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Confused, how do i deal with this.
Heyy. My name is ana, im 16 years old an i have a severe skin picking problem. I have had this for almost 2 years. It first started on my arms, and today its is literally on every single part of my body. I have sores, scars and scabs from feet, up my legs, on my hips, my back, my stomach, on my chest, my shoulders, my neck, my face and my scalp. People at school constantly stare and ask me what happend. I constantly wear long sleeve dark shirts to hide my arms and if my picking makes me bleed i have to were dark cloths so it doesnt stain. I also have to wear jeans to hide my legs. Its late march in pennsylvania and the weather is getting warm. Being a teenage girl, i obviously wanna wear shorts and tanks. But my scars are horrible. I really need advice...
March 22, 2011
Hi Ana, i'm really sorry to heal about your troubles. I completely empathise with you, having to cover up all the time. Have you been able to speak to anyone about it? When i was younger i got scabies, although i didn't realise it at the time, and picked myself from head to toe. When i finally went to the doctor he picked up the scabies straight away (but not the skin picking bit) and after treatment my skin improved so there was less for me to pick at. It didn't stop my skin picking, but it certainly improved the situation significantly. is it worth seeing your doctor to make sure there isn't an underlying rash that you're picking at?
Have you noticed that you pick at any particular time, or how you're feeling when you pick? Myself, i tend to pick when i'm upset or stressed or bored, so i'm trying to distract myself when i feel like that and do something practical with my hands so i'm not tempted to pick, or something like reading a book i love.
I'm very new to the forum, there's loads of great people here, i'm sure there'll be some better advice coming along soon. in the meantime, welcome! congratulations for sharing this with us, and good luck for today!
March 23, 2011
I live in Texas- very hot too- and when I had leg 'spots' as I called them I finally resorted to using that self-adhesive sports tape and wrapped my lower legs. Its sort of flesh toned for one (not noticeable if pant leg moves up- sandals were okay again-:), you can apply healing medicine underneath it first, it will stay on thru showering, doesnt stick to skin, and it stopped me from being able to pick. The bandaging itself was kind of a nice trancing ritual to go through and you feel like you are doing something actually GOOD and HEALING for yourself.
I have been where you are at--I had to wear pants and wouldnt even wear sandals or flip flops because I was scared if i crossed my legs or something and my pants rode up my spots would show. WIth the tape, it was skin toned so it was almost never noticed- or (unfortunately as us picker do sometimes) I would fib and say it was ace wrap for shin splints or a sprain or fire ant bites or something....
Seeing them heal gave me incentive to stop picking, though I still go for an ingrown here and there (damn waxing....). Also SUN does help- I would sun my legs on my patio where no one could see.
Good luck. Remember, we are not our spots and outer imperfections...they can and will go away.