Picking!!!

A

Abbigoose

New member
Ok, so after a lot of googling, I figured I should make a post somewhere, because I can't find exactly what i'm looking for...

Basically, I have a problem with picking. At scabs, and my lips. NOT my hands, I have no problems with my hands/nails, etc.

Anyways, I pick at scabs.. I just hate scabs, I can't stand them. I LIKE picking them, I like the sensation of peeling off the skin, does that sound weird?

I have struggled with acne problems for years now. And every time I get a new pimple or bump on my face, I pick at it. Then it turns into a scab, and I pick that, every single day.. I KNOW i'm doing it, which is thing thing, but I just can't stop. I repeat in my head the consequences of picking (scarring, not being able to cover it up properly, going out in public, etc) but still, somehow I make up excuses in my head so I can pick it, and like I said, I like picking scabs,.. I don't know. Anyways, it'll get so bad, that it's basically just open wounds on my face. Like last month, I had one the size of a QUARTER on my chin, it was huge!!. and trust me, makeup doesn't cover that shit, haha.

My lips are another story. They get chapped, and then I pick at the dry skin. And then when they start to scab over, I can't STAND the feeling of the dry scabby skin on my lips, so I pick it to my lips can feel "smooth".. does that make sense?, I try to wear chapstick as much as I can to get rid of it, but.. ugh.

And yeah, I just pick scabs anywhere. Last week my cat scratched my arm, and it was a small tiny little scratch, but now it looks huge because I kept picking at it.

I also chew/bite on the inside of my cheeks.

But yeah, I dunno what to do really. It's NOT stress or anxiety, because i'm not stressed or anxious. And i'm NOT willing to go on any sort of medication whatsoever, so don't suggest it. But i need to know why i'm doing this, and why I convince myself to let.. myself, do this.. to myself. (lol).
I don't understand why I pick at everything!. I don't think it's OCD..

Is it possible to just really like the sensation of doing this kinda stuff, and not have ANYTHING wrong with me? Mental-wise, etc. Because I truly don't think there is anything wrong with me, but my fiance pushed me to ask about it (mostly because he's sick of hearing me complain about how bad my face looks, when i'm the one to blame, lol.) And yeah, I don't think this warrants seeing a doctor about, so here I am!... thanks :)

- Courtney.
 
Hi,
This is definately a form of self harm, you stated that you have suffered before, think back, how did you stop then, or have you just transferred it to picking ? A good way of stopping or delaing the urge is to wear an elastic band on your wrist and every time you get the urge to pick or chew just snap at the band, also you need to see medic to get antibiotic cream to help your face to heal. Good Luck
Maisie-Jane
 
Oh yes, Just a few months ago, my future mother-in-law commented one day about the "rash" on my face. I had used some cover-up over top of them, so it wasn't as noticeable, and I guess it really did look like a rash. I was so embarrassed, but really.. had myself to blame.

Still haven't stopped picking, I don't think I will for awhile, probably be dealing with it for the rest of my life, but I KNOW I can get a "hold" on it. I am thinking of trying to teach myself how to crochet, so it's something to do with my hands, whenever i'm not focusing them on something. It's easy at the computer, since i'm typing, but say.. while watching television, that's the worst. My hands just wander!

Haha, it's nice to see i'm not the only one who likes the sunburns & glue thing. I've gotten a lot of "ew what?" comments about the sun burn fascination. :P





Oh no! Don't worry, just throw all the advice & ideas at me that you can, I definitely appreciate it.
I've heard a lot about Bare Minerals, and I do want to try it!. Expensive isn't that big of a deal to me (MAC addict right here!, if you use their products, you'll know how expensive they can get, hahaha). I love Neutrogene stuff though, so i'll look into that product line!.
But yeah, I just ordered proactive last week, and got it yesterday. I don't want to start using it until this wound heals though, as their stuff is pretty potent, so I have to work on healing this first. It's gotten a lot better over the last few days, putting polysporin cream (not the gel) on it at night.

One thing I feel lucky about, is James doesn't really.. care. I mean, he cares, in the sense that he hates that it makes me unhappy, and he wants me to stop picking, and heal it up, so that I can be happy with my skin again. But he's said multiple times that he doesn't feel less attracted to me because of what it looks like. Which I think is so sweet of him. I can't say i've known many guys like that. Most people nowadays are so caught up on appearances, and perfection.

But yes, that's what is going to keep me going, the wedding is my goal. Just like my hair, i'm growing it out for the wedding, and i'm having the urge to cut it short, but I know I should just not touch it and let it keep growing, so I need to do that with my face, let it heal, and don't touch it.
 
This is my First Post and admitting that I have a problem :( I am 34 and my problem is I pick my face ...daily....infact I just did and just feel badly about myself and so tired of trying every acne product out there! I wonder how much money I have blown and time wasted PICKING my face. I dont know what to do! my sister is a Picker but not like me (least I dont think)

I dont think I have really bad skin I think I create it myself spreading maybe a tiny spot which I make a huge mess as I wont leave it, any tiny black head or bump I will try and squeeze...and every time I convince myself its gonna pop its gonna pop! and nope, usually I end up taking skin off right down so its then a wound then I have the scab, pick off, dry it up, pick off for over a week or two!!!!! then I dont learn and there I am doing it again!!!!!!

