Day 6 of 21- I stumbled across a blog I want to share...

Hey everyone! While doing some research into skin picking, I stumbled across a blog that I found to be very helpful and motivational. I copied and pasted parts that really stood out and spoke to me as a person suffering from dermatillomania. These are words written by Renee Rouleau and her page is entitled: BEAUTIFUL SKIN a blog by Renee Rouleau, if anyone would like to look it up for themselves. I hope this helps b/c it sure has helped me! :) *** There are generally two reasons why people will pick at their skin. 1) Nervous Habit. Many people don’t even realize they are picking at their skin. For example, while driving in the car or talking on the phone, they just scratch and pick at anything and just can’t keep their hands off their face. Solution: Keep your hands occupied. Get any kind of toy or gadget that you can play with in your hands at times when you are most likely to be touching your skin. This will help tremendously. I personally love Tangle toys. The small version is great and fun to fidget with to keep your hands busy. 2) Picking at a blemish in an attempt to make it go away faster. You have to realize that although you can’t always control breakouts from appearing, you CAN control what happens when you get the breakout. The truth of the matter is, a blemish usually lasts 5-7 days, but the red or dark scar from picking at the blemish, can linger for weeks— or even months… Solution: Your first step in your picking recovery is to thoroughly understand this concept. Do you want to have a spot that you have to cover up for only a week or two— or a few months? The answer is obvious, but now you must recite that in your head when the urge comes to pick. That’s truly how I got over my own picking habit. When I would head to the mirror to start squeezing at a blemish, I would literally say to myself, “Renée, you’re only going to make it worse and scar up your skin. Have some self control and keep your hands off.” And that’s really how I got over my picking! I talked myself out of it and then I started to see the result of how much less scarred my skin was and how much less I had to hide under makeup. You have the control and power—are you willing to practice self control for the sake of clearer skin?
 
Remember: A closed bump from a blemish is a lot easier to conceal (and less noticeable) with makeup than a red, oozy, scabbing wound. The choice is yours.