I have been under a lot of stress lately. My job and personal life have been unpredictable and hectic. I've had acne since I was 14. I'm 25 now and it has gotten worse, better, worse, better. I have been on antibiotics, birth control, the regimen, proactiv, tazorac, benzaclin, everything. I have been taking 100mg spironolactone for over a month, and my skin is just as bad if not worse than it was before I started. I'm also using retin a .01% and was just prescribed aczone but haven't tried it yet. EVERY time I am stressed out I pick at my face and make my problems so much worse. I feel so bad about myself after I do it, I just can't feel this way anymore. Just when I think things are starting to get better, I obsess over every little bump or black head and then go into a squeezing frenzy and lose control. Then I end up with wounds that need to heal....and new acne...and the horrible cycle continues. I can't control the acne that I get, but I have to get control of this skin picking problem. Hopefully making this log will help me. If anyone reads this, even just a little bit of encouragement would help. I'm really down on myself today because I basically destroyed my face again and am so anxious and upset about it now. I have to do this for myself.
I'm the same way! At first, picking my skin started out as an occasional mistake but now it's turned into a nasty habit. I can't stand feeling bumps on my face, so I scratch and pick until my face turns beet red. Then I suffer the consequences.
Before trying to eradicate your picking problem, you should try to find the root cause of your picking. From there, it gets a lot easier. I started wearing a rubber band around my wrist and giving myself a little snap everytime I picked.
Put band-aids on pimples you know you might pick later, wear gloves so you can't feel your face, put on face masks, dip your fingers in something very pore-clogging, anything to keep you from picking.
Change starts with you, good luck!
Thank you bellebear. I appreciate the encouragement. You're totally right about trying to find the root cause of it. It's definitely a response to stress and linked to having OCD, which I am beginning to get treatment for. Hopefully with the right amount of self determination and support, I can break the cycle.
Today was day one of this challenge, and I managed to get through it without picking at my face or messing with anything, so I'll call it a success.