I can't seem to shake this horrid habit of not picking at my skin. Now that my face is finally starting to clear up and I am no longer getting huge pimples I STILL pick the tiny ones to death and leave big scabs. Please, does anyone have any tips on breaking this habit? Whats worse is I bring this on myself so I am the only one who can fix this but I can't....!
I can't seem to shake this horrid habit of not picking at my skin. Now that my face is finally starting to clear up and I am no longer getting huge pimples I STILL pick the tiny ones to death and leave big scabs. Please, does anyone have any tips on breaking this habit? Whats worse is I bring this on myself so I am the only one who can fix this but I can't....!
I pick off scabs. I don't think they work that well as a defense mechanism.
Have you every truly waited for a scab to fall off on its own? I had a scab from a skinned knee for 2 months because I was determined not to pick at it. I've always peeled the scabs off facial blemishes and they heal up a lot faster than that.
You just have to know where to draw the line between peeling off a little scab and gouging your face. When I still had acne, I found that peeling the scabs off was helpful because I would get these little zits that would fill up with pus, scab over. I had to peel and drain it about 5 times over a week or two before the darned thing would empty and heal. But I didn't go in there and mutilate it.
Oh god I have this problem as well... same with popping pimples like I'll have the urge to pop even the tiniest pimples on my face and pick at even tiny scabs... need to stop doing that. I have a magnifying mirror at home actually (use it to pluck my eyebrows and what have you) I'm thinking it might help me to just stay away from it otherwise so that I'm not overly scanning my face if that makes any sense lol just remember that something that may look bad to you up close I'm sure other people are unlikely to see from far away, whereas if you pick at your face it will be more noticeable. Also I've found that wearing lotion on my hands somehow reminds me not to touch my face? Why? I'm not entirely sure. Wearing nail polish/fake nails/makeup may help you not pick at your face as much as well because you won't want to mess it up. I'm also thinking about buying some Biore pore strips soon so that hopefully I won't have the urge to pop blackheads on my face anymore either. I do definitely notice my skin stays a lot clearer the less I pick at it though.
@Green Gables...I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on picking off scabs. I've found that acne scabs that fall off or are picked off before the spot has healed are more apt to leave permanent marks than scabs that fall off on their own. Also, scabs are nature's bandages, and do help keep out germs to some degree. If peeling off the scabs worked for you and left no marks, that's wonderful. My skin is also pretty resilient and does not scar easily, but I was still militant about no wash cloths and leaving acne scabs undisturbed when things were healing. However, some people scar very easily, which is why I don't think it's a good idea to recommend peeling off acne scabs to promote faster healing. But obviously people are free to take or leave any advice they receive on here. I do agree that there's a big difference between "productive picking" i.e. popping a zit that is ready to go vs. "nonproductive picking" i.e. gouging/mutilating the spot to the point of permanent disfigurement. I also agree that popping a zit the correct way can often bring about faster healing, and I have always found this to be true with my own skin.
@CrayonsNGlu: Some "no picking" tips: keep your nails short, train yourself to walk past the mirror when you need to use the bathroom or shower, removing the mirror is an option if worse comes to worst, don't force a zit, learn to walk away from the mirror when picking is not productive, keep your hands busy with other things so you're less apt to idly pick, try replacing the behavior with something else such as popping bubblewrap. You could also start a "no picking" log as some members on here have done and get support from other members dealing with the same issue.
Best wishes! 
I can't seem to shake this horrid habit of not picking at my skin. Now that my face is finally starting to clear up and I am no longer getting huge pimples I STILL pick the tiny ones to death and leave big scabs. Please, does anyone have any tips on breaking this habit? Whats worse is I bring this on myself so I am the only one who can fix this but I can't....!
Delovely gave some great tips - Avoiding the mirror is a big thing. Limit your bathroom time to just the essentials. Don't hang out there, think of it as a picking "trigger" zone. Try to lower the lights in the bathroom, or turn them off completely and use a small lamp light. You don't need bright light to wash your face (just don't trip!) and you're less likely to notice things you want to pick at if you can't see them! Of course, it probably goes without saying, but get rid of any magnifying mirrors. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO USE FOR THEM. Eyebrows look more natural when they are plucked without magnification, makeup is applied just fine in a normal mirror, etc. There is absolutely no reason why you need to see your face magnified 3 -10 times under harsh lighting, unless you expect to be inspected under microscope by someone for some reason. In fact - I recommend all acne.org members to have a mass magnifying mirror purge day.
Now, to step off my soap box: Try to stay distracted, keep your hands busy, and try to limit the time you take applying makeup or washing your face. Do you find yourself picking absent mindedly, i.e. when your bored or not paying attention? If so - put something on your hands. It's likely cold wherever you are - so it won't be weird if you wear gloves.
Another more drastic measure that has worked for me in the past with compulsive behavior like picking: Wear a rubber band or hair band around your wrist. If you feel an urge to pick or obsessive thoughts begin to emerge, snap the rubber band back against your wrist every time you feel the compulsion. It seems crazy, but it can be really helpful to redirect those obsessive thoughts. The pain provides enough of a distraction to reorient your attention away from the compulsion. You may find yourself doing it alot at first (don't go crazy though, just enough to sting a little - not enough to cause damage!), but it only takes a couple of days before the redirection becomes automatic and you won't need the rubber band to distract you.
