I've read through most of the forum and feel for everyone, I've been there and I can help

Hello everyone, I understand the traumas in what we go through. And I can really help you all overcome this habit of a problem. First I shall start on my story and perhaps is still a current thing of what I'm going through. I will also help how you can all look beautiful again, regain back our confidence/self esteem and share you my beauty tips and regime. Without cashing out and keeping it simple. And get down to the root from repeating our mistakes. Believe me, I've been there and even recent times so I understand truly how horrible it can be. My ex boyfriend even had enough of my habit and said 'enough was enough'. I even promised I wouldn't do it again and I keep breaking those promises. Despite our strong will, we all like to set upon ourselves, I can accidentally fall back into the same old trap. Merely because I forget how traumatizing it can be. I am 24 years old, live in the UK and started this in the beginning of 2011. But also started when I was 17 when I had lots of spots and not knowing that I shouldn't pick or how to clear them. As I experimented with one spot and felt like a freak as seeing for the first time extracting out a blackhead when I didn't know what it was then. I assume I could do that to the rest of my blemishes, unaware that this made it worst. I went through my College and 2 years of University hiding away in a mask of foundation. Then one day when cleaning my face, I was astonished that I didn't have anything to worry about anymore and I stopped needing to wear foundation. Partly because I didn't touch my face as much as I had to face friends and people everyday so I was busy and overtime, skin healed itself and its marks. I really thought I had to wear a make-up mask for the rest of my life. I felt a great refreshment for life again. However, towards my degree show, I got too close to the mirror and started picking away at my nose. I didn't realize this was such a problem at first until now; I've realized that this problem has a name. This probably occurred because of pressure and stress from University. Anyway, skin healed again (for some reason, my nose always seems to heal a lot better than the rest of my skin with less discoloration marks despite my repeat picking at it As years passed, I stuck to just using a wet flannel to wash my face and moisturize. This seem the best bet. But at the start of 2011, going through relationship stress and uncertainty with the future and job prospects, I yet again went too close to the mirror and inspected every tiny blemish. Despite my friend saying I had great skin. I went as far as using a craft knife to scrape away minor discolored patches that I thought was hard or in my mind, false skin that healed over on top, and I felt by scraping this off, it would uncover a cleaner fresher skin underneath. As I started on one thing, I would move all over to my face, noticing all sorts of blemishes to tarnish. Obviously, I realized the outcome of this madness, and I was going through a train wreck hell. I spent hundreds of pounds on cosmetics and cleansing products and internet research to the point of obsession to improve and fix my skin. Along with this, I also had to sort my legs out as I picked at the hairs on these too, to the point they got sore and wounded. I hid away for days indoors, like some prisoner and I barely ate because I felt so awful about myself. In a way, I had overcome that and still went through plenty of experiments to improve my skin. Then I started again late October 2011, and I picked and pull around the spot so that the skin is leveled. I had no idea what overcame this madness and it kept bleeding. Since then, I've been left with this grey small patch on my cheek which I constantly have to cover with concealer when I go out. It probably wouldn't had scarred if I had just left it alone, but even when I pick at it, I continue it with the next day as if I think I'm helping it out to even out my skin. As I get so tired of doing it, after the two days, I tend to just leave it alone so that it scabs and eventually falls off. For whoever is reading this, you must think that my skin must be really terrible right now, but I can tell you despite what I've been through, I have been able to improve and help myself when to stop. Despite a few marks left, it generally isn't that bad than one might think. Anyway, so even when I thought I knew better to stop by now, I started picking at that patch again from previous, because it just annoyed me being there. I used a pin to tackle at the hard skin which doesn't actually feel hard when I touch it but feels hard when touching over it with a pin. And getting at 2 white heads as well. I think the start of this again was perhaps boredom and feeling disappointed that my skin isn't 'perfect' as it could be. So here's the BOTTOM line, and you could follow along my regime as it works. I've done a lot of research into beauty care and wise enough to know which one to follow and what works best. Especially as I've probably been a guinea to most products out there. And can give you the best make-up tips too . . . FIRSTLY, no matter how tempting it is to squeeze a whitehead, it is best not to because even though its popped, more likely we choose to squeeze at it again because we feel there's more in there waiting to get out. As we find out in the next morning, the skin is teared around it. Its perhaps best to wait the spot to disappear itself rather than a scab protruding which is rather and unpleasant to see. Hence the continuation of