What can I do to stop picking at my skin

found this forum a couple hours ago, This is the first compulsion since that time to scratch. Initially stopped myself from scratching my arm, then my hands went to my scalp, i pulled away again, then felt the bump on my face and rubbed it. went for a chest bump and stopped myself again Now I feel compulsions throughout my body, arms, legs, eyelid, nose, ears..How do you deal with this overwhelming message from your body to scratch. I ate lunch 30 mins ago. I had sheperds pie, salad ,butter tart and water. I am feeling sleepy and bored and restless. I am drinking water and typing to you in here to try to distract the feeling. Anyone else have advice on how to get through the compulsion phase

Hi, I have been picking at my arms and legs for the last 2 years and i have scabs every where on my arms and i hope this will help me find a soulotion. :)

I thought i was all along. I really get so sad when spring get closer and the thought of summer and the sleeves shirt. I cry so often when i look down at my arms. Looking for help ! how do I stop picking !

What I do to stop picking is to put actual physical barriers between me and my skin. At times when I KNOW I'm prone to picking (Before falling asleep, driving in the car, watching tv, etc.) I have a set of cotton gloves that I wear. This keeps me from picking not only because it's physically impossible, but also, when I wear the gloves, it makes me realize the damage I've done and the measures that must be taken now. It's a little wake-up call and it puts me in the mind-set to really want to stop. Also, I apply neosporin and band-aids to my picked areas. not only does this keep me from picking, but it also allows the scabs to heal faster than they normally would. Also, I keep my nails short in order to minimize any damage I do. Of course, the best way to stop picking is to mentally overcome the urge. I did this for two months. Didn't pick at all. However, I fell off the wagon a few months ago. Good thing is I KNOW for a fact now that I can stop. Every day is a new day to quit. Don't give up!

I am also 37 and have been picking since I don't even remember when. I find myself watching T.v. feel around my scalp and start picking, then my legs, arms, back, I want to stop so badly and I don't know how. Is it not enough to make me stop when I think about how it looks to me or my husband, or other people, obviously not. I would like some help on how to stop this, I have so many scars and scabs on my arms and legs, and summer is coming up soon, I do not want to wear short sleeves or shorts. :(

i am 20. ive been picking at my skin for the last 2 years or more. when it started it wasnt a big problem. it started with my face then my arms back and entire body. i will stand in the mirror for hours at aa time and pick at every little flaw. i have tried so hard to stop. recently i've been pretty sick and found out i've had a thyroid problem that caused me to have severe depression and anxiety. not only that but a few years ago (around the time this all started) i had something pretty traumatic happen to me. i think all of this made my picking get worse and worse. now i have scars eveywhere, people used to compliment me on my skin all of the time, and now i have a hard time leaving my appartment. i am so afraid i will never be able to truly be happy with myself or be able to stop picking at my skin but these comments have made me feel SO much better. i am not alone and that is a bittersweet feeling. i have been beating myself up for the last year trying to stop doing this to myself but everyday i fail. i want to stop but im scared that even if i do i will still be scarred for life and me or anyone else will ever think im pretty again. it really hurts knowing ive done this to myself and i dont know how to deal with that aspect of this. i know im not going to give up and im going to keep trying to beat this and learn to be comfortable in my own skin. and i just want to say that everyone that has openly talked about this is really brave because for so long i was really embarrassed and ashamed.

Hi everyone I have picked for as long as I can rember. However I had made some progress just this year. I Found a online chat support group that helps. And for a while I even watched those really gross zit popping vidios on you tube some times they take the edge off as weird as it sounds. I also dont allow myself to wear tank tops or short sleaves when home as that is most of uspick. I also started keeping my nails really short it reminds me of my problom. Sometimes I don't even know i am doing it so the long sleves seem to help. But it is very easy to relaps. Also neosprin helps as it heals its also greasy and cant really pick with it on. But as much as I hate the long sleaves It helps the most. I hope this help someone eles.

