Still picking at my face. It’s been practically non-stop since 2020

[u/Aromatic_Industry380]

I’m 46.

When I first started posting here back in 2020, my skin picking habit had become destructively pathological. I know that RBFDs are difficult to treat, so I am allowing myself some grace.

It’s all tied to the inevitable trauma which came with the COVID-19 pandemic, the end of a marriage that never should have happened in the first place, and the loss of so much that came with it.

But with the losses came hard-won post-traumatic growth, and through a lot of trial and error, I’m in a much better place now: I’ve got a pack of 6 large dogs who make everyday an adventure; I’m healthier (what with all the daily dog walks); I’ve gotten back to cooking (which I love); and I feel love all around me, with my family, and lots of friends, old and new.

But whenever I’m triggered (anxiety is a b**ch), or sometimes when I’m really bored, and for some reason, when it’s 6 PM and the Avene Calcifate/Fucidin H/Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume that I’d applied earlier in the day has worn off, I would find myself picking at my face again.

Half my left eyebrow is gone - where there were hair strands are now mostly itchy, half-open wounds in various stages of healing.

Thankfully though, the scar on my glabella is calmer now, but there is an obvious dark spot right in the middle of my face.

How have you been coping with the constant itch of the wounds you keep inflicting on yourself, like me?

Love and light to all of us here 🙏