some things that have helped me

[Sappho]

Hi I am new here but I have been reading messages on this board on and off for 3 months. I am a really bad face picker and occasionally I pick my back or chest. I thought I was the only one out there with this problem. My fiance was always telling me that I was a freak. I have been doing better for the last two weeks and my face is healing up nicely. I use dim lighting in the bathroom and at night I wash my face in my bedroom. I use Paula's choice AHA and BHA to fade scars then I apply BP gel with ice over my face for ten minutes the ice seems to replace the picking urge a little bit. I also use home grown aloe and Palmers cocoa butter stick on my blemishes to heal the scabs and flakes. on bad places that I can't stop picking I apply curad scar theraby patches when i am at home. My skin actually looks good right now but a week ago I had two dime size scabs on my cheeks. The scar therapy patches have really helped. I have been diagnosed with depression since I was a kid and I tend to pick at my skin when people tell me I am pretty. Which is kind of strange. any way I hope this might help some body.If you have any questions I'll reply as soon as possible.
P.S. I also know a couple other tricks and products that help speed healing. I'll write more if you want to know. take care.

[reflection]

Hey
thanx for advice. I would like to hear as much as possible- i needa improve my skin since I am decreasing my picking. When it looks good its a motivation for me. I have red spots and scabs. Lots of redness in cheeks.. I have spots but they come especially form me touching my face so its not so much an acne problem.
Hope to hear more advice. Good luck - u seem to be doing well.
Reflection

[Sappho]

Hi
I also have red blotches from touching and I believe I cause all of my acne because when I manage to stop picking for a while my skin is preety clear. I apply a thin layer of Vita K for blotchy skin to the red spots at night. I rub Benzoyl peroxide around the red area so that the Vita K won't cause any pimples. This seems to work well at fading the blotches. For scabs apply cocoa butter then put curad scar therapy pads (bandaid brand has some too) on the scabs when you are at home to prevent picking. Vaseline also helps. Do not apply regular bandaids to your face this does not help and can be very irritating. I use neutrogena advanced solutions facial peel three times a week at night to exfoliate the flakes. The facial Peel makes the rest of my skin glowy and more even. It helps slowly fade scars. Be careful to not over scrub the scabby areas be gentle or it will rip off the scab. The facial peel has helped my friends acne prone skin clear up. When you are using the peel it may seem irritating but if you use it at night your skin will look great in the morning. Finacea a prescription azaelic acid treatment helps fade red blotches and hiperpigmentation from picking. I hope this helps. I am doing okay right now but I have to fight the urge to pick everyday it is really hard.(sigh). continue to fight this horrible problem. hugs to all

[LiViNgDeAdGiRl]

what is Paula's choice AHA and BHA and BP gel? How much are they and where do i find them?

[HectorsGirl]

Good question, LivingDeadGirl!

I have some facial cleansers at home, but none of those. I use Oil of Olay gentle cleansing formula for makeup removal (even though I don't use makeup) and I have some Clean & Clear facial scrub with "micro-scrubbers" -- whatever the hell those are supposed to be. The Clean & Clear doesn't seem to help much, though. Lately I've just been using soap. *shrug* I guess I'll look for this other stuff now, see if it works

[LiViNgDeAdGiRl]

Dude, Nozxema's Triple action anti-biotic cleansing cream works WONDERS!

[another picker]

Try Nadinola discoloration fade cream, the extra strength formula to fade brown spots you get from picking.

[kimj]

I know this is an old topic, but where do you get the scar therapy patches? I tried to find something that removes scars at the store, but all i found was cocoa butter lotion. Are the patches in the band-aid isle? I have so many scars on my legs from picking at little hairs. i am going on vacation soon and I am embarassed to wear shorts.

[drprincess]

do you think the noxema cleansing cleanser is better than clearasil cream cleanser?

Do you any of you pick as a way of coping with loniless/or bad relationships.

I told my therapist that I felt safe and protected in my own home, without having to deal with all the hasses of relationships these, especially the abusive ones, which really does a number on my face. I guess it was because my boyfriends in the past always put down and told me how ugly I looked, especially when I picked.
It was very counterproductive, but to tell you the the truth that is how they maintained control over me, at least for awhile, until I left.

[lauryn]

paulas choice www.cosmeticscop.com/