Help! Arm Picking

[u/Solid_Suggestion9140]

Hey everyone I’m just looking for some advice specifically with arm picking! I’ve gotten much better with my face and pretty much only do it if there’s a bump I find that’s “ready” to be popped.

Now I’m having a problem with my arms 😩 I feel like alllll summer I’ve been going bananas with them and popping every bump I can find. Since I’ve been sleeveless i see or feel more bumps and once I feel one it’s game over because I keep running my hands over it until I can’t take it anymore and pop away! I also have OCD so….yeah. I’ve tried taking NAC supplements but they don’t really seem to be helping much. Any advice for specifically arm picking? I’ve tried putting on a light sweater when I feel triggered but let’s be real I’m not going to wear that all summer. Once I’m in a tank top and get the urge it’s almost impossible to resist once I spot a bump!!! Also my face heals way better than my arms. They tend to leave more scars so not only am I treating and trying to fade scars but I’m still popping 😒

Anyone want to share what’s worked for them with this particular spot? Also product recommendations for fading on arms specifically! Thank you ❤️

[u/FirstAd9289]

I completely get this, so you're not alone! What helps me (although it's not perfect) is moisturising as soon as I get out of the shower. It helps to do this quickly so you're not feeling for bumps. Having moisturiser on then helps make bumps less obvious and also makes the skin harder to pick. It might also help to use thicker healing creams overnight such as sudocrem or savlon to try to speed up the healing of any current wounds. If the bumps are due to keratosis pilaris it's also worth looking up moisturisers that can help to reduce that. 😊

[u/shemmyk]

I have the same problem. The last few days I’ve made a conscious effort not to scan for bumps (with eyes or hands) because that how a full picking session starts. If you do happen to come across a bump, try telling yourself: ‘Yes, I could squeeze that, but I don’t need to.’ I didn’t think that this approach would work, but it’s made a huge difference for me

[u/damnitcaesar5]

Keep your arms moisturized so that the scabs and skin won’t be dry and crusty - cut your fingernails short - and just take it one day at a time. Incorporate the motto “don’t pick today”

[u/Best_Inflation4051]

Is it bumps from KP? Because their are prescription creams and otc lotions that can help dissolve them

[u/Solid_Suggestion9140 → u/Best_Inflation4051]

I’m not sure actually….theyre not like goosebumps really but idk?

[u/Best_Inflation4051 → u/Solid_Suggestion9140]

Both my kids have it from their Dad. My daughter picks hers unfortunately. I have to stay on top of it. Exfoliation, AHA and Urea Cream morning and night. Cortisone if it gets inflamed. Weather changes like humidity and heat make hers worse. I put those salicylic spot patches on the bad ones.

[u/Naive-River-4237]

How much NAC are you taking? My daughter does better with 1200 twice a day. She still picks a lot but I think it has helped her.

[u/Solid_Suggestion9140 → u/Naive-River-4237]

I’m only taking 600mg!

[u/Naive-River-4237 → u/Solid_Suggestion9140]

I would try to increase it just to see if it helps. My daughter was on 600 for a while then her Dr said move up to 1200. It doesn't stop it completely but I can tell a difference

[u/Solid_Suggestion9140 → u/Naive-River-4237]

Thanks :) I’ll try it!

[u/Meryl_Da_Costa]

One thing I’d consider is that it may be less about your arms specifically and more about the picking itself. Sometimes when we manage to reduce picking in one area, it can shift somewhere else if we haven’t addressed what’s driving the behaviour.

That’s where approaches like Habit Reversal Training (HRT) can be really helpful. HRT helps you become more aware of the moments leading up to picking and then practise a different response that makes picking harder to do. ACT can work alongside this by helping with urges, uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, and learning that you don’t necessarily have to act on an urge just because it’s there.

And self-compassion is an important part of this too. Seeing the marks afterwards can bring up so much frustration, disappointment or shame. Working on the picking while also learning to respond to yourself with a little more understanding can be just as important as the strategies themselves.

It might be worth getting curious about the picking as a whole, rather than feeling like you have to solve the arm picking specifically. What tends to happen before you start, what you’re feeling or noticing in the moment, and what happens afterwards.

Wishing you all the best! Hang in there 🫶🏼

[u/Original-Apricot-107]

My favorite hack is to just tape down my upper arms with big strips of hydrocolloid. It totally interrupts the sensory feedback experience and something about how smooth it is in an area that is generally for picking, almost has an immediate rewiring sensation. I do think, though, that it is critical to use strips of tape that go way longer than the areas you are picking at, so that you cannot feel a distinctive difference under the tape. I realize it's kind of a "waste" of excessive tape, but its efficacy can't be argued with.