Hi Everyone! Just some background - Feel free to fast forward through this if you wish . I'm a 26-year-old mother of three, and I have struggled with acne since my early teenage years. I've tried countless acne products since then trying to resolve my acne. My skin is pale, dry, and sensitive. I tried The Regimen when I was younger but did not commit to it and eventually stopped entirely. A few years later, I'm ready to give it my best shot. Something has to be done about it...like yesterday.

Unfortunately, I have anxiety and have always been a nervous picker. It sounds awful, but I run my fingers over my skin until I find a bump or imperfection and will pick it until there's nothing left of it, leaving behind a scab. It started with my face and unfortunately progressed to picking my neck, back, chest, arms, anything that I can reach. It has caused my skin to break out horribly and that results in even more picking and scarring . Though I haven't been officially diagnosed, I've come to the realization that I likely have dermatillomania.

This week, I decided that it has to stop. My preschooler drew a picture of a person covered in polka dots. When I asked him what he'd drawn, he said, "That's you, Mommy! See all of your owies?!" So that was my breaking point. I've been doing my best to not touch my face at all for the past few days, and the previous scabs are healing.

So now for my questions . My acne forms bumps underneath my skin. Typically, they're not inflamed or significantly red unless I bother them...just fluid-filled bumps. They rarely become a whitehead. The ones on my neck and jawline are hard and painful bumps beneath the skin. The ones on my cheeks are smaller bumps and usually not painful. The problem is that I struggle to leave them ALONE! They drive me crazy, but I've already seen a huge improvement since avoiding touching and picking them. They're definitely still there, however.

I keep thinking that if I knew what type of acne this is, maybe I could treat it more effectively. I will also try to take a photo, but the bumps are not easily seen in pictures since they're underneath the skin. Any ideas? It is non-inflammatory acne? Cystic? Nodular? Any advice would be much appreciated Thanks!