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Mardy Bum , 31 Aug 2010

So close yet so far!!

I have picked for years, maybe since I was about 12 so we are talking nearly 15 years here, I am covered in scars and scar tissue, mainly on my jaw line, neck, chest, shoulders, arms and back. The scar tissue is the problem. I am so close to not picking at all, I go through phases with it, it is worse when I am anxious and I also have depression. I would say at the moment there are maybe a dozen sections of my skin (mainly the shoulders) which have raised scar tissue and I can't seem to stop picking at it because it is raised, I've stopped picking where the skin is flat but the raised parts are my downfall and I know I am making them worse. I am proud of how far I have come in terms of how little I pick now but PLEASEEEE does someone have any idea how I can stop picking the scar tissue so it can heal!!?? = )
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Popcorn47
August 31, 2010
Not a clue, as I have the same problem. The frequency of my "attacks" have greatly reduced, but as they say, the damage is done. In addition to having pock marks and indented scars on my face, I have raised bright purple-red keloid scars on both shoulders, both breasts, middle of my sternum and they started growing down my abdomen this year. There's nothing I know of for that. The general treatment for keloids is injection of cortisone into the scar (didn't work for me, and if it does work, it is temporary, with each "new" injection being less effective and more toxic than the previous), and "as a last resort" they surgically excise the whole scar. My doctor excised two of my raised keloids,--one on my left shoulder, and one on my right breast. So mind you these were surgical excisions which were then stitched up and I did NOT (surprisingly!) pick at either of them again. They both returned and grew bigger than they were! This scares me because I greatly want to have them removed but as I've been told, I may end up with a severely worse case than I already have. I also have about a dozen of them, and with their location being on the areas most people consider the most feminine part of the body (shoulders, breasts, belly), needless to say, these past years have put a damper on me emotionally & have greatly affected my intimacy, self confidence, and I've let them limit me in terms of how outgoing I now am (I'm not. Not any more, that is). I notice they get a lot worse with prolonged exposure to water, especially hot showers. The heat (we've been in the 90's lately) makes it A LOT worse, thicker, brighter purple. They itch like crazy. I went through the whole "flattening them out" thing and all it did was make them worse and cause new ones to grow, and cause the "main one" I attacked to grow bigger, deeper, thicker, more like rubber, and downright uglier. If you find anything that works, definitely let me/us know, because there are a few of us on here also fighting the "keloid stigma."
flygirl
September 21, 2010
Hi guys... Scars are a big problem for me too. My picking has been out of control for about 4-5 years now. Initially I used to pick at my face, later in addition to that I started picking at my arms above elbows, shoulders and chest. I have scars in all of these areas. My shoulders are covered with red and pink blemishes. Most of them are flat, but some are raised and hard (and most annoying as you may guess). My chin looks quite bad too. A while ago I had multiple deep wounds on it. Some were infected so much that my chin swelled twice it's size!! So the skin surface there is quite rough now. It doesn't look like seperate scars but like one big nubbly mess... Anyway, I've been in a therapy for 2 years now. I still pick quite badly and nearly every day, but I do see some improvement not only in my destructive behaviour but in my emotional condition as well. I hope that perhaps in a year or 2 I'll be able to start living again... You know... get a job, start going out etc. However when that happens the scars will still be there and I sure want to deal with them eventually. I haven't tried anything yet, 'cause I think that when I start I should be confident enought I won't begin ravaging my sking again. Though I do look for solution in the internet every now and then. A while ago I found something that I am eager to try out when I "get well". I do hope you'll find it helpful too. I came with a few articles about ozone therapy. It's used in cosmetology for scar and acne treatment, also for rejuvenating of the skin and normalizing it's function. I'm not an expert, but I think it's the least invasive way to heal scars I've heard of. There are several different procedures available, but I suppose one should consult a doctor to select the most suitable one. I've found one clinic in my country that practices ozone therapy and I've only heard good reviews so I hope it shouldn't do any harm at least... Although I read a few articles in English saying that there were certain risks too, but I didn't look into it 'cause there were many terms I did not understand and I was to lazy to use a dictionary :P Try google "ozone therapy in cosmetology" for more information. Hope it'll help... I'm from Northern Europe, by the way, but I'm sure ozone therapy is widely practiced in other countries as well. I suppose most of you are from US, right? Anyway... let me know what you think, ok?

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