I almost feel I am so pathetic like I do this to myself over and over!!!!!

somebody please tell me, I am notcrazy, I mean I know I am not crazy, but this isnt right :( I feel I dont know what else to do :(

but I am hoping I can find some support and encouragement!

I really want to stop! but its so hard, the urge is so strong and I even say walk away walk away as I am getting comfy infont of my mirror! maybe I should just not look in one anymore?????

well i hope I can get to talk to people who get what I am going through!

I am off to the gym tonight , gotta face a gym full of people ..my face is a mess as I just messed with it then I put all this acne crap on my face then make-up! whay am I doing?????? :(

my husband says stop picking...and my friend...I often last a day!...

please tell me theres some hope for me!

Thanks for listening!
 
Ukladybird,

Welcome to the boards and you are by no means crazy.

There is hope--invest in a good dematologist who will evaluate your acne problem and teach you how to best care for it. I developed an acne problem in my early 20's and when I went to a dermatologist I was told that my acne was in fact a bacterial infection and I was treated with an antibotic.

I also treated myself to professional facials (that was when I was single and had money). I still will splurge on occasion and get a facial at E.G. F.F. I buy their night cream and day cream with sunscreen and purchase a facial wash from O of OL. ( I am using abbreviations because I do not believe that you can name names).

Try to get into a routine, just like your gym routine.

Good luck
 
Wow, this was THE most helpful reply i've gotten from anyone, anywhere.
What you said in the first paragraph, sounds EXACTLY like me.
And that makes perfect sense to me, because it's exactly how I feel. Like, I can't stand the bumpiness of scabs, I like the smooth skin. Especially on my lips, if I can feel dry skin or scabs on my lips, I feel like I NEED to get rid of it.. Pair that with just an overall addiction to peeling/picking skin (like for example, in the summer, I like getting sunburns, because then when it starts to peel, I can peel off the dead skin, make sense? Or when I was a child, I would put white school glue on my hand, and let it dry, so I could peel it off), well it's just not a good combination, haha.

I just bought pro-active! So hopefully that helps clear up my face, so I won't have any major breakout problems. And I actually have an appointment next week to get started on birth control. I've heard it can help with acne, so hopefully..

The goal thing sounds good, I'm going to try and set little goals for myself, and just use all the willpower I can muster. I know once it all heals, and I can KEEP it healed, and healthy.. there will be nothing to pick at, and hopefully over time, I can just stop having those urges all together.

The mirror thing will be hard, haha. I'm way too self conscious (which is funny, since I do this and it damages my appearance, but I am so self conscious about myself, you'd think I would be doing everything in my power to NOT pick, but instead I do it anyway.. hah)

Congrats on being "free" from all this for over a year! That's amazing. And thank you for understanding me. :) I felt like I was alone, even though my fiance understands and sympathizes, he doesn't really KNOW, since he doesn't have this little problem..

:)
 
I definitely agree, I think most of the problem is that i'm somehow addicted to doing this. That's why it's a hard habit to break. I CAN stop, but I get cravings to do it... aka: addictive. So I guess I need to work on "quitting" hahaha.
 
Honestly,

Even though you've convinced yourself that you have no stress at all...this really sound like a form of self-injury...but if not, then at the least you do need to see a doctor, becasue this in not regular behavior, and if you're not careful you're going to end up with a really bad, possibly life threatening infection one of these times. I would set up an appt. with a psychiatrist, or if not comfortable with that type of doc, then your GP. Please don't keep thrying to convince yourself that you don't need to get some type of medical help with this, because it definitely warrants it.

Good luck.
 
Hey Thanks for the kind words...I feel I am getting IT finally now, like I said I get flare ups that I feel I have caused from touching and playing and squezing and using sun beds too (and stopped) feel its all hit my poor skin, today I have only tried to pop a zit ONCE on my neck but it kills so leaving it! I havnt been infront on a mirror only to wash my face!!!! and feel hopeful I can keep this up!

I started Proactiv last night so it feels I am starting over!

I am excited to hopefully in a few weeks start to see some improvement

I am new here and in desperation joined didnt read up on the rules so umm
I guess you cant name brands? s that so? yikes ! never mind! I am new :)

thanks again! :)
 
Pretty sure I just transfered it. I think it's a combination of self harm (as much as I don't want to admit it, I know I have to), and addiction.

The elastic band thing is a good idea, i'll keep that in mind.
And I use polysporin, meant to put on wounds/cuts/burns, etc etc. It seems to work well. :) I use it at night, when it's most effective. (I'm not touching my face at night, wounds heal faster when you sleep)

Thank you!!
 