the picking of a scab causing more problems. At least with a spot, it might sound silly, it is however smooth around it without breaking the skin. Also try not squeeze a blackhead unless if its really sticking out, that means its ready. A hot shower would help extract this out. But with the slight blackheads that are still set in the skin, should be left alone, I have tried squeezing this out before and even using a blackhead extractor tool, left me with a bigger spot leading to a cyst (a small bump under the skin) So this is what I do . . . Ideally I feel it is best to keep it simple, cheap and effective rather than making things worse by piling on the products. You could say 'why haven't I've just gone back to using the hot flannel routine', but merely because I like to pamper myself and have the desired skin without the use of foundation. Although my skin was once fine before, it lack radiance and felt dull and buried in dead skin cells. Alternative 1: Morning: Tie hair around the front straddled to the back. Damp a flannel with hot water and massage upwards over the face. Splash water over the face and use Clean&Clear Blackhead Scrub as an exfoilator over the face. Rinse off product using the help of the flannel in hot water. Pat dry with a towel. If Staying Indoors: Use Bio Oil as a moisturizer afterwards, to prevent dryness. This would also help balance out oily skin and hydrate dry skin. For picked areas or spots, apply Sudocrem on affected areas. Leave on throughout the day. Please do not pick, Sudocrem will help to heal the picked area and keep it moisturize. If untouched, it should take about 2-3 days for the scab to fall off. A hot shower every two days will help this. Bedtime: Wash face with a hot flannel. Moving around in circular motions, the same as mentioned in the Morning regime. Dry face with a towel. Now use a cut up sliced lemon and squeeze onto cotton wool. Store away the rest of the lemon wrapped up in tinfoil and keep in the fridge. Wipe the lemon over your face like a toner. I use lemons, because it helps to slough away dead skin cells and eventually even out skin tone plus its a good astringent to spots and help speed up healing on picked skin. This might sting like hell at first and you will feel your face tingling. I tend to leave the lemon juice overnight. Then I apply Sudocrem again to the affected area. Then repeat the Morning regime, using the scrub will help wash away the lemon juice previously applied on. I find it makes sense to only applying lemon juice at night so it can be left overnight and is out off harms ways of UV sunlight. Alternative 2: Morning: (See previous) If Going Out: I moisturize with Olay Complete Care lotion moisturizer with SPF 15. This is a great base for make-up and also a protector from the sun. It also doesn't clog up pores. This is ideal for the summer because it is a light lotion and then I would switch to the cream base for the winter. Make-Up: I like using L'Oreal Minerals Foundation. This is the one that has a brush on top of it. Once you've found your perfect match, it can be applied easily with good coverage without looking fake and feels quick to use without the need of using your fingers onto your face. I still get patches/marks that are slightly visible through the foundation so I use my compact powder which should match closely to your foundation. I used the tip of a sponge or a cosmetic bud to dab on to the areas I want to conceal. Then add some blusher and TA DAH! Returning Home from the Outing (Evening): If have time and plan to stay indoors after the outing, I prefer to wash the make-up off my face to feel clean. I have started using oil cleaners, mine is Nip + Fab Oil Cleanser to cleanse and moisturize my skin which is washed off. Oil cleansers are actually good to help balance out oily skin. I have combination skin, both dry and oily so this helps. The oil cleanser should be enough to hydrate the skin without apply moisturizer afterwards (if your staying indoors). You can also use home Olive Oil which holds great beauty properties and doesn't clog pores. Or organic cleansing balms are a good alternative. Every three days, I would sometimes switch the oil cleanser to using a Clay Face Mask. You can get this cheap from drug stores. I leave it on about 15-20 mins until it dries. It helps draws out impurities, tone skin and draws blood flow into healing affected areas. Then wash off with hot water. Bedtime: (See Previous) Alternative 3: This is for picked legs: Now that I have left them alone, thrown away the tweezers, left my leg hair to grow to grow out at the same time, that way I have become less caring about ingrown hair and I use a cream alternative that comes with a spatula instead of a razor to shave leg hair. I'm only left with brown marks that are blending away. Using a body scrub that contains grape-seed oil, I massage in and rinse away in the shower. It is good for fading away the marks. Then I use cocoa butter with vitamin E to moisturize with afterwards. AND REMEMBER: Even when you feel a tendency to pick your face again, realize, would you rather stay indoors for days and feel miserable or have the choice to head out whenever you want to and feel great, without thinking about your face and realizing that nobody actually really cares. I'm still learning but I feel the next time I might consider this, I must reconsider instead and find my time in something more valuable than time wasted on pain. Such as start drawing where our concentration is targeted at that, or tear up a piece of paper instead of ourselves. YOU CAN DO IT . . . I hope I've helped!