I've compulsively picked at my skin basically since puberty, and it wasn't until a year or two ago that I learned via the internet that this is a disorder with an actual name and everything. At any given time there are probably tiny recent wounds on my face, because I look at the mirror and see a spot and have to Remove It, even though I know perfectly well this makes it worse. Unfortunately, when I looked it up, all the advice I found was "love yourself! uwu" stuff that assumed the underlying compulsion involved self-image issues, which was profoundly useless to me because my problem is seeing a spot that's a different color and knowing that if I pick it something that's gross and under my skin will not be under my skin and the spot will go away (the possibly-bleeding red spot this will leave instead does not bother this little brain program at all, for some reason). Does anyone here have problems with this and/or any input?
I have similar issues (the same kind of picking-at-any-spot-I-notice as you, plus incessantly picking at my fingers/nails whenever my hands are even remotely free), so if nothing else I sympathize deeply with your frustration. :x (In my case, probably the worst part is how easily I get caught up in picking at something and end up standing there preoccupied with it for five minutes before I remember I was supposed to be doing something before. Rrrrgh.) I don't have much in the way of tips right now, unfortunately, but my therapist is actually a specialist in this area, so when I get around to talking to him about it, I could share whatever I learn? (The stuff I've done so far has been mostly re: more involuntary things like tics, which isn't really applicable here.) It sounded like in general, the recommended approach starts with identifying which factors are causing/exacerbating the habit (like, being bothered by appearance, feeling bored/restless/twitchy, being stressed/emotional, etc.--there was some acronym listing the most common areas of that, iirc) and coming up with specific strategies to address those, but I'd have to ask to get a better idea. The one general tip I have for my finger picking is to have something else to busy my hands with if possible, but idk if that's applicable in your case.
I have a lot of trouble with dermatillomania too, and I'm terrible at not picking. Mine mostly has to do with texture rather than colour so keeping my hands busy does help, and keeping on top of dermatological hygiene, especially exfoliation (chemical and manual). I also paint my nails to limit the damage they can do.
I've tried keeping my nails short before, but the... what should I call this one... braincrab? isn't satisfied unless I have Removed Thing, so I just end up doing more damage to my skin that way. Putting more effort into basic face hygiene so there are fewer spots to start with is definitely something I need to be doing, though. #i name annoying brain processes after animals #crabs are pinchy #so i think i'm gonna call it that
What kind of spots are you prone to? I use a bha (salicylic acid) toner and one of those soft spinning face cleaner brushes. Another tactic of mine is to band aid the thing I'm picking, if it's acne I'll also dab on some benzoyl peroxide before plastering it.
Usually it's whitehead acne or just a pore where the oily stuff is exposed to the air and has turned black from oxidation (not, like, an actual blackhead where it's inflamed, just a black dot). And usually I end up picking a lot of little things, which makes it a bit harder to Band-Aid 'em. Maybe I should start wearing a balaclava. :::PPP (I'm also horrible about scabs and always have been- I messed my foot up pretty good last summer, and it took probably twice as long as it should have to heal because it was so hard for me not to pick at the scab.) I know a lot of the problem is that it ends up being a pretty textbook addictive thing for me, because a significant fraction of the time I get exactly what the braincrabs want with immediate gratification, and there's that whole thing where rewards at unpredictable intervals hook you worse than pretty much anything else.
Yeah, bandaiding mostly only works for sebaceous acne (the biiiiiiiig under the skin ones) The salicylic acid toner really helps with my lil black pore dots, especially with the face brush. I really sympathise with the addictive feeling.
Thankfully(?) I don't normally get the really big ones (it'd be more bandaidable, but given I managed to rip a good-sized wart off my leg completely when I was about 9 I hate to think how much damage I might have done if I did), and my flare-ups are more "the entire bottom half of my face is red." I think it's just genetic lottery, since the sibling's acne looks about like mine. Salicylic acid acne wash helps here too, yeah. But I need to get better about doing it consistently, and the braincrabs are still there. Biding their time. Waiting. So they can strike as soon as I spot a tiny whitehead on my chin or a black dot on my cleavage or scrape all the skin off the back of my heel and have a big nasty scab. :::PPP
Omfg I've done the scrape skin off the heel thing. Very ouch. Also tore a wart out of my finger and meticulously pulled all the cylindrical growths out when I was like 11. Consistency is the big thing. I have acne scars all over my shoulders from picking at flare ups after neglecting to scrub them. Thinking about it all is making me investigate all the usual picking hotspots so I'm going to Ollie out of the thread. Feel free to @ me though.
I got attacked by a screen door. Spent most of the next couple weeks sitting on my ass and avoiding the stairs. Ha, yeah, I get that. I had to go scrub my face with a washcloth earlier to try to stop myself from doing it.
Most of my acne is on my shoulders, so the braincrabs (what a great term) can't get to it when I have clothes on, but I've definitely done the 'tearing face to bits for instant gratification' song and dance. Other than a good acne regimen, the only other thing I can suggest is maybe makeup? I know it can make acne worse if the makeup doesn't mesh well with your skin, but the only times I'm able to really avoid touching my face are when I'm in makeup. Though full on homestuck-style face paint is probably not something you can wear all the time.
For me the underlying compulsion is about stimming, not self-image, so I relate. I don't really have any advice, though...
im def in the same boat, have been picking at my acne since i was 7 or 8 and recently (like, in the past year or so) developed a specific brand of eczema on my hands that happens to manifest in an extremely pickable way :|| for me it's a "there is dirt and gross things in my skin and i need to Get It Out", and Spoiler: kinda gross tmi the little pop sound that some of them make when i pick at them is extremely satisfying , but for me a lot of it is probably related to various brain problems that ive had for ages, namely possible compulsive things, anxiety, etc wrt stopping picking, im vastly unsuccessful but ive found that things like spinner rings can help! you can get a cheap one off of amazon for like $6, or you could be like me and endlessly deliberate over which critsuccess ring to buy (dwarven runes or tarot cards or alignment or or or.....!!) other fidget toys tend to be useful too. or, if you're the drawing sort, keep a notepad and pen on you at all times ive also recruited a few friends (sometimes indirectly) to smack me if they see me picking, which is helpful :pp
I've been considering getting a spinner ring, but I can't pay for anything online yet and I'm saving up for HRT anyway.
@palindromordnilap ive been seriously considering buying one of the critsuccess ones for myself, and if i do the one i currently own will become obsolete to me because i like the critsuccess ones much better, so if you're interested you can have it? :OO it's stainless steel i think, and the spinny bit is blue
i would have to inspect postage stuff bc it would definitely fit in a normal letter envelope just fine, but you're probably right, hmm
oh no i'm getting acne scarring on my shoulders and back again (why are my arms so flexible there is not a part of me i'm unable to pick and destroy)
Whoa, OP is me. Word for word, every bit of it is what I go through with picking. I didn't know there was a word for it until about a year ago or so, but it didn't really help even though I tried stuff that's typically supposed to be effective for compulsions. I always end up going back to picking. It is definitely addictive and short-term satisfying. D: One of the things I read was to wear a band or something around your wrist and to snap it if you felt like picking. I wear a hair tie around my wrist all the time anyway, although this tip did nothing to deter me from picking at all, but then again I'm starting to think I just have it really bad.
The only displacement activities I've had any luck with are scrubbing my face with a washcloth (which only helps if it hits when I'm at home, and I remember) and those little nose pore strip things (which get rid of some of the spots which trigger the behavior in a way that's less damaging to my face, but they're expensive and I'm not currently willing to shell out for that). Though I haven't made a concerted effort to try that many, so. *shrugs*
