how to heal open wounds

Even as I write this I am picking, and I swear to myself every time I get one pick down and one piece of finger flesh in my mouth, I will stop. I always think, this could be the last one. I am not stopping though, and obviously, totally, really, really wish I could. I am 55. I have been picking my fingers since I was about 6-8 years old, I think--I just remember doing it most of my life. I pick the skin around my nails. I do not generally chew my nails, and they in fact, usually look kind of long and nice. But NOT my thumbs. My thumbnails are bumpy, discolored, peeling and both thumbs have huge "humps" in them which I do my best to hide from people. That is particularly hard to do at work when I am holding a document to show to a colleague or reading a book to a kid--I have become adept at pointing at text with my pinkies since they are usually not as desecrated and I also curl my thumbs in so no one sees them. I am embarrassed, distracted, definitely not as efficient as I could be at work or home since so much time goes to staring at and shredding my fingers. I also bleed, a lot, I go through boxes of band-aids, and about once a year I get a serious infected finger and have to embarrassingly go to doc for strong antibiotics. I am a lier, sometimes, frequently....because I tell the doc the wound came from a paper cut, the kids I work with I have "skin problems" and infections, any adults that might (God forbid) happen to notice that I have very "dry skin" that cracks and peels.... I always feel like I want to make my skin smooth, to get rid of the ridges, skin 'cliffs' and flaky prickly skin...."If I just make it smooth I will be done....." I DID quit for five years. I don't know how I did it but I did, through sheer will. Now I think the habit has always been lurking, and it pounced again about two years ago. Finally, my teeth have been hurting lately, the front teeth, from so many years of grinding on the flesh between my front teeth. I sound like a monster but am not. I would love to have a permanent, lasting complete cure. I feel shattered and fractured, not at peace, not centered at all. It impacts my self-esteem, it controls my life. I don't want to see or talk to people due to the shame I feel for what I do, with a hidden bleeding finger to remind me. Or a skin tag I cannot wait to get into my office and chew on. Argh. I want to try hypnosis. Anybody...success with that? Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Have read a lot of blogs here, this is the first time I have posted on a blog. Maybe this full disclosure of my real-life, all-consuming problem can help?? ( - : ) - :

Neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment is the way to go, especially to keep it from getting infected and therefore less scarring. I use bandaids sometimes, sleep with plastic wrap on my arms (with neosporin, fast healing!) and wear gloves around the house when I feel like I might be inclined to pick. Once it's healed get some scar serum, coconut oil, tea tree oil, olive oil, all are good and my favorites. Try a bunch of things to keep your skin moist and hydrated! It'll heal faster and fade the scars faster.

I am so happy to have found this site. I've had psoriasis for about 18 months, give or take, but I didn't see my doctor about it until it had broken out on my arms. It started with a large sore on my right shin that got bigger and creepier all the time, but when it got to my arms I had to find out what was wrong with me and I was terrified. I thought the big sore on my leg was cellulitis. He hadn't seen that either. I was sent to see a dermatologist who did a biopsy & confirmed it to be plaque psoriasis. Humira is often recommended, but I was already using it for my arthritis, a rare type that's an autoimmune disease and it carries along a host of other diseases. Some of them are Crohn's disease, iritis, psoriasis, ulcers, etc. The big, ugly thing on my him he said was no big deal, the skin under it was healthy. It was covered by what appeared to be big, broken scabs that looked like a mosaic. Only ugly. Within a couple of days I had all of that off& was left with brand new looking thin, red skin. The other psoriasis sites are gone now, but that thing on my leg weeps. When it becomes dry I start peeling that crusty looked dried skin off, and then it weeps where I pulled off the crusty skin that's basically ready to come off. I've been doing this for over a year and it is ruining my posture as well as my disposition and my leg. I think my biggest probe list that now it's not just a habit, it's become more like an obsession, and I just want to find a way to stop the weeping. I've used vitamin E oil with some relief, but not enough to keep using it. My latest 'treatment' is Shea body butter that I put quite a few drops of lavender essential oil in & mixed it all up. I've used it the last 2 nights before I went to bed & the difference was huge. Yesterday there was no weeping at all and the skin was smooth in most places, and I resisted the urge to pick at the places I knew I could pull off. Last night again with good results today. But today I started picking at it again, I don't know how to stop. Thank you all that shared your stories and I sincerely pray that you are all blessed with a cure for it all right now. Thank you. - Sue W.

hi im so glad i found this site.i have been picking since i was 13 after something horrible happened to me this was what i would do to gwt my mind off of it now im 24 and i am still picking.i pick what i think is a blackhead several times then when its a scab i pivk that constantly then it turns into a crater and i pick that then it becomes a cm deep hole an i pick and pull the stuff out of that which im assuming is whote scar tissue then its a cm hole deep and wide and always got puss coming out of it now i have huge dark purple scars all over my body and have a huge hole under my arm that wont heal and is always bleeding and has puss and i dont know what to do or how to heal it i worry im gping to give myself blood poisoning from this or it is infected and gwt real sick from it mt wont close as it is too big now but my partner says you can use super gluw to shut it and it will eventually heal and close and ive tried this but i pick the glue out once its dried and it is gross i know but it really smells now bad i jist need help im sick of doing this to myself it depresses me that my body looks like this