I used to pee in the dark haha...forgot about that! Love the rubber band idea...great way to snap out of the mania when it threatens to take over. Dermatillomania is a disorder many, many people with skin disorders like acne, battle along with the original problem, and often proves to be the more difficult of the two battles for many of us, so you're not alone!
Thanks guys! I know I'm not alone but I do not know of anyone else personally with this problem so it is frustrating. I do sometimes pee in the dark too haha, and I may try doing more things in the dark. I have a little light in the bathroom (kind of like a nightlight) that pretty much gives me enough light to wash my face with. I am not sure if I should try showering with just that light on though lol.
It sounds so simple to just "leave your face alone" but it is so much easier said than done. What really gets me is, since I've been on Sprintec my skin has been SO much better....but I am still picking!!!
Thanks guys! I know I'm not alone but I do not know of anyone else personally with this problem so it is frustrating. I do sometimes pee in the dark too haha, and I may try doing more things in the dark. I have a little light in the bathroom (kind of like a nightlight) that pretty much gives me enough light to wash my face with. I am not sure if I should try showering with just that light on though lol.
It sounds so simple to just "leave your face alone" but it is so much easier said than done. What really gets me is, since I've been on Sprintec my skin has been SO much better....but I am still picking!!!
SO much easier said than done. Willpower is really not enough, especially when your in the position to be constantly reminded of it. Think of it as an addiction - you don't tell someone who is addicted to alcohol to go to the bar and just don't drink. You tell them to stay away from the bar, liquor stores, sports games, or anywhere else it is normal or easy to drink. In the same way, as someone who is compelled to pick, it is much more advantageous to remove yourself from environments that encourage picking (like a mirrored bathroom) and put a barrier between your implements of picking and your face (i.e., glove your hands or keep them busy). As I said, willpower is simply not enough, and that's ok! It's very, very hard.
I think the nighlight idea is fabulous, and I am glad to hear I am not the only one that pees in the dark, lol! I think showering is ok if your shower is in a water closet that doesn't contain a mirror. If not, I'd recommend figuring out a way to shower in the dark as well (or at least, keep it too dark in the room to be tempted by the mirrors on your way into and out of the shower - see what I mean?). Good job on being proactive! Picking is a habit, and habits are hard to break without effort.
I have a handful of scars and they are all from ones that I did NOT peel or pick. When I began my "acne journey" I was very careful to follow all of the traditional advice.
Now perhaps it's just a correlation, but I find it really interesting that my scars that won't go away were from when I was being "good". Even though I was younger, had better skin, and the acne was not nearly as bad as later in life.
There's a difference between peeling/draining and gouging your face. If I went into a dermatologist they would NEVER just leave something your face, they would lance it and drain it. I followed their example. There are lot of people here who probably suffer from dermotillomania and don't know it. Dermotillomania behaviors will cause damage.
There's also a big difference between lancing/draining and squeezing. Lancing in the right area makes a small cut that allows the pus to drain freely and can heal over without a scar. SQUEEZING the pus out forcefully ruptures the pore.
You have to consider the pros/cons of leaving a zit alone. If you have an impacted blackhead just sitting there, it's already stretching the pore and doing damage. If you can remove the obstruction gently, then it's less damage than something sitting in your pore applying pressure to the skin 24/7.
I got most of my acne scars by picking at pimples (fairly harshly to be fair) and then picking the scabs. I've got a lot less scarring ever since i stopped picking at inflamed spots (unless there is a clear whitehead, in which case I do it as gently as possible) and whenever there is a scab, leaving it alone. So please, if you don't want acne scars and I'm sure you don't, do not pick your skin.
However, sometimes if you have picked an inflamed spot, I've found that it's best for healing skin if you can avoid a scab to begin with, as scabs aren't really that useful for healing. So now if I have picked at something, I put a hydrocolloid bandage on it right after picking and keep it on for one night - this is usually enough to prevent a scab and it heals nicely (with a bit of flaking skin for a few days though, which you could prevent by having the bandage on for longer). Another good thing to do is moisturising - either the picked skin or the scab.
There's also a big difference between lancing/draining and squeezing. Lancing in the right area makes a small cut that allows the pus to drain freely and can heal over without a scar. SQUEEZING the pus out forcefully ruptures the pore.
You have to consider the pros/cons of leaving a zit alone. If you have an impacted blackhead just sitting there, it's already stretching the pore and doing damage. If you can remove the obstruction gently, then it's less damage than something sitting in your pore applying pressure to the skin 24/7.
<---- YES this is true. In some cases, pimples with a white head and stuff that is obviously trying to come out, heal better when drained. My issues is I SQUEEZE the CRAP out of them. I am happy to say, though, that since the last time I posted on this topic my scabs are almost completely gone 🙂 Now comes the time for me to control myself yet again...