"Never pop your zits." It's always in the back of our minds. "Just this one," we think.
"Okay, fine, this one too," we murmur. We don't intend for one little scab to turn into 10, 20, 40, 100, etc, but somehow, it does.
It's a relief, a temporary escape from your problems. You get a sort of sick satisfaction from finding anything in your pores, and when you pick, it puts you in a trance-like state, where you go to better places in your mind - where you calm down.
You do it all the time, without even thinking about it.
You break nails, you bleed, you cry... and repeat. Over and over until you find yourself being suddenly very exclusive with your clothing, only selecting things that cover the majority of your scars and scabs.
It hurts, it sucks, and you want to stop, but you can't. It's a coping mechanism, it's a problem. I don't think of it as self-harm, I'm not doing it to feel something, to be in control of my own pain - I'm doing it out of impulse, and I continue because I can't stop myself.
Non-pickers will say things like, "You have bacne," "Why can't you just stop?" and so on. They don't get it. They don't understand. I need help, not criticism. I don't want to feel self conscious anymore.
if you're a picker, I want you to know you're not alone.
*please no rude comments, this topic is exclusively for supporting the sufferers of this condition*
I've had it pretty bad for awhile. Started seeing a psychiatrist and was prescribed prozac. It's stopped some of the urges but hasn't stopped it completely. It's so hard because no one understands. I think I'm gonna start Accutane because I don't think there's anyway to stop picking besides just getting rid of the acne.
Is this condition or topic about just face acne or picking at skin all over the body? Because, dont we all pop our pimples and pick at them? At least i do, i try not to, but its hard to not pick at old pimples and tiny dried up spots of where they were a day or so ago, it feels like it helps, but im sure it just makes it worse.
I picks all my spots, i think to myself 'I can deal with hyperpigmentation, its flat and you can conceal it. I dont want a raised pimple on my face'
I end up making a mess out of something that was tiny, I also leave indents. They go after a while, but it puts me through so much stress.
It spreads my spots and sometimes i am left with this terrible open wound type acne that just wont go away.
My new years resolution was to stop picking, but i just couldnt help it. After a few weeks i just went on a mad picking spree, blackheads, pustules and closed comedones were all just prodded and poked. Im now recovering from a picking, and as always i say that that one will be my last.
I hope it is :/
I try my best not to pick my skin because I know how bad it will eventually look but right now my acne is more itchy than usual and I can't help it. I don't have compulsive skin picking in regards to my facial skin but I do with my lips. A lot of the time I used to pick them until they bled. That's less common now though, It's gotten better lately.
I try my best not to pick my skin because I know how bad it will eventually look but right now my acne is more itchy than usual and I can't help it. I don't have compulsive skin picking in regards to my facial skin but I do with my lips. A lot of the time I used to pick them until they bled. That's less common now though, It's gotten better lately.
Poor you. Your lips must be so sore!
Is this condition or topic about just face acne or picking at skin all over the body? Because, dont we all pop our pimples and pick at them? At least i do, i try not to, but its hard to not pick at old pimples and tiny dried up spots of where they were a day or so ago, it feels like it helps, but im sure it just makes it worse.
Popping a zit once in awhile when it comes up is different from Dermatillomania, all though most Dermatillomaniacs start that way. This topic is mostly geared towards the obsessive/compulsive urge to pick at one's skin (we don't just pick our acne, we'll pick any uneven surfaces we find in our skin) but I also wanted to create this topic to support anyone that has even so much as regretted popping one pimple.
Picking definitely makes your acne worse, I would NEVER suggest it to anyone... Because for me, at least, once you start you can't stop.
I try my best not to pick my skin because I know how bad it will eventually look but right now my acne is more itchy than usual and I can't help it. I don't have compulsive skin picking in regards to my facial skin but I do with my lips. A lot of the time I used to pick them until they bled. That's less common now though, It's gotten better lately.
Poor you. Your lips must be so sore!
It may sound like something small, but I can relate. I do the same with my lips, usually not even with thought. They bleed, scab up, and becomes scar tissue. Not only does it seriously hurt, but it also leaves darker marks on your lips. Also, what happened to the OP's red text ending?