One day at a time. Feel free to join in!

yesterday, day 1 of 7 went well. i will be so glad if i can wake up thursday morning with 0 spots picked cause i dont have much faith in myself lately, and i need to remind myself that i can beat this. i have some big events coming up next weekend too, so i hope i can take that as encouragement to look pretty rather than stress and anxiety because i feel like i wont. feelin good for now though, so ill just try to hold on to that

another successful day, thank goodness ! 2 down, 5 to go. theres this annoying itchy spot on my chin that im going to have to try hard to avoid all day, but i can do it. i woke up in a pretty optimistic mood, so i am excited to get another good day of healing under my belt !

3 of 7, win ! ive been working out, makes me feel good about myself and helps decrease my picking urges.

I am 46 yrs old, attractive and have severe emotional problems including being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I'm a chronic skin picker. This is the first time I've ever admitted to this horrible habit and I'm so scarred now that I had to vent my problem onlline and see that I'm not alone. I always try to pick in hidden places, inside my nose, the skin inside, my toes cuticles, the bottom of my feet, use instruments and get some sick kind of satisfactiion out of this. The moment healing of a wound begins, I will pick it and the wound is bleeding again, sometimes I can barley walk due to the pain I cause myself. I remember doing this strange thing to myself since I was a young child and have sufferred with severe depression and anxiety since I was about age 11. I've been through many types of therapy and have never brought this to anyone's attention. If anyone has any tips in stopping this horrible self destructive habit, please feel free to let me know. I will save this forum, praying it isn't discovered by anyone, and see what others are doing to stop.

Day 22, oh my gosh, WHAT! Day 22!!! I have never made it this far before. I'm feeling so thankful and proud of myself, yet still cautious. I've been praying that I could get a handle on my picking for so long and I always imagined that it was out of reach because I had tried and failed so many times. Although it is still a daily battle to keep my hands off my skin and keep my mind off picking, I am making definite strides. My skin is looking healthy. It looks really clear (although I'm so perfectionistic that I see the tiniest of blemishes) and I'm so happy! Cuts down the time it takes to do my makeup by half. The acne treatment that I bought from Paula's Choice is working like a charm. It really clears out my pores without over drying and that helps tremendously with the picking urges. I'm still just quickly picking at two spots every morning, usually just the stubburn stop that won't go away for a while. It's actually helping me to build self-control, being able to stopping after just two. And at the same time I'm not constantly obsessing about that one spot on my face all day that is driving me crazy. It just works for me. I've also been leaning heavily on Biblical principals about temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message) "No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it." I believe that He always gives me a way out.

Feeling like I really want to go and pick at my face. This is random but I just realized that I'm always tempted to pick when I have plans in the evening and I'm procrastinating getting ready. Weird. That's the deal today. No idea why I do this. I figured if I posted on here I could maybe stay away from the mirror and win the battle in my mind!

The last two days or so have been so hard! I've almost made it a month and now the temptation to pick seems stronger than ever. I know me and I know that if I give in a little, I will give in a lot and have to start from square one again with learning self-control. I'm praying for strength and trying to avoid scenarios where I'm tempted to pick at my skin.

I refuse to give up on this! Just to make that clear : )

I'm joining the club! I'll give myself 3 days preparing for my BIG PLAN that should start June 1st. I think it's a good date for a new start! I am so glad you managed to go through these 20 and more days without picking! I correspond with a friend I met here for 8 days now and that helps a lot but I also want to try this way. I'm 26 year old female. I am obsessed with squeezing out my comedones who are widespread all over my face, arms, shoulders, chest and back. I did'n find any cosmetic product that realy helps on clearing my pores. Almost all products I have are based on healing wounds I make, but my pores just keep on fillng all over. My plan would be to leave my skin alone for 2 weeks and then go for a cosmetic treatment of clearing pores all over my body and face. I hope I can do it. Sorry for my English.

Day 29. Still hanging in there. To be honest, I'm not feeling as strong as I did in previous weeks. I'm still sticking to the plan though and that is a big deal. Can't wait to say that I've made it a month! Taking it one day at a time.

I MADE IT A MONTH!!! Pretty cool, just sayin'. I never would have dreamed I could make it a whole month without a picking session when I started this commitment. I really believe my hundreds of failed attempts helped me to know myself better and my weaknesses. I was also very aware from the beginning that I couldn't do this on my own. In the midst of feeling overwhelmed with the urge to pick, I pray that God would give me strength. I also know that posting in this forum is a tremendous help and encouragement for me. This is a major accomplishment for me! I feel like I've finally established a habit of not picking. Oh the temptation to pick is still there several times a day but it's getting a little easier to shake it off. Just had to take a minute to celebrate. Still truckin' folks.