Hi Ladybird!
Hopefully you read the read of the post and realize you're completely not alone, and not at all crazy. I'm 22, been picking my face since I was around 12 or 13. Needless to say, I know what you're going through!

I agree that your first step has to be getting the acne under control. I can say with confidence that I bet you really don't have bad skin, just a problem picking at the occassional pimple which turns into more which turns into deeper ones that don't pop which turn into bad scars....oh yeah, I've been there. And I can't even tell you how many times I opted to stay home from school/going out with friends/seeing my boyfriend because of how my face looked.

The key is clearing up your acne and getting control of your urge to pick. I mentioned some things in an earlier post that really helped me: two big ones were avoiding the mirror as much as possible and cutting my nails down really short so I couldn't do as much damage.

Don't let this ruin your life, you CAN take control of it and get your beautiful skin back. I'm glad to hear that you started with ProActive and best of luck to you with it!
 
Sunshine is right on the money with her reply. I see nothing wrong physcially or mentally with you picking at your scabs. I think we all have done it at one time or other. As a child when I would get major sunburns (in those days, sunscreen was not made and we would be on the beach all day baking-we are now dermatologists best patients) I would always peel my skin, I would also love taking glue off my hands. Do you have the same joy with candle wax? There is nothing wrong with you, if fact you sound like a very intelligent person. Relax and enjoy life--when is the wedding?
 
I think it sounds like OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. There are a couple of ways of treating it including medications and/or CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy. If it continues to concern you talk to a doctor.
Read up on it.
 
Hi there,

I went through the exact same thing as you for about 10 years, and I know how horrible it is to go into an almost trance-like state of picking and then step back in horror at what you've done to yourself. For me, it wasn't so much stress as it was about perfection. I couldn't stand the thought of having my skin surface uneven (i.e. scabbed over), so I'd pick until it was flat (hopefully that addiction will make sense to you as crazy as it sounds!

If you're at all in a similar frame of mind that I was, my advice to you would be to transfer the obsession from picking to doing something good for your skin. I started doing microdermabrasion treatments that peel off dead skin and smooth everything out - a much healthier way of getting that smooth feeling!! If you can, also try to find a medication of some sort (for me it was birth control) that clears up your breakfasts and saves you from the urge to pick your face at least!

I would also try setting small goals for yourself, like say going 3 days without picking, and see how much better your skin looks. It can inspire you to slowly stop! Clipping your nails way down so you can't pick is also a really great way to force yourself not to do as much damage.

One last piece of advice - avoid looking closely in the mirror for awhile. Sounds strange but it really helps to distract you from noticing anything to pick. I know that's a hard one though!

I haven't had the urge to pick for over a year now and I can't even begin to tell you how much better I feel....but I know the hell you're going through with it and how frustrating it can be when people assume you have mental issues.

Hope that helps a bit and good luck with everything!
 
I'm so glad that you can relate to my story! Believe me...I felt like I was the only one who had this addiction. And when people saw me many would assume I had really bad acne or some crazy skin disease, which made it all the worse because it was all ME doing it!!

Best of luck to you with the birth control! I'm on Yaz, and it took about 3 months for everything to really clear up for me. I'll keep checking this post pretty often, I know how nice it is to feel like you're not the only one. And just keep reminding yourself you're not at all crazy...I totally love sunburns and glue to peel also=).
 
I almost forgot!! The best thing I ever found to cover up "wounds" after the fact was BareMinerals makeup. If you get the starter kit it comes with a Skin Rever-Upper that is a cream to take off dead skin and smooth things out. It's definitely a little on the expensive side, but even if you use a drugstore version I think it's more effective than anything else I tried. Also, Neutrogena has a Visibly Even line of overnight lotions that are great for speeding up the healing on scars and dark spots.

Sorry to go overwhelm you with advice and ideas here, I just know that I suffered with this for way too long and it was affecting every part of my social and romantic life and I don't want you to! Especially with a wedding on the way=)
 
THANK YOU!
It's nice to see people understanding where i'm coming from, and not just going "You're crazy! You have such and such problems, go on medication! etc".. haha.

Never did the candle wax. My parents rarely allowed me to use candles, so I had no opportunities. I actually have a small fear of fire to be quite honest. (Mostly just a fear of burning my house down. Not sure where it originated, as i've never experienced a house fire).

Also, thank you for the compliment! I appreciate that a lot. :)

October 31st, 2010!
Yes, Halloween.. it's a long story, but we're very excited to finally have a date set. We went through about a dozen possible dates. That is another reason i'm hoping to finally fix this picking problem, at least with my face. I would like beautiful wedding photos, heh.
 
And Faenyx -

I'm really glad to hear you've got an awesome guy that you're marrying. The fact that he overlooks everything is a sure sign that you've got a keeper.

I've been with my guy for about 4 years, and when I tried to explain to him about my picking problem, he just got a confused look on his face and said that my face looked perfect to him - that meant the world to me, and I swear was one of the things that gave me motivation to stop!

I hope you have a beautiful wedding!!
 
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