What I find helps: • Writing notes on problem mirrors or "washing" them with something that leaves them too streaky to see your pores. • painting my nails when I get home and feel stressed so I won't risk ruining the nail polish or smearing polish on my skin • avoiding caffein because it worsens stress • making a sticker chart/ calendar and giving myself a sticker for a good day or half day • having a support buddy and not letting them down/ being a good role model for them as well • taking down mirrors • never looking in a mirror unless accompanied • putting objects in front of mirrors so you can't get too close .........can't think of any others that have worked for me

It's nice to find this forum. I'm 25 and have been picking at my arms, face, back and legs since I was a kid. My husband calls my arms my "graveyard", my mom has said I look like a leopard. All of it hurts my feelings, but I know it's my own fault. I just can't stop. I am CONSTANTLY picking at something, and not even realizing it. I wish there was a quick fix, but I know there's not. I have noticed that if i have my nails done, I do it less because I don't want to mess up my manicure. Maybe if I try the gloves idea like someone else had said, that may help. Especially when I'm driving or mindlessly watching tv or reading. I may seem like too much of a freak if I wear them at work, since a lot of my picking happens at my desk...but I've been trying to wear long sleeves. (I also have a sticky note that says, "DON'T PICK AT YOUR ARMS!"...it doesn't really help). I recently went on an anti-depressant that has been really helpful for a lot of other stress in my life, but hasn't really made a difference on my skin picking. Maybe a support group is the way to go.

omg, your post almost brought me to tears...it wasnt too long ago that my very young child drew a picture of "mommy" and included spots all over the face with a big red marker--I wanted to die. I felt embarrased for myself and for her, and ashamed and mad and just a whirlwind of emotions. I knew I HAD TO get a handle on things. Have you talked to a doctor/psych about it? Perhaps medication may be the way to go if this is something you are doing unconciously. If you go to clinical trial .gov or and topic search skin pick or dermatillomania it might lead you in a direction. Docs tend to go for ssri's and ocd meds (also ssri's) but your case sounds like an impulsive behavior that occurs without your awareness ( correct? ). I found that meds for impulse control did help me even though I am a concious picker, I am not technically OCD= worry & ritual, when it comes to my dermatilliomania. If you are not comfortable with medication, they are not a permanent thing- they can help you get a handle on the behavior while doing behavioral therapy--it is hard to do therapy or gain a sense of perspective, control, and calm when if you are feeling out of control--at least that was my experience.GOOD LUCK and keep trying!!!

I hear you 100%!!!! I am 38 years old with 3 kids and have "Boo Boos" all over my legs and arms...luckily no one can't see the ones on my scalp. My kids will catch me picking and say "stop picking mom!" It is awful and embarrassing. My husband hates it too but he tries not to say very much anymore because he knows I struggle with this crazy addiction and doesn't want me to feel bad when he catches me picking. I live in Texas and have only put on shorts in my home because my legs look so bad with sores all over them! It is already reaching the 90's and a pool party is coming up next weekend. I am already making excuses to have other plans and not go so I don't have to wear shorts...much less a swimsuit, please! It's a neighborhood party we go to every year with many of my friends. My picking has really gotten worse over the winter months and I just CAN"T STOP!!!! I did really well not picking for a couple of days, but then, with all the "end of the year" school stuff going on and the stressors, I went in the bathroom and picked for an hour just now... I hate it! I am so mad at my self. I hate that you all suffer from this as well, but it is comforting to know I am not alone or crazy... Well, I might be crazy! Haha.

Hi everyone, I've barely scratched the surface in sharing about this [pun intended]. I have brothers and one sister that do this. I saw this done by my mother too, on the back of her neck, upper arms. Mostly overworking a blemish. It's hard to remember when this first started, probably when I was tall enough to reach and see my face in the mirror, although I remember when I would sit on the counter spending time on my face. It may have started in my early teens when my skin would break out. I remember saying to my oldest brother "Why do you pick, won't your skin take care of itself?" He yelled at me "NO!" I've gotten some great ideas from this site. I think I'll put a dim bulb over my mirror. I know that keeping my fingernails trimmed has helped. Someone mentioned acne meds are oily and make it difficult to pick. I use a petrolium jelly with aloe [to protect my blemishes by mosturizing them] and realized that it keeps me from getting leverage on my skin. I would wear long sleeve shirts because I didn't want to be found out, and realized the long sleeves kept me from picking. I have a tiny 5X mirror I find I can't part with-- this is my main problem. I shave and have to keep up on trimming my nose and ears, I can't do it without this mirror. I will move it from easy access of the medicine cabinet to under the sink, so I'll have to work harder to get it. I found it interesting the Dr. mentioned this is a type of self hypnosis, and I agree, how else can 15 minutes or half an hour go by when I perceived it was only 2 minutes? I find when I do regular mediation in the morning, I am less apt to go to the mirror. I need to be more regular with my meditating. I know when I am travelling, my skin clears up very nicely, since I have no magifying mirrors around. I'm glad I can comment. G

