to adjust. If anyone has any advice on acne products that work of them, I would be more than happy to know the secret to healing! Also, today I am switching my birth control because I currently am getting migraines every night (not cool). And I would like a better "acne fighting" birth control. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!
Thank you (: