Fellow dancers? I could really use some support...

yeah we can all relate to feeling down and depressed as a result of picking, fear anyone wud see the scars and trying to hide them. just think though that if u stop picking today then one day from now ur sores will be well on the way to being healed and a few weeks from now ur scars will be fading. i am not a dancer but i no the feeling of showing legs in a dress and it can cause a lot of stress, but yesterday i decided i am going to stop picking. im done with wasting my life on this habit/obsession/disorder or whatever it may be called. ur worth more than that and i am sure like me nothing wud make u happier than to stop. so next time u feel like picking clench ur fist and punch the air or somethin soft like ur duvet. u can do it!!

I was a dancer for twelve years and a picker for probably twenty. At the time in my life that I was dancing, I never had problems picking areas of my body, but I did have problems picking my face. I remember hating that I felt obligated to go to class with loads of makeup on, especially knowing I was going to sweat it all off. I remember being mortified in the mirror as I watched sweat and makeup collect on my skin and reveal my scabs. I just wanted to run to the bathroom to reapply, it really took me away from learning and improving. I eventually ended up quiting my self esteem at dance got so low. Looking back, I realize now it was primarily the skin issues that influenced my decision to leave. Pretty sad. But now I am happy to say that I don't pick at my skin anymore! And I couldn't have done it alone. A few years after leaving my dance school, my picking got worse and worse. I ended up seeing a Doctor who specialized in BDD and OCD and she prescribed me a very low dosage of fluvoxamine maleate which I am still on today and honestly changed my life. I don't feel the urge to pick at my skin anymore because before I do it I am reminded at how I'll feel afterward and how good I feel when my skin in clear. You need to go get help! You deserve help! You deserve to enjoy your talent and passion to dance. It is such a beautiful sport because it is freeing. Dance is about loving your body, understanding it and using it as a medium to draw from and with. If you want to be a good dancer, you have to either love your skin or be comfortable and confident in not always loving it. Skin isn't perfect. One thing I learned from my doctor was how to say "So What!" to my face and it really helped me. If you don't think you can do that alone, go talk to someone - The greatest thing I've learned as a recovered skin-picker is that people really are here to help! Set up an appointment with a doctor who specializes in Skin picking or OCD behavior and in the meant time, put your hair back, say "So What" to your skin and dance, just dance.