Help again :(:(:(

[Okaii]

Hi

So in February/March was skin was CLEAR, well almost. I am 19. I have been doing this since I was 12 or 13. My forehead has been clear for a year. It used to be terrible, my main area.

Now my forehead is covered in bumps underneath the skin. I've tried but I haven't quite been able to leave them alone. I can't stand bumps under the skin, they make me feel so sick and panicky. WHY has my newly-smooth forehead suddenly gone mad again? I can't go out the house. I thought I was on the mend and I'm not

I've given up ALL junk food and am just drinking water, getting fresh air in my garden without makeup, eating salads, but nothing is working. I feel so desperate. Last night I almost felt as if I wanted to die again.

How can I get rid of these lumps?

What product should i use too? I can't get Neosoprin, it's illegal in the UK, but I have aloe vera gel, Olay moisturiser, witch hazel or Sudocreme. Please any suggestions?

And say if I left my face completely from now on, which sounds gross to me as it is such a state, how long would it take to heal? I left it 3 days and there was no improvement whatsoever.

I read this site too and it said that once you start picking, you leave yourself open to scars (which I am ridden with), cancer, wrinkles, and more spots even years after I quit cos I've already damaged the pores. So is there any point to stopping?

[anonymousartist]

yes, of course there is a point to stopping! Scars can fade, and there are people working to find ways to eliminate the visibility of scars, so one day, who knows. Don't think that the damage is done and there's no point.

Do you happen to have bangs (fringe) or hair over your forehead suddenly? I know this can cause breakouts on the forehead.

I use Olay moisturiser too, but I like to put a powder over it so it soaks up some of it, otherwise my skin feels kinda greasy. I use Nutragena with salicylic acid (part of their skin clearing line).

The breakouts are more likely to heal up on their own and stop coming back if you can stop picking them. When you pick, you don't get the bacteria out that's causing the infection (it's usually deeper) and you end up just squeezing out all white cells your body is already sending to the area to fight the infection. So that's why it ends up infected again ina couple days. Also, I know its hard to control (I wouldn't be here if it wasn't) but remember that those bumps that aren't picked are way easier to cover up than big red scabs and inflamed, picked spots.

Don't put so much pressure on yourself, but keep those things in mind 'cause it'll help you to stop.

--Becca

[Diane]

Hello

I'm in the UK too

I havent posted before but read lots

Duac once daily gel from your GP is very good. Its got clindamycin phosphate and benzoyl peroxide in it and is really helping me because it fades marks and stops me picking because of the improvement.

I have stopped hiding behind makeup too after 10 years so that gives me more incentive to leave my skin alone.

Anyway don't give up
God Bless
Diane

[Diane]

That above was me...i just registered

[Okaii]

LOL.
It's ok! I have just been diagnosed with chicken pox!

[coolhandluke]

You know what's ironic? When I was 8, I got chicken pox, and the sores itched, but they hurt more than they itched, so I didn't even touch them. Part of it was because, as I said, they hurt rather than itched, but also it was because I knew if I scratched them I'd make it worse. I felt like a monster, and I cried every time I saw myself in the mirror. But my mother was sooo impressed because of my no-itching "willpower."

Now I'm a picker and I can't stop to save my life...

More importantly, you're 19 and you've got chicken pox? I hope you have a mild case, or if you don't, that you're in the hospital. FOR ADULTS, CHICKEN POX HAS A MUCH HIGHER RISK OF FATALITY; it's a lot more dangerous to get it as an adult than as a child, because children's thymus glands (an immunity structure, located--I think--in your chest) are active and bigger than adults' ones. When you begin puberty, your thymus gland starts shrinking, which I'm convinced is why teenagers and adults get acne and children don't. More on that some other time.

Get well soon!!!!!!! Drink as much orange juice as you can get your little hands on...
Later,
cool hand luke