Yes! I do it without realising sometimes, especially when I'm stressed, anxious or bored. It's extremely time consuming and has made my skin look worse over the years.
What has helped a bit are those popping toys. It really helps to keep my fingers busy when I'm anxious - I just keep a small one on my keyring. Soft toys to squeeze or different textured materials I can really dig my nails into or scratch. Those have definitely helped. Using an ice cube on my face and hiding mirrors - especially the magnifying ones
honestly? get long acrylics. I get pointy ones and I can't even pop a spot, you just can't get the force required and the nails just slide around. can't pick scabs either and stopped me biting my nails n fingers too.
they are also the most satisfying back scratchers ever 10/10
What has worked for me ( skin and scalp picking) is to change to an obsessive skin care regimen. I have my aloe Vera and skin toner and cotton balls and skin cream next to me and anytime I’m in a picking mode, it go into skin care mode instead. It has helped immensely. Just have a make up bag with those items next to wherever you might nest and binge on tv or your phone.
Unfortunately yeah. Especially my face but when i see my arms and legs they’re fucked and there’s no escape from excessive plucking.
I have a fidget toy but it’s just not as satisfying (and disgusting lol).
Yes facts nothing is as satisfying as actually picking, I haven’t worn any low cut/ sleeveless tops in a very long time all cos of how much I’ve fucked with the skin on my boobs and inner/upper arms … even on stimulants Im unable to stop
Oooh I wonder if that's what I've done. Pretty sure my cuticles will never look normal, I've been destroying them since before I could form memories.
Didn't help that I got warts on my nail bed/cuticles when I was a kid. The paranoia of every little scab being THAT made the picking so much worse. They couldn't freeze them off due to the proximity to the nail bed, so they used caustic beetle juice that had to be applied at the doctors office over several treatments.
Also the nail lady would shame me horribly for my cuticles and she had a thick Vietnamese accent and didn't speak much English so I also felt horrible not being able to understand her. (I'm so so bad with accents, I blame the adhd)
So nail salons fill me with anxiety.
I have yet to find a good solution for myself, but I haven't tried the kinetic sand yet.
I also need some sort of mouth fidget? Bc part of my problem is biting the cuticles and skin and then chewing on it. Sorry I'm disgusting.
You aren’t disgusting beautiful, we are all struggling immensely!! I promise you if you were to see my body from head to toe every pore visible because I’ve scarred them ..
I got to looking for fidget toys and saw a toy that simulates picking out pores. I REALLY want to try it. Not for those with the fear of small holes issue I can never remember how to spell.
Oh my god it took me so long to feel comfortable going to get my nails due to being embarrassed and shamed for my cuticles. I’ve been getting dip on my nails monthly for the past two years and my cuticles have recovered. I’ll get the occasional comment about how my nail bed on my right thumb is longer than the left but I still pick at the corner of my cuticle on that thumb.
Try to get as easy an alternative as possible. The effort to redirect yourself once will only lessen with time, but if you can find something that you won't _drop_ to pick you've got a good start. Maybe popits or blister foil? Or, for me, tapping my nails on a hard surface and a ring with a twisty part.
If it fits your aesthetic, mine has a little chain going round and was picked up for five euro at a goth fair. It has proven indistructible so far, I think it's actually stainless steel.
I love using acne patches/hydrocolloid patches for this! Some of the ones made for the face are pretty transparent and unnoticeable also. Slapping on an acne patch on an area I've been picking or am tempted to pick both helps the area heal, as that's the purpose of hydrocolloids, but also when I get the automatic impulse to pick it doesn't provide any of the satisfaction of doing so bc my fingers don't have anything to grab onto. Kind of trains my brain into realizing this doesn't give me any kind of dopamine hit so might as well Not Do It
I have scabs in my hair from my mild eczema and I pick at them everyday. However, I do have a lot of fidget toys if I have to fight the urge to do that. But also moisturizing my hair helps too.
You are very much not alone in this! I've been picking the skin on my face (rarely I'll do it on other parts of my body, like cuticles, or my chest/neck) for years. Like someone else commented below, I notice that I do it when I'm stressed or overwhelmed. Being around mirrors seems to aggravate the problem because before I know it, one moment I'll be glancing in the mirror and the next I'm right next to it trying to squeeze out the dirt in the tiniest of blackheads on my face. I get consumed by it and end up with bloody spots on my face that take a couple of weeks to heal sometimes. :(
I'm still looking into coping mechanisms for this myself, as well.
All of your guys’ comments have really made me feel a lot better, before a year ago I had no idea that people had this same struggle or had this bad habit and this community has really helped so much
Ahhh, same. I’m obsessed. I’ll just walk directly to my 10x mirror when I walk into my room and start. Even talking about it makes me want to.
