Some tips from someone who's almost quit :D

[bluegem]

I've recently had some success with reducing the amount I'm picking, so I thought I'd share a list of tips. Some of this will help some people, for others it will be tried already and useless. Feel free to add your own tips to this post. I'm a picker by feel, not by looking at my skin, so the tips will probably be a little more helpful for others who do it by feel.

1. Accept that you have a compulsive disorder. Instead of thinking "oh I'm such a failure, I picked again!!", try thinking that picking is your normal state - so when you stop yourself from picking, you are doing GREAT! But don't get down on yourself for messing up - it's natural to relapse. I find it easier to be ok with messing up a little, so you don't get down about it.
2. Use a healing ointment. I use Ungvita (vitamin A ointment), have also used salve (it's Australian) and pure vitamin E from capsules.
3. Bandaids/bandages may help some people - didn't help me though, but it's worth trying.
4. Give yourself a manicure and paint your nails. Or get acrylics. You'll tend to be more concerned about damaging your nice lovely nails then usual which may help.
5. Skin care helps HUGELY. I'm studying as a beauty therapist, so I have regular facials at college and am really getting into a skin care regime. If your skin is healthy, there's nothing to pick in the first place. Cleanse (twice at night if you wore make up), tone and moisturise morning and night. Exfoliate once a week. I really recommend to go to a beauty therapist and get some products from there. They aren't sold in department stores because they are very active - they need to be used on the right skins and your therapist will find the right one for you. They are also a similar price to product ranges like Clinique but much better quality. And for the guys here - beauty therapists are more then happy to cater for guys - it's not something just for chickies like it used to be! At college, we regularly have guys come in for waxing or facials.
6. On that note, get regular facials! Can be expensive, but you can usually buy masks from the salon to use at home which can work out cheaper. Some salons use machinery to help infuse intensive healing products into your skin - that has helped me hugely! When you spend a lot of money on something, you're also more inclined to not mess it up again.
7. Moisturisers are helpful if you go by feel - softens up the scabby type of feeling that you just want to pick off. Healing ointments also tend to do this.
8. Some salons (Ella Bache have them) have skin scanners. You put your head in and you get to see the extent of damage you've done to your skin. When I did this, it was sort of a wake up call as to exactly how much scarring there is on my face. It's ok - because most of it cannot really be seen, but the skin scanner lets you see how much picking you've done. May not help everyone to see this, but it helps you to realise what you have actually done to your skin.

Just thought I'd add this in, might be informative and helpful for some
Blackheads are caused by plugging of the follicle by oil, impurities and general yucky stuff. Pustules and papules (pimples - pustules are the ones with pus in them, papules are the 'blind pimples' that bloody hurt) only form from blackheads, so if you work to prevent blackheads, you are also preventing pimples. This is why cleansing is so important for pickers - and don't go the whole hog and use those ten-o-six type cleansers if your skin doesn't need it - over-cleansing strips the skin of oil and your skin overcompensates and creates more oil, thus worsening the problem. So figure out your skin type and work with that - not just products for pimples. Any cleanser will help you reduce pimples.

If anyone wants any more info, please feel free to email ([e-mail]) - although I'm almost finished my diploma, I really don't know it all but hey - some info is better then no info

Good luck to everyone else who's trying to quit - it's a long road. Hopefully I'll manage to be pick-free soon

[playinwitfire]

Heya
You're advice is really helpful. Yeah I've been through a lot of them but the scanner might be good for me cus I think that would really give me a shock. I'm so scared of putting chemicals on my skin i have ended up with tea tree oil and glycerin soap and a tcp here and there. I'm worried as my regimen feels quite limited as i have used dermalogica in the past but stopped since i freaked out over the parabens on the label. Do you know if they're really harmful or not? apparently natural products aren't all that either so i dont know where to go from there but anway, It seems my skin is so damaged it can no longer function properly like its totally going mad with the oil and the flakes and it has so many shades of brown on it, it just looks ridiculous! It looks the same every day even when I've left it alone and never gets any better! Thank God I have educated myself in the realms of skillful make-up application. Your course sounds really kool we could all use some tips from someone in the know.

Much love and the very best of luck on your journey to pick freedom! x-Jess-x

[bluegem]

I really can't even remember what parabens are - I'm still doing cosmetic chemistry. I just looked up my text and is says parabens are one of the most commonly used groups of preservatives in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. They provide bacteriostatic and fungistatic activity and are considered safe for cosmetic use.
That's all it actually says, I'll try and find some more info though soon
The products I use at college are a nice balance between the chemically based high results products and the natural based gentle products. The majority of cosmetic ingredients don't penetrate beyond the skin and thus only work there and from what I've seen with my own skin and clients at college, some chemicals in products gives better results then using no products at all.
Skillful make up application is such a lifesaver
I'll probably be back on tonight, I'll try and find some more info for then!

[anonymousartist]

Hi, Bluegem.

Your tips are great, and it's wonderful to hear from someone with a good knowledge base about what's good for skin.
Is there a best way to clear blackhead (at home)? I mean, is there a certain key ingredient that's better than others? I seem to always have them no matter what, but I don't have the money for a spa treatment right now. I use a pore refining cleanser twice a day and have noticed a little difference, but sometimes it makes my skin feel more "pickable" so I don't recommend it to people who pick.

