Online Test

Find out the severity of your symptoms with this free online test

Take the test
newperspective , 30 Mar 2012

wounds are HEALING and scars are FADING------> PLEASE READ!!!!!

I've mentioned calamine lotion on this site many times before but I want to scream it out for everyone to hear and to understand that IT REALLY DOES WORK! My skin has seriously never looked better. Being that I'm still in active recovery from CSP, I relapsed a bit yesterday and went to town on my chin. I was so angry with myself but instead of spiraling out of control, I just took a deep breath, washed my face with my antibacterial face wash and applied a thick layer of calamine lotion all over my chin and let it be. This morning, the wounds were already healing over and the swelling and inflamation had subsided immensely! After washing my face in the shower, I applied another thick layer and left it on for about 4 hours. When I washed it off, they again looked even better than when I first woke up this morning. My hopes are that they will be completely healed within the next few days... I will keep everyone posted. My chin aside, the rest of my skin looks INCREDIBLE! I've been using calamine lotion consistenly for the past month and the results are AMAZING! My scars have faded about 50% and my skin actually looks NORMAL. I don't feel so ashamed walking around without makeup on in front of my husband and kids, and when I am wearing makeup, my complexion has never looked better. To achieve the same results, you have to be consistent and use it every night. After washing my face at night, I apply a THIN layer (apply a thicker layer ONLY on the areas where wounds are present) all over my face and leave it on overnight. In the morning I wash my face and apply a zinc-based moisturizer before applying my makeup and then go about my day. I've done this for a month straight and I can honestly say that I am a believer. Calamine lotion has helped with healing my self-inflicted wounds, fading my scars, and evening out my overall skin tone. The best part about it is that it's dirt cheap. I spent $1.44USD on ONE bottle! PLEASE give this a try... I promise you won't regret it!