I keep lotion and vitamin e oil on my bed side table and by my couch where I watch movies. If, and I do mean if, I realized that I'm picking at myself I will use the lotion/ oil to rub on the scab instead.. The sensation still feels good, almost like picking, and it's helping my skin heal.

I used to pick the skin on my fingers constantly, it was terrible, I couldnt even have my hands in water for more than a couple minutes because they would get so disgusting from all the picking. get acrylic nails! i got them once just for the heck of it and my skin healed perfectly! It's so hard to pick with the nails on because the have no feeling so you dont get that sensation that you would get with your fingers. I hope I helped. Let me know if you try it, it worked for me! and once you see your skin heal it motivates you not to want to start it all over again cause its easier to pick at the scabs than to pick at fresh skin

Wow, this is the first time I've searched about this.. Im 25 and have been picking since I was about 13 but it has gotten worse and worse over the years and for the last couple weeks I literally can't get anything done! I don't want to leave the house cause I'm ashamed and I get so mad at myself.. And then I spend so much time picking, before I know it an hours go by and I don't have time to do stuff I needed to. I know my husband knows but doesn't understand and he tries so hard to tell me how beautiful I am but I feel so disgusting! I've tried the fake nails and the lotion but I always find a way to do it anyway.. I wish I could figure out WHY I do it and how to stop but I'm scared to go to the doctor :( well anyway it kinda felt good to talk about since I never have before... Thanks for listening and sorry I'm no help!

I usually thought that I was alone in this. I'm relieved that I'm not (I'm sorry.) I would think "who else would do this sort of thing to their skin?" I decided to take a step tonight and research into my bad addictive habit... I saw a site that had abit of info on this sort of habit. It said that this sort of habit is formed by stress or anxiety or traumatic experience.. I didn't have a traumatic experience.. I started picking when I was..in year 6 going into early year 7. I'm 16 and I haven't stopped. It's hard. I started on my arms. I don't know why. I think I had the goosebumbs and thought one of them was a pimple. Then the domino affect happened an it moved. The good news is that I've stopped picking my arms. But my chest, face and back still need working on. And my arms have white dots on them and they are not smooth. I can't stop. My mum has caught me after the deed has been done a few times. We have tried a lot. Banning me from things. Positive attitude. Working towards nice skin an having a goal. Showing me Internet pics of scars and saying "what if". But that didn't work. Them sorts of things didn't affect me. I really feel like a brick wall sometimes that way. My sister said it takes 21 days (I think) to break a habit. It worked once. My arms. But I can only manage to go a few days without picking. I usually find myself infront of a mirror when I pick. Unfortunately it's become a very bad habit. I pick because it's been a good day. I do it because it's been a bad one. The only time I don't feel like picking is when I have this rare feeling that says "I don't need to pick. There is no need." after the few days of not picking ends. It starts again. Saying "it sucks" sounds light-meaning an a lil selfish to me. It's more like. "even though this is bad. It's what I do." but it HAS to stop. I have to go swimming soon. I don't like to go swimming because of my skin. I can't let this problem take over my life. But it's really hard and I need to know how I can stop this. Mine is so bad that a category of my life has already started revolving around it: shopping. I hate it. There is a deeper meaning to this. It's the domino affect again: I hate shopping -> I hate it because I have to try on clothes -> I don't like trying on clothes, cause then others will see my skin -> my skin is bad because I have made it so -> I hate what I've done -> I'm ashamed. Picking has started to take over my swimming life too. It's the same thing. I have to stop this because it's going to take over my life. But it's hard and I don't have a lot of will power... I know ive said a lot but I really needed to let this out. You would know the feeling.