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Zit Picking Arms, Face, Shoulders-Squeeze, Dig, Repeat.....
I have just about gone over the edge picking my shoulders to pieces. I pick my face neck shoulder and forarms. I just thought this was something I did until I came across this website. I search my skin until I find something and then go after it until something comes out. I use tweezers to remove the plugs that do not willing leave and will attack that spot until it bleeds like crazy. I will remove something. It's like I have to be in control of something and this is it. I know it is bad and unhealthy but it is somewhat soothing at the sametime. The things I pick at have something that comes out so it started as a beauty reason but has snowballed into this thing that causes me to hid my arms all the way down to my wrists. This habit started out on my face about 3 years ago until I started doing serious damage, and it made me miserable looking at my face. I have managed to keep my face picking under control but only because I do not want to damage it any more. My arms are my new victims. It is a larger area than my face so there is mor skin to scan. any over the counter acne product only made it worse. I use kosher salt in the shower and it somwhat helps. I know this is in my head . I see other people that have the same skin bumps I have but they do not destroy their skin trying to remove the goop underneath. I know the first step is to acknowledge that there is a problem My main problem is that I will have episodes where I will attack my skin and then leave it alone because I have hurt it so bad, then when it is about half way healed I will go after the spots again to remove the rest of the goop, thus causing a worse scar and longer healing. This causes keloids, thickining of the skin as it tries to repair itself by producing massive cells quickly. I would love to hear from others with this similar problem and any insight they have on it.
November 10, 2008
You are certainly not alone in this, I do something similar every so often. I remember the first time i popped a pimple..I picked at one above my lip in 6th grade and was amazed at what came out. After that though there would be times where I would sit in front of my moms vanity mirror for a long period time looking for something to pop on my face. I have always had really good skin, so I would pick at these slight little bumps on my face that could hardly be seen without a magnifying glass. My face always looked fine a few hours later and even if there was some redness I could cover it up with concealer. Sometime afterwards I found that there were very small bumps on my arms too and I decided to start popping them as well. I have definitely been in trance like states before when I pick at my arms for up to 30 minutes. I tell myself I will only pop one pimple but usually I cant help it and I end up going at over a dozen of them. I hate it because It can look so bad that I can't wear tanktops or T-shirts for up to 5 or 6 days after I picked since I want to hide the scabs. Also so much of my time is wasted doing it. I go weeks or sometimes even months without an episode of picking at my arms but still it has been going on for years. The one thing I constantly do is pick at the skin around both my thumb nails when I am sitting around not doing much because I become anxious.I also tend to pick the skin around my thumbs when I am at the computer either reading and just surfing the internet or writing a paper and doing other homework assignments. My mother and sister are the only ones who know about my habits but they don't know the full debilitating impact it has on my life. Somehow all these years I have managed to hide it from all my friends and boyfriends. I hope one day I find the strength to stop it all for good.
October 04, 2009
I do the exact same thing that you do. When I played volleyball I would pick at my thumbs without even noticing and wouldn't notice until i felt the wetness from the blood that was all over my thumbs and nails. I pick at my face, arms, back, anything I can get my hands on.... I even scratch my head until it bleeds. It makes me feel like a crazy person, but its soothing. I'm calm when I'm doing it. Are you getting any help or doing anything that helps you. I try to wear gloves when I'm at my place by myself so I don't start picking without noticing... but when I get in front of a mirror... i attack myself