A healthy skin healing guide to help stop picking.

This is a guide to follow to allow picked skin to heal. This, along with a serious, determined commitment to stop your harmful behaviours to yourself just might end your bad habits by replacing them with good ones. Give it a serious 30 day try and see how it works for you. Commitment and determination are keys to your success with this as with anything. --------->> each evening, CLEAN your skin – use a gentle cleanser with warm water, not hot because hot water dehydrates. Do a final rinse with cool water to close pores and calm inflammation. --------->> DO NOT PICK --------->> BANDAGE open sores and anything tempting to pick at immediately - keep bandages on as long as possible (especially overnight) to allow healing. Bandages deter sores from being picked at and keep wounds moist and protected from contamination. Seek out the kind that work best for you. --------->> MOISTURIZE your skin - avoiding bandaged areas. Use gentle effective moisturizers such as olive oil, vitamin e oil, Cetaphyl, or Aveeno, etc. especially in dry climates and seasons. Be cautious with products with fragrances. --------->> SLEEP WELL - Get 7hrs + nightly on bedding cleaned weekly (consider fragrance-free hypoallergenic laundry detergent) --------->> each morning, CLEAN gently with warm water and cool rinse --------->> DO NOT PICK --------->> BANDAGE up what can be kept bandaged to continue to promote healing. --------->> MOISTURIZE and/or APPLY SUNSCREEN as appropriate before applying makeup that isn't recontaminating your skin. --------->> DO NOT PICK – throughout the day use what deterrents help: snapping an elastic on your wrist, wearing gloves, using only candle light in bathrooms, sitting on hands watching tv, driving with both hands on the wheel, anything that helps. --------->> take a MULTIVITAMIN --------->> DRINK LOTS OF WATER throughout the day --------->> EAT WELL – a good diet for skin includes whole grains, water, green tea, omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts, flax seeds, avocados), low fat yogurt, berries (esp blue berries), nuts (esp walnuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios), cottage cheese, mangoes, whole grains, good oils (olive, safflower, canola), and carrots/sweet potatoes --------->> AVOID too much caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, sugar, and fried foods - these are counter productive to maintaining good stress levels and healthy conditions for skin --------->> EXERCISE – take walks - at minimum, 10,000 steps per day is recommended. It naturally stimulates anti-depressant activity in the brain. --------->> AVOID STRESS - EMPLOY STRESS MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES – research this to see what you can do within your limitations regarding your circumstances. Seek help with this if necessary. It may be the underlying cause of CPD --------->> NETWORK with others that understand skin picking disorders. -- SUPPORT EACH OTHER – this is the best, to know we are not alone. --------->> CONSULT WITH YOUR MEDICAL SUPPORT periodically - confide with your health care professionals about what you're up against and what YOU are doing, realizing that they can only assist you. --------->> RESEARCH relevant topics: wound healing, skin needs, picking disorders, stress management. Information and knowledge is empowering. --------->> REWARD and PAMPER yourself for your accomplishments. Be loving and caring toward yourself. Natural facials (banana, avocado, honey) and milk/salt/baking powder bath soaks are nice and healing. --------->> Be FORGIVING if you experience setbacks. Negative self talk is counter productive. --------->> KEEP ON TRACK with your commitment. Focus on the goal to be free from picking and having healthy skin. --------->> JOURNALIZE - record keeping helps keeping on track. --------->> BELIEVE - It IS POSSIBLE with a serious effort. --------->> LOVE your skin rather than harm it. -------->> ... modify this basic list as appropriate according to your specific issue(s)