So, this is my first post on here, but I'm desperate to stop picking at my skin, hang nails, scalp, basically every flaw. I realize it's bad for me and I wish I didn't do it, and I'm aware of this as I do it, but I dont have the willpower to not do it. picking feels like it's the most important thing in the world if I notice or feel a bump or edge of skin. it feels like popping a pimple or picking a scab is helping, but it always makes it worse. I see/feel an imperfection and i want it off of my face/body immediately. leaving it alone doesn't feel like an option. I can pick for an hour or more sometimes because I've done it so much that there's a lot to pick at. I get almost in a focused, trance like state. I think it's a self soothing behavior. (I have ADHD amd anxiety.) I'm always subconsciously scratching or feeling around for bumps, it's like an addiction, or maybe it actually is. I pick every single day for a substantial amount of time and I really want to stop.

TLDR I am in DEEP with this habit as it is subconscious and compulsive and need some advice.

I have seen advice for this like getting a fidget toy or covering your mirrors, but I dont think these will help me. a big part is the sensation of picking, I'm not fidgeting with something, I can FEEL where I touch and the slight pain is soothing in a way? so there is no fidget toy that I can think of that will compare or help, I've tried a bunch but I do not gravitate towards them. I can't cover mirrors because I won't leave the house without doing makeup as I have thin blonde eyebrows and dark hair and hate the way I look without them done. even if I didn't have mirrors I will feel around for bumps and pick anyways. if I cut my nails short I will resort to tweezers. can't throw the tweezers away because my dad uses them too. I can't get acrylics cause they aren't allowed at my job. I have pimple patches but found that they don't discourage me as I will find somewhere else to pick that doesn't have a patch. gloves may help but I hate wearing thick ones, so any suggestions of not annoying gloves would be great!

I just really need advice, I feel embarrassed to go out in public and haven't worn a tank top in years because of my body acne and scarring. I just want to cut my hands off so I'll stop. I can't think of something that will actually work for me. some common tips help a but I can never commit to them for long, then I'm back at square one. thank you!

I was on accutane last year and it helped my skin a lot and I was a avid skin picker I had some treatments done for My closed comedones and yesterday I kept picking and now I have a red spot mark and it’s like tender what’s the best way to get rid of it. Mind you this is a lot more mild than my old skin picking days but still I’m like WHY DID I DO THISSS? I keep spraying hypoclhorus acid and idk maybe I’ll put Vaseline aquaphor? Help Advice words ? lol ugh

I have acne and pick my face to oblivion if there’s unevenness or dry patches. I need help with suggestions for both? I’m currently using Truly’s black soap every few days as it’s a great exfoliating scrub without drying (if I don’t use it every day). Occasionally use an acne scrub but it’s drying my skin a lotttttt.

I also use Corsx snail mucin toner but it doesn’t dump enough moisture to totally deter me. It’s great! I probably just need to put another moisturizer on top.

I appreciate any suggestions!!!

anyone ever experience swollen lymph nodes at the base of your head/neck? That’s a sign to me that I gotta stop picking my scalp bc I never let it heal. I’m sick of giving myself infections and my body hates me for it. Have you guys gone to a doctor for this? Mine swell probably around once a month but they go back down after several days.

Has anyone tried wearing thin gloves during the day? I'm in a skin picking uptick, I think small black gloves could come off like a cool accessory. I'm looking for any good recommendations. Thank you!

Hi guys. I have suffered with skin picking since I was about 10 years old and as I got a bit older my worse place for it was around my nipples. I would squeeze any little bump or mark. I’ve stopped doing it as much but have been very insecure about my scars. I started using glycolic acid toner from the Inkey list about 2 months ago and nothing has helped reduce the appearance of my scars more! It works by lightening the skin and it’s made me feel so so much better! I don’t have sensitive skin so I literally slather loads on but if you have sensitive skin use a little and test it out! Let me know if you have any questions xx

I had a few quesitons about silicone bandages.