Hello everyone. I really need help for my father. He's now 83. Years ago (I'm talking years), he ended up with some type of scab on his forehead. He kept picking at it and it grew and got worse. Now, we're talking a wound with a bad, big, dark and light, and crusty scar ringing it, altogether about the size of a mandarin orange. He wears a wide, cloth bandaid over it. It smells bad. He won't go to see anyone. I've asked for medical intervention, but they won't... because he's an adult and he has the right to refuse treatment. This is not something that started with an obsession about picking. But he won't treat it and of course it gets worse. It bleeds. I discover him bleeding in Walmart... I must change his bed sheets, etc. at least twice, three times a week because of staining. I discover blood all over the house because he doesn't see it sometimes (he's 83). Because he's getting weaker with age, he mostly sits on the couch and watches TV. So now, the couch smells like his wound. I went through the period of being disgusted, trying not to be disgusted, ignoring. He's my dad, and I guess he has the right to do as he wishes, even if it means that our whole house is affected. I've given up on convincing him to see a medical professional. But I'd like to know if there's something I can do to at least lessen the wound (and therefore, its effects).

I have had this disorder since I was a teen. I am 44 now and still have it, but have finally opened up to my doctor about and and am getting great help. Here's what we are doing: 1. I take Naltrexone, 100 mg. this is an anti-self mutilating drug which prohibits the stress-relieving affects of picking/self harm. I have noticed I don't pick as long on it and don't take it to the extreme as I always have. 2. When I get a blemish, or feel one starting underground I puncture a liquid Advil and apply the liquid to it. It reduces the swelling and pain, which makes me want to pick it. This helps me not fixate on it as much. 3. I make a facial mask from Tocotrienols Rice Bran Solubles for open wounds and also when my face is ok. This is a most potent form of vitamin E and very high in antioxidants that deep cleans dirt and bacteria and helps skin heal faster. It's natural and non drying and also perfect for sensitive skin. It has helped my scars diminish in appearance and actually makes my skin look younger and fresher. It's great for preventing skin cancer and has a lot of other benefits too, so I put it in a smoothie everyday also. Tocotrienols can come in gelcaps, like regular vitamin E, but DO NOT put it on your skin like this!! It's too potent and will burn/chap your skin. The soluable product is much better. I mix 1 tablespoons with purified water, mix it into a paste a smear it on my skin and keep it there for 15-30 mins. You can find the soluable form here: https://www.sunfood.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/159996/ use my referral email: brhatt09@gmail so I can get a small discount- so appreciated!! It's a little pricey, but goes a long way and wow! The results are noticeable! 4. I took out 2 of my 3 bathroom light lighbulbs so it's darker and I don't notice every spot. I only use a tiny makeup mirror for applying makeup in my kitchen with full light and I have no other mirrors in the house. 5. Lastly, I sometimes put band aids on all my fingertips because when I touch my face (constantly) I can't feel bumps and pimples, which leads me to the mirror to see and always starts a picking session. It works better than gloves for me, which are too easy to take off. Hope these help! God Bless my friends

Hi, I have just joined. I have been picking my lip since I was 9/10 years old and I am 18 years old know. This happens every time I get dry lips. I picked my lips a lot yesterday and now I sort of have a scab on lips where I picked it's not a scab like one a person get's on their face but a different kind. The scab is skin but it is very dark ad quite red. I was wondering how to heal it quickly beacause I don't want my mum to find out.

Okay so I recently picked the scab off my wound and I'm guessing it wasn't ready yet because I was left a with red, raw skin patch which was also oozing clear liquid. So all I've done is put neosporin on it but I need it to heal fast since I have upcoming events. I also tried calamine lotion but it started burning so I quickly took it off. what else can I do to make it heal faster?? How can I keep a scab from forming? or How can I make the scab fall off faster once it does form?? Please HElp.

I have had problems with skin lesions on my chin. Start out like hard pimples that don't pop, then morph into large lesions, scaling, small round thread like things that can be pulled out and then bleed. Been seeing seem, tried everything, nothing helps. Just got some ByeBye Foundation CC cream to cover, and it is healing them! Amazing stuff, I think anyone with this problem might want to give it a try!

I put the cc cream on open, oozing lesion and by next day, much better. It says not to, but it actually helps. And covers it nicely as well! I was using Bare Minerals Bareskin serum foundation, and it helped some. But this cc cream is dramatically better!!! So thrilled I have found an answer! Wanted to share immediately because I know personally what a horrible thing this is. I have hid inside my home from embarrassment for weeks due to these things, depressed and sad. Please try and let me know. Oh, and washing my face with Dove soap and water. Instead of picking scab and dry skin, I wipe area with alcohol pad and let dry. Then apply cc cream til area well concealed. The magic begins, and when you wash your face, it will be much better.

The things that have worked best for me (and I've tried everything besides prescription meds) wash your face twice a day, when you wake up and before you go to bed, use an all natural soap such as oatmeal, witch hazel or tea tree. After washing your face rub your face with a cotton ball soaked in braggs organic apple cider vinager. Once that's dry follow up with rubbing your face with another cotton ball soaked in witch hazel. Once you've soothed your skin with the witch hazel lather the problem areas with organic coconut oil. If you need to cover your face with make up , dab the excess off with a clean tissue. The apple cider vinager is used to treat the bacteria, the witch hazel to calm and sooth skin , and the coconut oil also is used as an anti bacterial but also a great moisturizer to soften wounds and scabs. Hope this helps!

Newperspectives calamine lotion treatment! It works I'm tellin ya! I just tried it and after 2 days and 4 applications.... The wound is significantly better and healing quite quickly !

@kit what type of laser treatments did you do, and did they work? Thanks!!

@kit what type of laser treatments did you do, and did they work? Thanks!!