251 Answers
Add Comment
butterfly
October 17, 2012
So I left it on over night and when i washed my face lightly it felt really sensitive and didnt peel the scab but i notice its kind of yellow now? is this normal? and how long should i keep it on for? and how many layers at one time? Thanks a lot
newperspective
October 17, 2012
The yellow IS normal - it's a sign that the scab will be ready to roll off within a day or two MAX. I would only keep it on for 3 hours at a time MAX and only apply 3 layers. Don't forget to allow each layer to fully dry before applying the next :)
newperspective
October 17, 2012
Yes, definitely keep applying it. I've had the exact same issue before and I just had to keep applying the calamine lotion to it. If you remain vigilent and consistent it WILL get better. :)
soembarrassed
October 16, 2012
Whiteheads are the worst....mine do the same thing...skin..peel...skin..peel...over and over. Taking forever to heal. I have one from a week ago sunday thst is healed but left a pink spot that is still hard to cover with a little indent where the white crap was...so annoying!
staypositive527
October 18, 2012
hi new perspective! just read this page and i don't know when my skin picking started, pretty sure it had to do with this quest to look perfect for my boyfriend (even though he puts no pressure on me) and i made everything worse. i had pretty great skin till i messed around with it and i really have not picked except for a week ago and i guess i bruised and scabbed a large part of my left cheek, there is even a cyst. i have used zeno to heat treat it, tea tree oil... then neosporin on the scabs. since then the scabs have peeled and i put a scar serum on the pink marks that remained.. now the skin is rescabbing (not as dark though) and then peeling (ughhh) and grrr you can imagine my frustration. on top of all this i exfoliated which i read i shouldn't be doing and now i am afraid of scarring. a piece peeled off that like looks very red and possibly a small indentation so now i am extremely freaked out, i am so scared that it will become an icepick scar! i just want this pink discolored skin to blend with the rest of my skin which looks good, but this uneven tone looks terrible! do you think the calamine lotion would help with that? i just want this pink skin to fade and be the skin it used to be.. help :( p.s. you seem so sweet and caring in your posts and i really appreciate all the time and thought you put into your answers new perspective! xo
newperspective
October 18, 2012
Welcome to the site staypositive527! The most important piece of advice I can give you is to treat wounded skin VERY gently. I've personally never had any success with Zeno or Neosporin. Zeno has been known to actually burn your skin and it's especially bad to use on broken skin (I learned the hard way from my own personal experience). Tea Tree Oil is also great for spot treating with, just not on broken skin. I definitely feel like a mixture of the Zeno treatment, the Tee Tree Oil, and the exfoliation are contributing factors to your cyst, and the skin surrounding it, not being able to heal properly. The calamine lotion should definitely be able to help the skin to heal and if you can refrain from picking at it, there should be no icepick scar to speak of. :) PS - remember to only use gentle products on your face until your skin has completely healed. My top favorite products I use to help speed up healing that are 100% gentle are Cetaphil Antibacterial Cleansing Bar, T.N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel, Calamine Lotion, and Wal-Mart's Equate version of Proactive's Repairing Lotion (for night-time use only). All of these products can be purchased for under $15. :)
staypositive527
October 18, 2012
thank you! okay so i definitely going to pick some up after work. now i was reading and wan to make sure i get the right kind ao i believe i should get the kind which is more liquidy? is that hard to find? and also i do use cetaphil as my facial cleanser and witch hazel as my toner so we are good there (i use dickinsons too!) so you think all of this is making my skin actually not heal? i heard tea tree oil is great on scrapes, but more importantly cysts which i still have.. but it is covered by a light scab! (sigh) so i really don't know how to treat it! since the picking it has only been about 5 days now so i am hoping i just have to remain patient and stay calm. oh and the directions for using the calamine lotion are not over night? and to let it sit for 20 minutes then wash it off? thank you!
newperspective
October 18, 2012
I used to use Tea Tree Oil for my wounds because I read that it would be beneficial, it turned out to be the exact opposite. If you have a Wal-Mart close by, you can find the calamine lotion there. I purchase the HUMCO brand (don't purchase Caladryl - it's not as effective). They also carry the Equate Repairing Lotion I use. It contains 2.5% BP so it's great for night-time use. It's very soothing and gentle so you can apply it all over your face at night and it will not only help heal your skin, but it will also help prevent breakouts as well. :) DO NOT use the calamine lotion at night. I apply three layers (allow each layer to completely dry before applying the next) and then I let it sit on my face for an hour before I wash it off. After you've washed it off, apply your witch hazel and favorite moisturizer of choice. :) If you remain patient and consistent, your skin will be healed in no time! XO
staypositive527
October 20, 2012
hi new perspective! me again! haha okay so i have been using the calamine lotion tonite is the 3rd time (i actually have it on right now lol) and this really seems to have toned down the pink in my skin already! quick question though out of curiousity.. how is it on acne that you haven't picked? and how would it be on a pink mark that has been there for a month? thanks for your help! :)
newperspective
October 20, 2012
Hello there! That's AMAZING news! I'm so happy to hear that the pink spot has lightened. :) My neighbor is 18-years-old and she's suffered from cystic acne for years. I recommended that she give calamine lotion a try. Last weekend, I saw her for the first time in a long time and she expressed to me how much the calamine lotion had been helping. She said that she'd tried EVERYTHING and nothing ever seemed to work for her long-term, until she tried the calamine lotion (she's been using it consistently now for about 5 months). Her skin looked incredible. The last time I'd seen her, her skin was red, splotchy, and inflamed from her severe acne. Now she had about 3 small spots and the rest of her face was clear. In answer to your question, I would have to say that the calamine lotion works well on acne. :) The calamine lotion has worked well for me in lightening old scars and hyperpigmentation I've accumulated from picking (but it does take time). I started seeing drastic results at around the 2-3 month mark (with newer spots it was sooner). If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. :) XO
staypositive527
October 20, 2012
that is great news! so glad for her! i actually don't have cystic acne, just the one i described to you.. plus every now and then i will get one at random. most of my acne is just the standard whiteheads or blackheads that i had been picking (not lately though after this last debocle lol) and making more of a mess of! i noticed the one pimple (not cystic) i had pretty much dried up since i put the calamine on it and the cyst is in the process of drying still, but is definitely shrinking and less red/brown! yeah i figured if the spots were there for a while they probably will just need a little extra time to fade, but i will definitely keep up with this even once the hyperpigmentation is gone i will continue to use calamine lotion on my acne! (well not the blackeads.. but anything raised!). so only put in on the hyperpigmented spots/red or pink spots, or acne correct? i just don't want to over do it (i have a tendency to lol) and get dry skin and break out cause of that! but just want to tell thank you again! you have no idea how much confidence i had last night at work looking at people in their eyes compared to last week when i was continually trying to dodge people and woke up in tears looking at how red and bumpy my face looked asking my mom what i could do cause i had to see my boyfriend later! i will definitely spread the word about this! you are the best! :D
nikchick30
October 25, 2012
After two nights and days of picking and re-picking and hiding from co-workers with huge gobs of concealer on my face....I decided to do some research and I wish I had found this forum sooner! I now know how bad it is to pick the scab, but lesson learned for next time! I went to Walmart straight from work and got all four items you've mentioned in five mins for $14! (Calamine, witch hazel, cetaphil bar and repairing lotion). I've started the regimen tonight but already have a couple questions...first, do you have any tricks/tips for applying the calamine? It was so runny and messy! Second, if I were to only put it on a few spots would I notice those spots getting lighter than the other parts of my face? Thank you for your help/advice to all of us with this embarrassing problem!
newperspective
October 26, 2012
Hello nikchick30 and welcome to the site! :) The calamine lotion is EXTREMELY runny! I always lean over a sink when applying it. The best way to apply the calamine lotion is with a cotton ball. Apply a significant amount to the cotton ball and apply it to your face. The first layer you apply will be very thin. Once that layer has completely dried, apply a second layer. Allow the second layer to dry before applying a third. Only apply 3 layers (no more and no less). Keep it on your face 1-3 hours before washing it off. Honestly, I've only ever used the calamine lotion as an all over face mask and have never used it as a spot treatment. It would be great if you would like to try to apply it ONLY to the spots that you want to lighten and let us know how it works. :) Thank you for commenting and please keep us posted/updated on your progress! :)
staypositive527
October 27, 2012
if its any help i have been spot treating with the calamine lotion and it seems to just heal the scabs i have picked by drying them out and they peel off in 3-5 days with really no scarring. the skin underneath is slightly pink, but it is because it is new and i still apply a little calamine to those pink spots because it seems to fade them, but so does time. also i have been using it on older pink spots so hoping it will fade those out too. i even put it on a pimple to dry it out and it works well before even picking it.. and if you pop it one of the best things i heard is to put rubbing alcohol on it (which i have been doing this past week) so that the bacteria that leaves the pimple doesn't spread and then then i put calamine lotion on it. did this wednesday (its now saturday) and the area looks completely unaffected with no makeup!

Start your journey with SkinPick

Take control of your life and find freedom from skin picking through professional therapy and evidence-based behavioral techniques.

Start Now