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I hope some of you can relate
I didn't even realize this was a problem I had until I googled about people who do this and found this site. I have been picking since i was 2 and got the chicken pox. I have 5 significant scars from the chicken pox on my face, one on the side of my nose that people think was a piercing, so i thought that later on, more damage wouldn't hurt. I always had a fascination with pulling at my skin, i'd get out my dad's nail kit when I was little and mess with my finger and toe hangnails until they bled. It's like when i do things it's to "fix" something. When middle school hit, like many of you i destroyed every single blemish on my face, even ones that couldn't be "popped." I'm in college now but I spend at least 20 minutes a day in front of the mirror with tweezers picking at scabs, squeezing every visible pore and doing who knows what. My chest, stomach and back are also kind of my "victims," that's the most embarrassing part. I have scars all over my mid section from taking pins and trying to get out every little imperfection. I don't know why i have to fix everything. I have other ocd-ish habits too but I haven't gone to any kind of doctor about it so i don't wanna "self-diagnose." If any of you wanna tell me about tour habits or have ever done the same things, please share! this forum is amazing
September 22, 2011
i can totally relate. i mostly pick my face, but when i'm really anxious i will go to every pore on my face and squeeze. it's like i'm digging for something that needs to come out. i've made some pretty bad marks on my face. and usually, by the time it all heals i start picking again. it's definitely so hard to stop, but i'm working on it. i think it is kind of an ocd/ anxiety issue.
October 04, 2011
I have had a LOT of luck with the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, which is sometimes sold as N-acetyl L-cysteine, for my 11-year-old daughter who severely picks her skin (arms and legs). I'm hoping that everyone on this group will check it out. We started out at 1200mg each day, 600mg in the morning and 600mg in the evening. Then we worked up to 2400mg, 1200 mg in the morning and 1200 mg in the evening, within about 3 or 4 weeks. The study that was done in 2009 showed the best results were after 9 weeks of continuous treatment with this amino acid, also just known as NAC. We saw great results after 6 weeks. Please consider trying it. I am not a doctor, so please weigh out the risks for yourself. It has truly been a godsend. My daughter used to pick to the point of staph infections. She has scars all over her body. It works by regulating the URGE to pick. You can download the summary text of the 2009 study on this website - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19581567. The study was for hair-pulling, but skin-picking and nail-biting result from similar sets of urges.