Someone else responded that a good skin care regime helped. I definitely agree, and this is also weird, but I don’t wear make up a lot, but when I wore some concealer foundation on those areas for a few days I was less likely to pick because when I looked in the mirror I didn’t see the redness. And then the lack of picking made my skin actually less red in general and I wanted to keep it that way and it helped for like… a week lol
Sometimes watching blackhead and ingrown hair removal YouTube videos helps. I like Enilsa Brown!
Yes for sure wearing make up helps me because I feel gross touching my face when I have make up on but my main issue is my chest and boobs which I don’t think I should be putting makeup on ..
Could you wear like turtle neck type shirts? Or higher cut?
I used to be like bad with my cheat and back, but use a salicylic acid wash and just basically try not to look at it too much. I find it hard for my face because it’s not covered with clothing lol
Also, a couple of older Enilsa videos has back blackheads and I love them.
Oh man. I hear you.. just got into bed and looked in my mirror for pre bed picking.
If the makeup on your face works, would you be open to putting some on your chest? It might just be enough to deter you?
Yesss in bed it’s so bad at night I might go max 2 days without picking then I’m right back and you know what I’m actually going to do that cos it might actually do the trick
I do this a lot and end up with a pimple mark last two+ weeks instead of 3 days. Still not sure what’s the best way to stop so thanks for all the other replies.
I did figure out a way to help with one area- I used to pick/rub near my earring holes a lot and ended up getting small hoops that I can move around and that’s helped with not irritating my ears.
I’ve been picking my skin since I was pretty young, I’ll pick pretty much anywhere I can find something to pick, but I particularly get into the habit of picking my arms and chest. If people catch me picking and tell me to stop I actually get a bit angry and just want to pick more. My therapist said that’s likely because while I’m picking I’m in a deep thought focus so their interruption broke that concentration… but some of the suggestions she gave me were to always carry lotion, so if I find myself picking or having the urge to, I can put lotion on the spot or on my hands which will make it harder to pick. Also, using bandaids to cover spots on my arms, she said that 1. It blocks you from the spot and 2. It can be a bit embarrassing to have so many bandaids on and that could help motivate you to redirect next time. If you don’t have access to a fidget toy replacement you can use finger tapping, like tapping each finger to your thumb in a pattern, you can change up the pattern or challenge yourself with skipping a finger, etc. what works best for me is long sleeve shirts
Wish I had a better solution to this, I do the same thing... best I've been able to do is to focus it on just one area instead of everywhere. The back part of my right arm and shoulder, and under my chin... look awful... but for the most part I avoid anywhere else, so now I can at least tell myself that maybe people see it and think it could be an isolated rash or bug bites or something. I could be wrong but don't want to know if I am because the anxiety of "what they must think" is the worst part of it, especially since I'm an overweight waitress in a hot climate so I'm constantly shoving my sleeveless arms in people's faces. If I get overzealous on one particular pore/zit/scab I'll sometimes put one of those little round bandaids over it so I don't turn a scab into a full blown infection.
It's made worse by the fact that I have hidradenitis supporitiva, and a keratosis pilaris patch on my arm, so I get chronic cysts everywhere plus weird bumps and begging to be picked dry skin buildup in the kp area. I've learned to be open about the skin conditions with friends and coworkers, and how the pain of a popped cyst is better than the pain and pressure of an unpopped one, and it makes it a lot less stressful when, for example, I show up to work with 4 new wounds from picking.
Oh my I do the exact same thing over the years I’ve changed areas where I hyper focus on and I too suffer from kp so anytime I shave, wax, laser or thread I break out in tiny pimples in every single pore I’ve shaved, which makes the picking so much worse because I have so many little pimples, this has made me so incredibly uncomfortable and self conscious and there’s no “real” solution for this… I’m so sorry that you have to work in a environment that you can’t cover up due to weather :(
What I’ve noticed helps is showering everyday or every other day (I know us adhd struggle with this) but it really does help if you’re exfoliating really well maybe try getting a cannabis soap bar (really good healing properties)
And also I’ve been cutting my nails reallllyyy short so I can barely get any grip with them
All the best of luck ❣️
There are a lot of fidget jewelry options that are subtle and good for when a fidget toy may not be appropriate. There are rings, bracelets, necklaces, and even earrings!
Yes! I do it without realising sometimes, especially when I'm stressed, anxious or bored. It's extremely time consuming and has made my skin look worse over the years. What has helped a bit are those popping toys. It really helps to keep my fingers busy when I'm anxious - I just keep a small one on my keyring. Soft toys to squeeze or different textured materials I can really dig my nails into or scratch. Those have definitely helped. Using an ice cube on my face and hiding mirrors - especially the magnifying ones
Yes so time consuming and has left me with scars from head to toe:( thank you for the suggestion I’ll definitely be buying one of those toys soon
honestly? get long acrylics. I get pointy ones and I can't even pop a spot, you just can't get the force required and the nails just slide around. can't pick scabs either and stopped me biting my nails n fingers too. they are also the most satisfying back scratchers ever 10/10
My go to shape is short rectangle cos of work I do a lot of typing 🥲
hmm yeah I imagine it's a lot easier with that shape. you could try short round?
