Is anyone as bad as me?

[anonymousartist]

I have picked everywhere before. I don't pick as much as I used to. (talking about it helps me). My skin didn't used to seem to scar, but now I get a lot of hyperpigmenting that bothers me, and I have noticed a lot of white spots on my arms that are probably scars (I have very fair skin and don't notice most of the time).

But here is the bright side: you are only 17! I wish I had found support at your age. I wish I had known that I wasn't a freak because so many people do this (we just don't all talk about it 'cause we're embarrassed). Your skin is young, and scars fade. Even if you don't stop completely right now, just lessening the amount of picking will make a difference and you will see it.

As far as the scars go, give 'em time to heal. And remember that dermatology makes advances all the time so this does not have to be something that bothers you the rest of your life. Remember that we all have flaws and sometimes those flaws even make us more distinct, not less perfect. And people who love you will love you for who you are, not the surface of your skin (despite what the skin care commercials might tell us).

[Dee13]

Some scars will fad with time and you still have young skin, so you have a very good chance. Look after your skin, one of the best things you can do is wear sunscreen. Find one that works for you. At your age you are learning and evolving so much. It can be very hard, it was very difficult for me. People who want to go back to that age are nut's in my opinion. But as you find your way through life and hang out with the right people you will build your confidence. So for most of us it gets a lot better. Dee

[Cliftonite]

Im 17 too and i have been picking my scabs for as long as i can remember. I also used to pick the bottoms of my feet and now the side of my toe is hard as a rock. Ive cut down on that however i do do it occasionally when im really stressed or only bored. A couple years ago I started to pick at my fingers, my cuticles and around the nailbed. Especially on my thumb, I picked at my thumb so bad that it could have these large patches of raw skin all around it, not just at the nail. I even got so bad as to picking my wart i had in 7th grade. I stopped that by getting really sticky band-aids n REALLY strong self control. All this picking got worse last september when i broke up with my boyfriend of 2 years, but it seems to have settled down a little now that i have my new guy n he got mad at me whenever he saw me picking. I would just be sitting with him and start picking without even realizing it, i would tear off pieces of skin from my thumb half an inch wide and an inch long. i didnt bleed much but it was always raw and sore. thankfully my skin grows back quickly and without much scaring but i now have a terrible habit as a teenager. My face and the acne on it. i have gotten into the ritual of right before i go to bed ill look into my small mirror and pick at any zit or small scab that i have caused on my face. even the smallest pores get squeezed. Since i have longer nails than most this makes it worse. Now its hard for me to sleep without picking at something. Probably my worst scar would be the one on the upper part of my breast that was a small scab and turned into a large blotch by my constant picking. Now it has puffed up so that it is difficult to wear tight shirts without it showing through and some wize ass to make a comment. Well i just wanted to let you know that your not alone in bein young and having the urge to pick. My advise: find something to keep your mind off it, keep your hands busy with a new hobby. Idle hands are the devils playtoy afterall!