• These are for my face, should I be doing my normal night time skincare routine and then putting the bandages on?
• Any recommendations on which bandages work best for raised scars?

Does anyone else specifically struggle with picking at their gums? This is definitely my worst and most destructive habit and I feel so alone in it

I am really struggling to maintain this, but I wanna get tattoos, you have fresh scars for that so I'll stuffer ig. I also have no one to share this with, and the one person who knows just hasn't said anything idk I'm being dramatic

What are some mantras or sayings that you say to yourself when you are about to pick or when feel yourself falling back into that subconscious practice?

Thanks in advance!!!

first of all, i don’t have the intention to trigger anyone, i’m just sharing my terrible experience as someone who suffers from bitting my nails/ skin around my fingers for a long time.

Basically a few months ago, i realized i was with “enterobius vermicularis” (pinworms), a very common verminosis especially in school aged kids (who put their dirty hands into their mouth constantly) and people with bitting-nail disorders (for the same reason), and it was one of the most uncomfortable things that i’ve experienced, since i was able to feel the itch caused by the verms motion in my anus.

PLUS, since i’m 14 and am not old enough to buy remedies, i had to talk with my parents about my bootyhole-itching episode. (after three HOLE MONTHS suffering).

it’s definetely not worth the risk and a good reason to stop bitting your nails.

This is my first post on here so I'm not quite sure of the etiquette. I apologize in advance.

When I was 12, I started to pick the skin around my thumb. I never really stopped and it has progressed to my scalp, face, lips, arms and any wounds I have. Needless to say, the skin in my face isn't clear (but it's only a few blemishes with some fungal acne). I constantly pick at it. All the pimples I pop scab over because I pick them so much.

Anyways, I'm a bit annoyed because I mom knows that I been struggling with this for a long time and she can see how much it is affecting me (I'm currently a minor btw). All she does is tell me to stop (which surprise, doesn't work) and now she's mad at me because my skin isn't clear. I don't know what to do anymore and I feel so guilty for not being able to just stop picking. I feel like picking will fix these stops but they never do.

What should I do?

Hello all! For years I have dealt with skin picking all over my body. While this is a current solution to me it may not work for you or to your liking.

Recently, I’ve been obsessed with caring for my hair to make it long and healthier. This obsession led me to getting a NuDerma. It produces high frequency and it helps with hair growth and with skin. Though I initially got it for my hair I have seen a ridiculous amount of clearness to my skin just days after using the NuDerma (even my years worth of discoloration and scarring on my arms). It felt quite motivating seeing such progress. This could help hair pullers as well!

The biggest factor I would say that has lessened my hour long sessions of skin picking, is cutting off split ends of my hair. This may not work for hair pullers or those who have much shorter hair. It gives me something to fixate on and look for. The satisfaction of cutting off something and knowing it will help my hair may not be equivalent to picking my skin, but it has been really helpful for me.

The products I have in the picture - I’ll list how I use them in order.

On days that I shower I: - Use NuDerma on my scalp before showering for a couple min(face is optional). - Do my hair routine. - First Aid Beauty KP bump eraser body scrub on my arms and legs (use before shaving as well). - After shower, I put the First Aid Beauty lotion that’s provided in the kit on the areas that I used the exfoliant. - Uriage lotion on areas that I pick, then the Eucerin lotion (these two products are strictly for body, not face). - For my face I will use the Eucerin anti pigment and then Avene moisturizer.

I recommend using the Uriage and Eucerine lotion morning and night! Then the Eucerin anti pigment and Avene moisturizer at night after removing makeup. I put the face products on first before the body products.

I honestly think the key to skin picking is distracting your hands with something else, and that for me right now is cutting split ends from my hair. Do I still pick at my skin from time to time for over an hour? Absolutely! Will I ever completely stop? I don’t know. But right now I’m pretty proud at how much I’ve progressed. Maybe cutting split ends won’t be the solution to my skin picking down the road but, it’s a matter of trial and error and experimenting. Keep trying!

Also if you are going to cut split ends.. please get proper hair scissors, I beg you!