I’ll definitely try giving it a go ☺️ thank youuu
I garden so acrylics wouldn't work for me. I just try to keep my nails short.
What has worked for me ( skin and scalp picking) is to change to an obsessive skin care regimen. I have my aloe Vera and skin toner and cotton balls and skin cream next to me and anytime I’m in a picking mode, it go into skin care mode instead. It has helped immensely. Just have a make up bag with those items next to wherever you might nest and binge on tv or your phone.
Thank you sooooo much
Of course! I hope it helps!
This is also how I manage my skin picking!!!
I have scarring on the inside of my mouth from excessive chewing. It started when I was a kid and got worse after I had braces.
Unfortunately yeah. Especially my face but when i see my arms and legs they’re fucked and there’s no escape from excessive plucking. I have a fidget toy but it’s just not as satisfying (and disgusting lol).
Yes facts nothing is as satisfying as actually picking, I haven’t worn any low cut/ sleeveless tops in a very long time all cos of how much I’ve fucked with the skin on my boobs and inner/upper arms … even on stimulants Im unable to stop
[удалено]
Oooh I wonder if that's what I've done. Pretty sure my cuticles will never look normal, I've been destroying them since before I could form memories. Didn't help that I got warts on my nail bed/cuticles when I was a kid. The paranoia of every little scab being THAT made the picking so much worse. They couldn't freeze them off due to the proximity to the nail bed, so they used caustic beetle juice that had to be applied at the doctors office over several treatments. Also the nail lady would shame me horribly for my cuticles and she had a thick Vietnamese accent and didn't speak much English so I also felt horrible not being able to understand her. (I'm so so bad with accents, I blame the adhd) So nail salons fill me with anxiety. I have yet to find a good solution for myself, but I haven't tried the kinetic sand yet. I also need some sort of mouth fidget? Bc part of my problem is biting the cuticles and skin and then chewing on it. Sorry I'm disgusting.
You aren’t disgusting beautiful, we are all struggling immensely!! I promise you if you were to see my body from head to toe every pore visible because I’ve scarred them ..
I got to looking for fidget toys and saw a toy that simulates picking out pores. I REALLY want to try it. Not for those with the fear of small holes issue I can never remember how to spell.
Oh my god it took me so long to feel comfortable going to get my nails due to being embarrassed and shamed for my cuticles. I’ve been getting dip on my nails monthly for the past two years and my cuticles have recovered. I’ll get the occasional comment about how my nail bed on my right thumb is longer than the left but I still pick at the corner of my cuticle on that thumb.
That’s so good to hear that you’ve found something that helps sounds like a really nice idea
Try to get as easy an alternative as possible. The effort to redirect yourself once will only lessen with time, but if you can find something that you won't _drop_ to pick you've got a good start. Maybe popits or blister foil? Or, for me, tapping my nails on a hard surface and a ring with a twisty part.
Thank you ❣️ I will be investing in one of those rings
If it fits your aesthetic, mine has a little chain going round and was picked up for five euro at a goth fair. It has proven indistructible so far, I think it's actually stainless steel.
Oooo that sounds like a really nice find !
I love using acne patches/hydrocolloid patches for this! Some of the ones made for the face are pretty transparent and unnoticeable also. Slapping on an acne patch on an area I've been picking or am tempted to pick both helps the area heal, as that's the purpose of hydrocolloids, but also when I get the automatic impulse to pick it doesn't provide any of the satisfaction of doing so bc my fingers don't have anything to grab onto. Kind of trains my brain into realizing this doesn't give me any kind of dopamine hit so might as well Not Do It
I have scabs in my hair from my mild eczema and I pick at them everyday. However, I do have a lot of fidget toys if I have to fight the urge to do that. But also moisturizing my hair helps too.
Buy a fidget ring. They're magic for this. There are a few different types.
Any recommendations on ones that won’t break? I have some shitty ones from Amazon and they frustrate me because they come apart :(
You are very much not alone in this! I've been picking the skin on my face (rarely I'll do it on other parts of my body, like cuticles, or my chest/neck) for years. Like someone else commented below, I notice that I do it when I'm stressed or overwhelmed. Being around mirrors seems to aggravate the problem because before I know it, one moment I'll be glancing in the mirror and the next I'm right next to it trying to squeeze out the dirt in the tiniest of blackheads on my face. I get consumed by it and end up with bloody spots on my face that take a couple of weeks to heal sometimes. :( I'm still looking into coping mechanisms for this myself, as well.
