So I finally had beautiful skin for three months, I was doing so well.
And then I relapsed.
I can't stop crying, my skin looks so horrible. I ripped it to shreds.
Let me explain. My skin picking is triggered by stress as most of you can relate. And I was doing extremely well with stress management and meditation, but I recently dropped out of school and started a business, I got called ugly at my day job and I have developed a crush on one of my coworkers. These may seem small and insignificant to "real problems" but they were stressing me out to the extreme. Even though my start up is going well and my coworker has been opening up to me, the ugly comment definitely got to me. Mostly because my skin was looking so good and I was so confident. That one fucking comment destroyed how I started to feel about myself and I'm now back where I started.
I know how to fix my skin, but now I have to live with it for the next few weeks. I just need someone to talk to. My lack of self control makes me wanna hurt myself even more than I already have.. I feel so damn stupid, please help, please talk to me.
edit: damn 15 views and no one wants to help.
Don't give up hope, your skin will be clear again, it is a process. I totally know how you feel because the exact same thing is happening to me right now (skin had been clear for a few weeks after changes I made to my diet -stopped eating sugar etc, but I just got a huge pimple on my forehead out of nowhere!). It is soooo hard and you feel like you just want to disappear, but it sounds like you have a lot to be happy about in your life so focus on that and keep eating clean and being good to your skin and you will feel better. Find someone you can talk to, there are many people who will love you just the way you are.
55 minutes ago, christinemvl said:Don't give up hope, your skin will be clear again, it is a process. I totally know how you feel because the exact same thing is happening to me right now (skin had been clear for a few weeks after changes I made to my diet -stopped eating sugar etc, but I just got a huge pimple on my forehead out of nowhere!). It is soooo hard and you feel like you just want to disappear, but it sounds like you have a lot to be happy about in your life so focus on that and keep eating clean and being good to your skin and you will feel better. Find someone you can talk to, there are many people who will love you just the way you are.
Thank you so much, I know exactly how you feel. I had a huge pimple RIGHT in the middle of my forehead and after I popped it, I couldn't stop.
Hello! I have been a skin picker since I was 15 years old. I am 38 now and I can't even explain how much I struggled, how ashamed I felt and still today I have scars on my face. After searching the internet and boards, I came across an organization that offered online classes where you meet with other skin pickers and learn mindfulness strategies and practical skills for recovery. I took their class, which was lead by a woman named Christina Pearson. Her class was amazing and just meeting and being able to talk to others, while learning new skills helped me to get to where I am at today. I wanted to share as I haven't picked at my skin now for 6 months and while it's a process, I honestly never thought I would be able to stop. Stay strong! You can get over this and you're not alone! Much Love!
Greetings,
It sounds like you have been through a lot and feel overwhelmed. I am wondering if you have looked into behavioral therapy (i.e. behaviormodification)? With some compulsive behaviors (like skin picking) the rewards are immediate while the negative consequences are delayed or cumulative. Stress serves as a trigger for the relapsing behavior. With respect to the comment about being ugly, it is only one person's perspective. And they may have said it for any number of a reasons. You can't control what other people say or think, or even your immediate emotional response, but you can change how think about other people's behavior. Maybe you can appreciate and build on the strengths you mentioned and forgive yourself.
wow i've been going through something very similar for a while now. i'm not a so called "skin picker" but every once and a while when i get a lot of pimples at once i go kinda crazy and try to pop them all my then i usually regret it. i had almost completely clear skin for about a month and a half. i really thought that it was all over and that i had finally gotten rid of it (and naturally!!) but then school started and i guess it was stress combined with my "time of the month" hormonal acne but my face went crazy and broke out all over my cheeks. so for the past 3 weeks i've been treating that mess and i finally got it almost clear again and then yesterday i had 4 pimples appear and i went too crazy and now my skin looks like i have open wounds.. anyways i thought i'd tell you about my experience so you can know that your definitely not alone! you'll get through this and things will have ups and downs but hey that's life! i totally get that same feeling of regret and not wanting people to see your skin but i try to remind myself that if the people i hang around are put off by my skin, then they probably weren't good friends anyway! good luck (and wish my luck trying to heal these wounds on my face haha )