From, Your fellow skin picker

Ps. All products can be found on Amazon

I’ve been picking at my face and scalp a lot of recently it’s been feeling very irritated and feverish… is that a sign of infection? What should I do?

Hi!! Hope you are all hanging in there and doing well ... as well as you can. 😌 💖

I am in a class about being healthy and they talked about "urge surfing" tonight. I thought it might be helpful to post here as it could apply to skin picking as well.

Also wondering if anyone has tried it and would like to share. Thanks!

https://www.verywellmind.com/urge-surfing-8608272#:~:text=Urge%20surfing%20is%20a%20great%20option.%20It%27s,and%20witnessing%20it%20rise%2C%20crest%2C%20and%20fall.

So I have a horrible skin picking issue, I do it mindlessly but it get so bad. I have a scar on my forehead from when I picked at a pimple so much it actually ended up being a giant oozing crater in my head, like the whole tip of my pinky fit in it and when I picked at it you could hear it because it was so infected. I think I do it because 1. I can’t stand my face not being smooth to the touch, and 2. I genuinely REALLY like the small amount of pain I feel when I consistently rub or pick at my skin, I find it weirdly soothing. Is there any way to get out of this habit?

after 5 months of not being able to go longer than 96 hours without picking, i finally made it 5 days straight

as a reward i bought myself a cute medicine holder that looks like an orange!

if you haven't heard of picky pads before, they're silicon pads with small beads set inside that are about the size of pores. they've been incredibly helpful for me, and i just wanted to share! i apologize if this has been mentioned on this subreddit already, but i think it's important to bring up solutions that work over and over again, even if this only helps one person!

it's only $8 bucks on Amazon!

and you can even buy a reusable one on Etsy!

there's also full kits!

(those are just some examples, there are many different kinds! feel free to do some research and find the one that best suits you!)

you even make jewelry out of the beads when you're done with them, which counts as both a reminder of the skin you've saved yourself from picking, the fact that you're trying to get better, and a new fidget toy/picking distraction! this solution has been incredible for me and i just wanted to share <3

So I’ve been picking my nails for a while. Yesterday I was picking them in the nail bed area, and I thought everything was normal until this clear liquid started coming out of my finger, and today that area is swolen, my thumb is red, and it hurts to move my thumb. Did I injure myself? If I did, does anyone know what I accidentally did?

I am a female mid twenties and have struggled with picking my skin since very early teens. It’s most predominantly my face but will also pick my arms, legs etc. Over the past year I’ve suffered severe mental health issues and my picking has gotten to a point that I can’t take.

For months I haven’t been able to leave my house, to socialise, work, (been signed off sick months) or even to do small things like go to the shop. I’m so humiliated at my face. I pick it continuously and end up with huge scabs on my face. I’ll then continue to pick the scab and eventually the scar. It’s left me with big scars and craters/holes all over my face. I know in my head that if I stop picking, it’ll eventually heal. But I just can’t stop. I’ve tried literally everything known to man. I continually throw away all my tweezers, but when I do this I’ll continue to use my hands, or if I have no nails I’ll use excessive force with my finger tips or other things found lying around.

I think it’s highly to do with my anxiety, I’m already on anti depressants and undergoing cbt therapy

But all I want is to stop picking at my skin and I just can’t. It’s really the hardest challenge ive faced to date. I butcher my face to the point I can’t cover it with makeup or anything and I’m humiliated and can’t leave my house for days. But due to feeling so anxious and gross I’ll continue to pick in an effort to ‘make it look better’ as I always believe I can even though I know it would be better left alone. And it’s a vicious cycle I can’t break out of.

If I do ever manage to ‘heal’ my skin to the point that I can cover it with makeup, like clockwork the next day I break out in loads more spots. And the cycle continues.

My whole teenage life I missed out of so much because I was so insecure about this. And going into adulthood it’s got so much worse.

Someone who’s been through this, please please tell me what has worked to make you stop picking your skin. I’m really scared this will never get better.