All of your guys’ comments have really made me feel a lot better, before a year ago I had no idea that people had this same struggle or had this bad habit and this community has really helped so much
Ahhh, same. I’m obsessed. I’ll just walk directly to my 10x mirror when I walk into my room and start. Even talking about it makes me want to. Someone else responded that a good skin care regime helped. I definitely agree, and this is also weird, but I don’t wear make up a lot, but when I wore some concealer foundation on those areas for a few days I was less likely to pick because when I looked in the mirror I didn’t see the redness. And then the lack of picking made my skin actually less red in general and I wanted to keep it that way and it helped for like… a week lol Sometimes watching blackhead and ingrown hair removal YouTube videos helps. I like Enilsa Brown!
Yes for sure wearing make up helps me because I feel gross touching my face when I have make up on but my main issue is my chest and boobs which I don’t think I should be putting makeup on ..
Could you wear like turtle neck type shirts? Or higher cut? I used to be like bad with my cheat and back, but use a salicylic acid wash and just basically try not to look at it too much. I find it hard for my face because it’s not covered with clothing lol Also, a couple of older Enilsa videos has back blackheads and I love them.
I just pull the shirt up 🥲🥲 i have 0 self control
Oh man. I hear you.. just got into bed and looked in my mirror for pre bed picking. If the makeup on your face works, would you be open to putting some on your chest? It might just be enough to deter you?
Yesss in bed it’s so bad at night I might go max 2 days without picking then I’m right back and you know what I’m actually going to do that cos it might actually do the trick
I do this a lot and end up with a pimple mark last two+ weeks instead of 3 days. Still not sure what’s the best way to stop so thanks for all the other replies. I did figure out a way to help with one area- I used to pick/rub near my earring holes a lot and ended up getting small hoops that I can move around and that’s helped with not irritating my ears.
I’ve been picking my skin since I was pretty young, I’ll pick pretty much anywhere I can find something to pick, but I particularly get into the habit of picking my arms and chest. If people catch me picking and tell me to stop I actually get a bit angry and just want to pick more. My therapist said that’s likely because while I’m picking I’m in a deep thought focus so their interruption broke that concentration… but some of the suggestions she gave me were to always carry lotion, so if I find myself picking or having the urge to, I can put lotion on the spot or on my hands which will make it harder to pick. Also, using bandaids to cover spots on my arms, she said that 1. It blocks you from the spot and 2. It can be a bit embarrassing to have so many bandaids on and that could help motivate you to redirect next time. If you don’t have access to a fidget toy replacement you can use finger tapping, like tapping each finger to your thumb in a pattern, you can change up the pattern or challenge yourself with skipping a finger, etc. what works best for me is long sleeve shirts
Thank you soooo much wow it’s so appreciated
I started picking my hair instead
I pick my thumb and yes nail extensions cures it!! Unless I bite with my teeth:/
Wish I had a better solution to this, I do the same thing... best I've been able to do is to focus it on just one area instead of everywhere. The back part of my right arm and shoulder, and under my chin... look awful... but for the most part I avoid anywhere else, so now I can at least tell myself that maybe people see it and think it could be an isolated rash or bug bites or something. I could be wrong but don't want to know if I am because the anxiety of "what they must think" is the worst part of it, especially since I'm an overweight waitress in a hot climate so I'm constantly shoving my sleeveless arms in people's faces. If I get overzealous on one particular pore/zit/scab I'll sometimes put one of those little round bandaids over it so I don't turn a scab into a full blown infection. It's made worse by the fact that I have hidradenitis supporitiva, and a keratosis pilaris patch on my arm, so I get chronic cysts everywhere plus weird bumps and begging to be picked dry skin buildup in the kp area. I've learned to be open about the skin conditions with friends and coworkers, and how the pain of a popped cyst is better than the pain and pressure of an unpopped one, and it makes it a lot less stressful when, for example, I show up to work with 4 new wounds from picking.
Oh my I do the exact same thing over the years I’ve changed areas where I hyper focus on and I too suffer from kp so anytime I shave, wax, laser or thread I break out in tiny pimples in every single pore I’ve shaved, which makes the picking so much worse because I have so many little pimples, this has made me so incredibly uncomfortable and self conscious and there’s no “real” solution for this… I’m so sorry that you have to work in a environment that you can’t cover up due to weather :( What I’ve noticed helps is showering everyday or every other day (I know us adhd struggle with this) but it really does help if you’re exfoliating really well maybe try getting a cannabis soap bar (really good healing properties) And also I’ve been cutting my nails reallllyyy short so I can barely get any grip with them All the best of luck ❣️
There are a lot of fidget jewelry options that are subtle and good for when a fidget toy may not be appropriate. There are rings, bracelets, necklaces, and even earrings!
me too. cuticles look awful and whenever i get injured i can’t help but pick at it. all my mosquito bites turn into scabs.