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catwoman , 21 Mar 2012

my story

It all started when one day my mom was putting me to bed. I was in my bed and she said that she had noticed that my brother and I had these pimples on our legs. She told me that she could make them disappear, my skin would just be red for a couple days. I made the mistake of saying yes. That was the end of third grade.After this incident I found myself picking viciously at any bump, no matter how miniscule it was, on my leg. Sometimes for hours I would sit on the ground in my room and tilt my leg to the sunlight to see the tiny shadow of a bump. Usually there was no pus or anything like that. It just became a scar after I picked at the same spot more than once. Then, a few years later, I started picking even more horribly at my arms, and I still do now, in 7th grade (almost 8th) and now I have started agian at my legs, and even my face now.I try not to show my upper arms in public, which are by far the worst, but my gym uniform doesn't allow that. I need a way to stop this kind of picking, and it seems that there aren't many people in the same boat as me. PLEASE HELP if you know a way to stop it. My arms are almost completely covered with white round scars and more red dots for recent picking. I need a way to stop so I can be normal.
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soncek
March 22, 2012
Oh, I feel for you. I am just now on day 6th without picking, after battling this problem for a very long time. I am 33. Please know that picking away at skin and scabs will only create more pimples, scabs and scars. It becomes a vicious cycle. I used to think that picking away at dry skin, scabs and pimples will make things go away, when in reality, all the probing, cutting, diggin creates MORE problems. Also, know that the imperfections you see on your skin are really invisible to other people, and by picking at them you make them visible. So, if you can try and stop yourself each time your hand goes to scratch that pimple or scab off, you will see, in time it will heal. And the rest of your skin will heal, if you just try and keep your hands away. I now started doing friendship bracelets to keep my hands occupied, I read before bed instead of pick, and I just became super aware of how my skin looks by picking at it. Yesterday, the first of my 55 scabs fell off, and I was so happy! You know the feeling you have while you pick? That trance you are in? Excitement? Well, for me, my excitement became the joy of my skin clearing up. Knowing, that each day, I will be able to wear less make up, that soon, I will be able to wear a summer dress, a tank top, pull my hear away from my face. It's a job, changing a habit you've been doing for so long, but think of the reward. My reward is me being confident for the first time in my life. I feel like finally I don't have to hide, be embarrased or ashamed of who I am. Take it one day at a time, occupy your hands, and think of how gorgeous your skin will look very soon, how pretty you will feel, and have a normal life. Just try to do this today; say to yourself, NO picking today. Then tomorrow, start over. And so on. Until you retrain your brain that your fingers are hurting you, not helping you. And soon, you will overcome it. I wish you well and a complete success. Please also read a book about this online, it's free....its on stoppickingonme.com It will tell you about the damage you are doing to your skin, you will learn how you are hurting yourself and why...and hopefully this will trigger a desire to m ake a permanent change. Love, SC
catwoman
March 25, 2012
Thx so much for your comment. Because of your advice, I have started a 100 day resolution, just in time for full-on summer, to stop picking. even though i'm only on day two, I still really hope it works. Thanks so much! Also, I read in another post that if you soak in hot water, after a while, you can just rub the scabs off. I tired it, and it's true. Maybe you can try that for youself, instead of waiting for the scabs to fall off. That could take a lot more time. I wish you luck and hope you will achieve your goal of clear skin :)

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