Waiting for pimples to mature

Serene I to suffer from cystic acne and know the pain that you refer to. I can honestly say that I do not wait for the pimple to mature. I feel a bump or see a bump and right away I am in the bathroom looking in my magnified mirror to pick at whatever is there. I wish I had the patience to just leave them alone but I do not. If I could just motivate myself not to pick. Maybe someday......

I sometimes have good days, and I have been better at postponing the picking until the pus comes up to the surface....but today for whatever reason (maybe hormonal), I completely caved in and went to town with the picking. It tends to do more damage when you pick at immature pimples..so the best thing to do is to just wait till they rise up to the surface...although I hate that feeling of pain which comes along with inflammation,,,the throbbing sensation. Ugh that is the worst trigger.

Serene I too have some good days. But somehow they don't seem to last too long. I am so careful of the things that I eat that I know will aggrevate my skin. No matter how careful I am I always tend to get bumps. Then I squeeze and pick until something comes out. At that point the damage is done and now I have a bigger place then when I started. Today when I came home work I picked all the scabs from the places that I have on my face. Something in my mind set says that if you pick the scabs that they will heal faster. I too caved in. Ugh...……………….

Are you using hydrocolloid bandages? Its the only thing that made me stop picking at the scabs. The bandaid acts as a scab for the skin, and the skin underneath it doesnt develop a scab, it just gradually heals by itself as its held moist and clean from debris. I used to have a big issue with picking at the scabs, particularly after washing my face. The scabs would become soft and white...too tempting not to peel them off. So the only thing that helps me in that regard are the hydrocolloid bandaids, which I try to keep on for as long as they can stick, and then changing them after routine facial washes. If I plaster on a bandaid, I dont see the sores, so it also keeps my mind away from them.

I work for Publix and I couldn't find these bandaids. Where can you get these??? Can you tell that you have them on???? My husband would just lose it if he sees bandaids all over my face!!!! I am willing to try anything to help me stop picking scabs.

https://www.amazon.com/Band-Aid-Hydro-Seal-Purpose-Count/dp/B079TCVPTX/…

There are different varieties of those...different sizes and shapes...but they basically do the same thing...although some are thicker than others. Thats the most popular brand. Hydrocolloid bandages have a soft bendable material which acts as a second skin on top of the wound. Also there are store brands which offer their version of hydrocolloid bandages. I picked some up at CVS the other day. You are not supposed to plaster a huge bandaid on the wound. You cut into the soft material into small squares which you can then apply on your wounds. They stick to the skin like stickers and will over time absorb the plasma from the wound. When they absorb the moisture they will swell up and become white...thats normal. If they get swollen with too much moisture they will eventually start to peel off. The point is to keep them on as long as you can before changing it. Just think of it as a synthetic scab which helps the skin heal faster. If you feel you need to wash the wound in between, lets say every 6, 9, or 12 hours....you can do that. But you will have to apply a new piece of the hydrocolloid bandaid over it. Its really not that bad, your husband wont freak out if you have small pieces of the sticky bandaids on your face. Just wear them after you come from work, after washing your face. Keep them on all through the night. In the morning the wound will look much better when you take off the bandaid. On the weekends you can keep them on as long as you can and change them periodically. I have at times even gone out with a bandaid on if it was covered by my hair , if I had to run errands in the middle of the day, etc. Oh also, do not confuse hydrodolloids for tegaderm bandaids. If you see tegaderm written on the package , thats something else entirely. I just made the mistake of buying a tegaderm bandaid last month so want to spare others of making a similar mistake. Also, you can buy other varieties on Amazon...they have circular pre cut shapes that cost a bit more..but basically they all do the same thing. You will see for yourself how well they work. In time you will figure out how to use them and what works best for you.

Do you use New Skin liquid bandaid? I often also use that, applying a thin layer on the wounds and letting it dry before applying makeup over it when I have to go out. The New Skin liquid bandaid is best for smaller, or shallow sores. It forms a protective seal over wounds and keeps the wounds from being contaminated by makeup. Try it out too, it is not expensive and will last you a long time. Its also much less obvious than the bandaids, particularly if you apply one thing layer. But the hydrocolloid bandaids are better at healing the wound...so I still say go for the bandaids as the main form of healing....and substitue for the liquid bandaid whenever needed.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Skin-Bandage-Scrapes-Calluses-Cracked/dp/B00…

I went looking for the bandaids at my store (I work for Publix) and the only thing I found that had the word hydro was an hydro seal all purpose bandaid. Are they the hydrocolloid ones??? I never used the new skin liquid bandaid. My spots are not deep so now I am wondering which ones to use. You can put makeup over the new skin liquid bandaid???

I posted links above...but yes I was referring to Bandaid brand hydro seal. Just make sure to pick up the ones with more surface space, dont get the toe ones, and I also dont recommend the heel variety either as they are very thick. Hydrocolloid bandaids are great for any wound, deep or shallow..it will help nonetheless. But liquid skin is only good for shallow sores, and it actually dries down, like nail polish on top of the skin. So yes you can put makeup over it when it dries down and forms a layer on top of the skin. Its only liquid inside the bottle, anyway all of the directions are on the packaging. Links are posted above, so just copy paste.

I am having a bad night. I failed again and went ahead and picked the dry skin off my places. I am feeling so stressed right now because my marriage is in a bad place. He doesn't realize that he is hurting me. We barely talk and all he does is sleep all the time so he doesn't have to be with me. I can hardly stand it some times. I just want my face to be all right. I am going away in a couple of weeks to see my sister in PA just to get away from all this bad drama. Just want my face to be healed in time. Ugh...…………………...

Stress and relationships do strongly correlate with the severity and frequency of skin picking. Do you think your skin picking in the past few years has intensified due to increasing stress in the marriage? I hope that you can have a healthy break. I visit my family once a year in CA, and I often find that im able to withhold on the picking when I am in a new environment. I noticed that even after moving to Florida from Georgia, I eased up for about two months..but now Im worried its going back to the same frequency as before. I read an article stating that psychologists have a theory that the skin picking, nail biting, and hair pulling are all behaviors that are subconsciously motivated in order to try and control/balance out a system in the brain which is responsible for emotional regulation. Since it doesnt function normally due to various reasons, we develop these behaviors as a way to attempt to soothe ourselves. And skin pickers often have stressful childhoods....not necessarily abuse...but could be anything from very strict parents that put pressure on the kids, to financial instability which creates stress, etc. And the behavior becomes addictive when we feel that emotional release after picking.

I have pictures on the wall in my husbands office of when we first met and our wedding pictures and my face was gorgeous. I sit and wonder what the heck happened from then to now. I really then get mad at myself!!!! Yes I feel that I am picking more and more because of what is going on. Its funny that you mention the skin pickers have stressful childhoods because mine was really stressful. My parents divorced when I was real young and have had several alcoholic step fathers. I guess I am thinking that is what got the ball rolling. Now my husband is drinking in excess and all the feelings are returning. When I can't control the things around me I know that I can control the picking.