Tips and Products

talk to your health care provider about including INOSITOL into your vitamin regimen. among other important health benefits of this vitamin (b8) it has a calming effect which is probably why it is considered helpful in the treatment of depression, ocd and anxiety disorders and it doesn't have the side effects of prescription meds ........ deficiency can lead to, among other things, irritability, mood swings and skin eruptions ..... important to note is that large amounts of caffeine may cause a shortage of inositol !! ....

HI ALL. I have a few product tips, in particular for face picking, and how it begins.. I use a product call Alpha H that I get from the shopping channel (we all know which one, its in the uk, us other places). I get a resurfacing cream with a serum, and use each every other night. The serum is super hydrating and seems to give a smoothness which stops me searching for imperfections, or rather they are more difficult to find! The resurfacing cream has Hydrogen Peroxide in a small concentrate, so be careful if you have and sensitivity. It cant be used on the eye area, but 'zings' when you put it on, giving the feeling that something is being done to get rid of the nubs...What it is actually doing is gently 'burning' the dead cells away overnight, and for me, it seems to work! My microscopic 'blackheads' (not really there, bu I find ANYTHING) have all gone! Either that or my eyesight has deteriorated since Ive been using these products!! :) For my body...in particular the tops of my arms where KP is, I eat oily fish 3 times a week. It seems to break down the fatty lipids that collect in my folicles so I cant try to expel them. For my fingers and cuticles, i use Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream or vaseline...its sticky and so doesnt seem to come off so easily, AND because both products dont taste so great, I am reminded that I have my fingers in my mouth, so have a chance to think about it a little bit... I avoid mirrors, and try to get into a clean bed every night, with a fresh washed set of light coloured PJs as a reward if Ive not picked all day or been too busy. This seems to make me more aware if I start to want to pick. Of course, all this is simply management of mt dermatillomania, and I would prefer a total solution to the whole shebang if I knew one. I just know that when I am in a DM frenzy, these things sometimes help me to pull myself out of it. I hope this helps anyone

positive self talk is imperative. being kind and gentle is always better than berating or blaming. also learning to touch your skin in a kind or gentle manner when urges bring searching fingers to skin is changing a bad thing into a good thing. it is possible to inspect and convince yourself to massage or gently address an itch, rather than scratch or pick. doing so with a calming and gentle inner voice is very helpful. any touch that doesn't result in harm is a good thing. we need more good things, too. ☺

kmj I use proactive and I admit it's not perfect but I have found that the revitalizing toner is essential for me. I use it everywhere I pick. I have found that if I am able to keep my hands off it seems to help the damaged skin heal the fastest (over other products alone). In the winter all three steps are too drying (amazing, it must be age because nothing has ever dried my skin but alcohol-and lots of it). I also use Skin Effects glycolic cream cleanser (CVS). It's not so drying in the winter. I use it with the proactive cleansing lotion in the summer. B/C the benzoil peroxide bleaches clothes I avoid it on my body. However, I have purchased more white tops to use on my upper body when I have stubborn break outs or when I have picked my back and chest a lot. I have started using Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, peppermint version. I like it b/c I can use it on my body (you can even wash your hair with it-hard with long hair). I use a natural sea sponge and rub. The peppermint really helps me feel clean. I have had times where i have showered and due to water differences or forgetting my own soap, do not feel clean no matter how much I scrub. I feel like bronner's rinses clean without residue but is invigorating. It can sting open skin, but I love that because I feel like it's really cleaning my pores. I think it has helped my skin-not 100% (I'll use proacitve, too). It makes me feel clean but does not dry the lower half of my body like salycilic body washes have. It feels great even between the toes! I do believe that diet helps. I use probiotics (phillips colon cleanse), fiber (metamucil caps), drink lots of water and unsweet tea (green/black). When I drink lots of cola, it does get worse! About 5 years ago I did the anti-candida diet and my skin was 100% clear in 4 months. VERY difficult diet. I didn't know what to do with myself when I was anxious because there was NOTHING to find. My pores were so small I didn't bother. Three-Lac is a product that kills candida albicans and i tried it but had a financial crisis and havn't gotten back to it but friends have tried it for digestive issues and female yeast infections and it works great. I think Candida Albicans is likely a serious problem for many people but its not a main-stream health issue. My skin is clearer, though when I avoid what I think are my worst culprits (sugar-people say it does not effect acne but it does other things to your body that does google sugar addiction). I believe in wholistic medicine but often can't afford it. I do what I can. Our body is system and one is off , so is everything else. Possible skin offenders: sugar, dairy, wheat products, starchy foods (candida triggers). You have to experiment to find your worst offenders. i'm sure we all can admit that our SAD (standard American diet) is poor. this does not help our stress or our bodies, or mental health. Do I do all this all the time? No. But i do notice promising differences when I do. Just like anything else, life situations can throw any of it off. I hope some of this helps some of you. It renews my conviction in some things I have tried to share it all! Thanks to everyone for your tips. We are unique and need to try what works for us. Keep trying! ps- therapy from the right person and working on your self-esteem helps too. Good books for relationships (to limit stress) Boundaries (Cloud and Townsend-if you are ok with spiritual influences). If you struggle with other addictions get help too. Even if you are a codependent with someone else having the addiction. It influences you more than you think-even after you move away from home.

