My Story

[Swouxie]

i I was a face picker for many years. I had a beautiful face and beautiful skin. I was extremely blessed with my very pretty apperance. I don't know why it started but it came with a vengence from the very first day and last over six days. It stopped almost as quickly. I destroyed my beautiful face and have deep discolored ugly scars to show for it. However, I can offer some advice in quiting this distructive habit. If you are any thing like me, you probably don't dilbertly get up from an activity in order to go to the mirror and start picking, it usually occurs when you only intend to use the bathroom to (execuse my language) to pee. You pass the mirror and the next thing you now it is three hours later and much damage has occurred. The key is to not get trapped at the mirror. Pee in a bucket in the garage, the backyard or any place to avoid passing the mirror. Take the light blubs out of lights in the bathroom. Take the door off the bathroom so other people can stop you from picking. Do everything possible to stop any acne from occuring, it is those little bumps and blackheads that are so hard to refuse. Use a bath brush in the shower, it will keep any little bumps from forming on other parts of your body. Take acutane, and don't be scared it is worth it. The face is very vascular and will heal quickly if left alone. Acutane will dry up all the stuff that oozes from your wounds and turn the skin over very quickly. Get some extrinisc motivation for not picking. If you have a supportive family or if they have the means, ask them to reward for not picking for a day. Wether it be money, new clothes, or even a new car, whatever just something you love more than picking. Cut your nails so short they bleed, that way you can't dig. Your nails will grow back, but the face scars last forever. Avoid caffine, Mountain Dew, etc. or any other stimulants it makes it worst. The trick is to get your complection to clear state. If there is nothing there to pick at you won't do it. Use hydrogen perxoide on your face it will bleach the blackhead and you won't see them.
Bottom line most of us don't create a wound on a clear patch of skin, there has to be a bump or pimple to attack. You must get your face to a clear state and keep it that way for couple months to get over this habit. Acutane is the best way to this at the moment. If you are going to pick, always wash your hands first esp. under the nails, or you get the pussy infections. Another thing that helps in finding something else to stick your nails in. I found that carrying small pieces of stryofoam with some thin velvet material covering it, relieved my need to pick. I would stick my nails through the foam and it gave me that same sensation of popping and breaking that I loved so much. And this is going to sound very strange, but I had a little dog with skin problems and she developed little itchy scabby bumps all over her body. I picked on her. She loved it because it relieved her itch and it satified me. She would sit on my lap and I would go at it. It probably was not the best thing for her, but it didn't truly harm her in anyway.

Once my face was clear for a few weeks the picking and desire stopped altogether. I find boring to pick at my face, I have to many other things to do with that time. I am not as pretty as I use to be, but love my clear skin. I hope this helps. I'm not an expert on OCD, just a normal person with the same problem you have.
Good Luck

[anonymousartist]

I'm know some of those methods are sound, but others seem like they require more obsessive behavior, like cutting nails so short they bleed or peeing in a bucket or going at the dog (it'll do the same damage to the dog that it does to you) or even obsessing over whether the skin is actually free of pimples and blackheads. I would think the goal would be more to let those imperfections go when they do appear. Also, Accutane can't be recommended for patients with a history of depression or suicidal tendencies (I know I would never risk it for myself).

Although, you did say you stopped, and congratulations on that. It is the ultimate goal (though for me, I try not to go to extremes that would annoy me more than the picking habit itself).

I think the styrofoam is a good recommendation. I am always crinkling up or tearing at something if it happens to be in my hand. Maybe my fingers are just bored some of the time. Oh and I agree, caffeine can be a beast.