I'm really trying to stop! I picked my face badly last week. like four spots or so, and they turned into open wounds. then as I was trying to stop picking, three more spots came up. and of course I picked them /: I'm trying to get them to heal fast! so far, two have already faded almost completely. i had four on my cheek, the two smaller ones healed. I have one on my forehead that isnt so bad, one big ugly bumpy one on my chin where the skin fell off after over squeezing it, and then two little ones developed under that. the smaller ones under my chin are less resisting to pick, because I think they will heal faster. I leave for camp on Saturday and we aren't allowed to wear makeup, so I'm praying for a miracle to heal these spots I have! I know I can prevent myself from picking at them! I put aloe Vera on them and makeup over top so I cant see them as well, and that works during the day. the problem is at night, when I get out of the shower and everything is sorta moist and very red... but lastnight I didn't pick at them! and tonight I won't either :) I believe that I can heal my skin. and once these spots are gone, I have faith that I won't pick again. im just worried that that won't happen by Saturday /:

Day 39. The last week has definitely been a challenge. With all these pregnancy hormones, my skin is breaking out more than ever. I'm 24 weeks btw (3 1/2 months to go!). Part of my commitment is that I let myself pick at two blemishes every morning but no more than that. This helps me to build self control. Also, I'm not a picker that digs into my skin and continues to pick a spot over and over, so this works for me. Lately, this has been really hard because of all my breakouts. I haven't been perfect but I still haven't had a (true) picking session in 39 days! I feel like I've finally found something that works for me if I stick to it.

Hello. My name is Lindsay. I am a 32 year old woman, I am married to a wonderful Christian man and we have 2 beautiful children. My son is 9 and my daughter is 5. I have been picking my face since I was 14, so 18 years now! I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ, I believe he is my Healer and if I just fully trust him, and surrender all my fears, He will give me peace of mind and I can overcome this terrible habit. It's truly an addiction and over the years I have allowed it to become part of me. And over the years, I went from light picking to serious picking. Every time I try to stop, the pressure is on and it gets even worse! I never had acne, I always had a clear complexion. But at age 14, I began worrying a lot and obsessing over my image. I was a pretty girl and people were telling me how beautiful I was. Well, I started getting conceited about my looks and in my desire to be perfect, I began examining my face in the mirror looking for any imperfections. I started picking and squeezing and thus creating something out of nothing! I know I can't do this on my own strength, only with God's help! I pick my face almost everyday. The longest I have gone without picking is 2 weeks. But then I always seem to start again. It is getting very discouraging. Every time I think I have finally overcome, I do it again! When I saw that you, too, are a Christian, it made me feel better knowing that other Christians struggle with this. Sometimes I feel so guilty and shameful because Jesus came to set the captives free, so Christians should be living in complete victory, and here I am living in bondage to this awful skin picking addiction. I am happy for you that you have gone one month without picking. It is my goal to make it to a month. I heard the longer you go, the easier it is to quit for good. Two days ago I had a very bad day and spent hours in front of the mirror picking my face apart. I go deep into the skin, using pins and tweezers, creating deep wounds and making my skin bleed. I am allowing my skin to heal now, it will take a while for it to recover! This has caused a lot of stress on my husband and children, as well. Thankfully, my husband is patient and understanding but I can see he is very disappointed in me and it hurts to see his disappointment. My children are questioning me why I am hurting myself? How do I answer that?! They don't understand. Even I don't understand! These 18 years of face picking have taken a real toll on my face. It is covered in scars and I now my skin is uneven, textured with deep pores. I have to wear foundation everyday to cover up the damage. But even foundation can't hide what I've done. I do this every time I feel extremely anxious and stressed. I know I should avoid the mirror at times like this, but I literally get caught off guard, it's like I do this subconsciously and get into a trance like state. It's like the devil takes over my mind in these times, this is not just a mental disorder, it's being under demonic influence! While picking my face, I feel such a sense of relief and satisfaction. Being isolated inside the bathroom, it's my way of blocking out the pressures of life. But after I am finished, I feel an incredible sense of guit and shame and I end up crying in my room and have to isolate myself in my room because I can't bear for anyone to see me like this, with my face such a mess! It's so crazy how I can keep doing this over and over again, even when I know the end results. God knows my hearts desire is to please him and to overcome this. I have hope believing that I can overcome. Time to start renewing my mind by the word of God! How important it is to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ!

Yesterday, Day 41, I picked. The weird thing is that I kinda subconsciously picked for a minute or two and then I made a somewhat conscious decision to keep going to the point of picking at basically every pore on my face. Once I caved it was like "well, I might as well pick at everything." I am really disappointed. I let my guard down. I can completely pinpoint the reason too. I've been really stressed about my husband's job and yesterday he was having to make a really hard decision about whether to stay or take another job that has been offered. With me getting closer to the third trimester of my pregnancy and being a stay at home mom, his single income is really important for us. To be honest, picking was not as much of a relief as I thought it would be after 40 days. I didn't go into as much of a "trance-like" state as I used to and I definitely had more control over the picking but chose to continue. I was most disappointed for my husband to get home and see my red and swollen face. He knows about my commitment although I don't go into detail with him because he really wouldn't be able to understand it. I was real with him though and told him how I picked. He gave me a big hug and said "so out of 40 days, you had one bad day. That's pretty good!" He's a keeper! If I start back at day 1 today, it will be the first time for me to start over the following day with a commitment to not pick. I usually give up for about a month or so before trying again. Well, I've made it too far to give up! Today will be DAY 1. I'm going to learn from yesterday and have more insight next time.