It never occurred to me until now that I can do something about this behavior and disorder that I'm so ashamed of having. I look forward to the support and learning more about how I can help myself and possibly others that suffer from this problem.

here's a link for the 10 best foods for skin ................................................ http://menshealth.r.delivery.net/r/c/r?2.1.3MK.2oN.175mN4.ImtXuK..H.D3%2ac.1iRS.bW89MQ%5f%5fCbLKFON0

Here are a few tips from me which helped me overcome this habit. I used to pick my fingers A LOT and would make them bleed, red, raw etc. Wear gloves all the time - even indoors. It may look strange but if you can't see your fingers or touch them with your mouth or other fingers, you won't pick or bite. Use scissors to remove hang-nails before you start picking them and making them worse. Use handcream so your nails and fingers don't dry and crack resulting in hang-nails and other hanging bits of skin which might get picked or bitten and made worse. I use handcream daily. Find something constructive or entertaining to do which will take your mind off picking. I wish you all well in kicking this habit.

I'm going to a wedding tomorrow and want my skin to look fab, but up until last Monday I kept squeezing blackheads and other imperfections out of my skin on a daily basis trying to make it "perfect". On Monday my face was looking beat - blotchy red spots of inflammation everywhere with some dry and cracked areas, and wrinkles were starting to show too. So here's what I've been doing this week, which has turned my skin around. THE FAB SKIN PLAN. 1) WATER... and a lot of it. I've been drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. 2) FISH OIL... a lot of this too. I'm taking 4800 mg a day. Fish oil is good for your overall health and boosts your libido. 3) SUNSHINE... 20 min in the morning helps with acne and inflammation, and produces vitamin D. 4) OIL PULLING... I'm using olive oil twice a day. Olive oil is great for the skin and when you oil pull the oil is absorbed sublingually (under your tongue) so the benefits go straight to your skin. How to do it: swish a cold pressed oil of your choice in your mouth for 20 min on an empty stomach. Spit it out then rinse with water and brush your teeth. Your teeth will be whiter too! 5) EAT HEALTHY... fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish especially salmon, lean meats like chicken and turkey, beans, ghee (clarified butter), olive oil, nuts and seeds. I avoid sugar and caffeine. Alcohol is not good for the skin but I drink a glass of wine 2-3 times a week. 6) SIMPLE SKIN CARE... I cleanse with Shu Uemura purifying cleansing oil, use Jan Marini SPF 30, mineral makeup, and eye cream. I exfoliate a few times a week with an inexpensive and gentle face scrub: 4 non-coated aspirin tablets dissolved in a few drops of water. 7) MEDITATE... This is what has ultimately kept me from skin picking the past 4 days. I do a one hour guided meditation using the Hemi-sync De-Hab CD every day. De-Hab alters your brainwaves and goes deep into your psyche to change unwanted behaviors. When I do the one hour meditation I feel so relaxed afterwards. As a result of reducing my anxiety, I don't even feel the urge to pick! 8) EXERCISE... I have been doing yoga in the morning and walking in the early evening. Swimming is great too. It's all about REDUCING ANXIETY and TAKING GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF. The result: I feel great and my skin is looking healthy. It's not perfect and that's ok. I wish I had before and after pics to show you! The transformation is amazing.

consider self hypnosis

I have a new hobby that consists of creating my own skin care products with essential oils. You can find many of the recipes online. I have found this to be more soothing than the actual act of picking my skin. My favorite recipe is for a skin mask that cleanses, exfoliates, prevents bacteria from entering your skin, and reduces reddening and swelling, all at once!!!! The recipe is: cinnamon nutmeg honey Take equal amounts of each. If you would like to, you can add some lemon juice. I add lemon oil and it works just as well. This is to prevent blackheads. The lemon juice is optional. Stir ingredients until you have a paste-like substance. Refrigerate. Spread on your skin, wherever you have blemishes or have picked. I put this on my face and chest area as well as my upper arms. Relax for 30 minutes. Remove with a warm wash cloth and notice how soft your skin feels! I like to use what is called BIO Oil on my face after this. It is a great moisturizer and helps to heal scars.

This might be more suitable for scalp pickers, but it could work for other pickers. I have found that when I have fake nails I am unable to pick (because the nails are so much thicker and the "target" is harder to grab) giving my scalp time to heal - for a while anyway.

fake nails are good if you can afford them, other wise try trimming your nails really short so you carnt use them to scratch/pick. for cheap healing routine try this.... 1. wash with wrights coaltar soap and rinse. 2. i scrub with st ive's blemish control scrub its great. 3. apply bio oil. 4. most important TRY NOT TO PICK. and if weather permits 5. get in the sun! (i know its not recomended and can be damaging in the longterm but it seems to help the healing process physically and mentally. stick to this after a week you should see a difference

I've been a compulsive picker for almost 20 years now. I'm still a picker but i've picked less and less throughout the years. I'd like to share some of the ways that have helped me deal with this issue. Recently, i found a product that worked really good for my skin. It's called Neostrata Gel Plus. I put it on every night and found that it's helped tremendously to heal my acne/pimples and reduced scaring after the first week of usage. This is definitely a miracle product! Since it's a gel, it tends to get a little sticky on the face after a few hours so this makes me pick less. As for my evening urges of picking my body, i havent' found a way that have made me stop completely. I have my good days and bad days where i completely pick myself out until i'm too tired to pick any further. One thing that has helped with the post depression is to tell myself i won't give up and tomorrow i'll try again until i find a way. I believe staying positive is so important. If there is a will, there is a way which made me come across this website and forum. After reading so many other post from people suffering the same disease, i feel this may be the first start to a full recovering. Knowing that i'm not the only one suffering and that i can now come onto this site as my support group when i feel any slight urge to pick. Tomorrow, i'm going to start my 40 day no picking and see how far i go. Good luck everyone and never give up! Let's strive together!

check out this link to eating for healthy skin ... www.readersdigest.ca/food/cms/xcms/cook-for-clearer-skin_479_a.html ... hope it inspires some dietary changes that helps a bunch !!