Jess, some totally natural therapies that I can think of are fresh aloe (you can probably find a pure gel in a healthfood store) and a bath with salt water may heal up some of your scabs and stuff. Aloe is my favorite skin treatment right now because it's clear and makes my skin feel fresh and helps heal blemishes.

[bluegem]

Salt water is great for any open wounds, if you don't have anything you can always grab some salt Aloe would probably be really good for pickers, as I'm pretty sure it has healing qualities but it is also very soothing to help calm our irritated skins down. You can just go to a salon and buy products - you don't need to actually have a facial there which saves a bit of money. If you're using the more up there department store products like Clinique and Myers brands, I'd definitely recommend getting some salon home care products - similar prices, generally more effective and suited to you.
To help reduce blackheads forming in the first place, cleanse twice a day and exfoliate once a week - that's probably your most important preventative measure and hell - cheap products are better then nothing so if your low on money, something from Woolies will even do! I don't know of any particular ingredient that would be more beneficial then others, but I have found that the friction exfoliant I have makes the congestion on my nose a lot less noticeable the just using a normal scrub exfoliant.
A friction exfoliant is one that you allow to dry a little and then using your fingers, you rub (friction) off. Dead skin cells come off with the product and then tend to absorb oil and impurities and stuff. Probably not that common in department store ranges, but most salon ranges probably have a home care friction peel. If you have sensitive skin though, it's not good for your skin. But yea, I know I probably sound a little "SALON PRODUCTS ARE GREAT!!" but it's just because I have noticed such a huge improvement in my skin - getting into the habit of a skin care regime of any type at all should really help you - even if it's just a cleanse in the morning.
I'm off to go find some more info, hopefully something that will be helpful for all us pickers

[bluegem]

And before I forget...
9. I read a tip on another thread that I think is great for at home and while working out - use baby wipes to wipe off any sweat so your skin gets less clogged and pimple-prone. Not something I would've thought to do and in the hot summer of Queensland, I really need to start doing that!

[anonymousartist]

Thanks, bluegem. I have sort of sensitive skin, but I'll try to find a gentle exfoliant because I haven't been doing that.

[bluegem]

Well I'm at college now (didn't know there was free net - where have I been all year!!!!) and have just looked up paraben, for those who are interested.

parabens: Group of preservatives, including butylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, and ethylparaben. They are the most widely used group of preservatives found in cosmetics. It is estimated that more than 90% of all cosmetic products contain some form of paraben. They are considered to cause less irritation than some preservatives. There is research showing that in animal models (and in vitro) parabens can have weak estrogenic activity. Whether that poses any health risk for humans using cosmetics is unknown. The very technical findings of the study did show evidence of a weak estrogen effect on cells in a way that could be problematic for binding to receptor sites that may cause proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The study concluded that “future work will need to address the extent to which parabens can accumulate in hormonally sensitive tissues and also the extent to which their weak oestrogenic activity can add to the more general environmental oestrogen problem.” Does this mean you should stop buying products that contain parabens? That’s a good question, but the answer isn’t simple or conclusive, even by the standards of the study itself. This is a potentially serious issue and the FDA is conducting its own research to determine what this means for human health. To keep the concern in perspective, it is important to realize that parabens are hardly the only substances that may have estrogenic effects on the body.
Any estrogen, including the estrogen our bodies produce, may bind to receptor sites on cells either strongly or weakly. Either this can stimulate the receptor to imitate the effect of our own estrogen in a positive way, or it can generate an abnormal estrogen response. Ironically, plant estrogens, or phytoestrogens (such as those found in soy), also produce chemicals that mimic estrogen. It is possible that a weak plant estrogen can help the body, but it can also be possible for a strong plant estrogen to make matters worse. For example, there is research that shows coffee to be a problem for fibrocystic breast disease. The reason for this is thought to be because coffee exerts estrogenic effects on breast cells.
A study in the Journal of Applied Toxicology mentioned that “although recent reports of the oestrogenic properties of parabens have challenged current concepts of their toxicity in these consumer products, the question remains as to whether any of the parabens can accumulate intact in the body from the long-term, low-dose levels to which humans are exposed.” The study discussed the fact that traces of parabens have indeed been found in human breast tumors, but was quick to point out that it is unknown if this would be the same in healthy breast tissue. Parabens present in tumors may not be the causative factor but rather a result of parabens when cancer cells are present.

Is that the concerns you were having regarding parabens? If so, remember that we are subjected to tons of ingredients like these everyday - chickens are given hormones which we then actually ingest, so topical application isn't so bad Anyway, I guess it's an individual choice as to what extent you feel is necessary to block out potentially harmful environmental factors such as these. In my personal opinion, I feel as though a more organic diet would be my first step as the pesticides and hormones in food must be doing hell to our insides - and then I'd look at the chemicals in other items I use. Personal opinion though - all about your own priorities.

Just found this to add:
Subsequent research identified parabens in human breast-tumor samples supplied by 20 patients. This study was concerned primarily with the use of deodorants that contained parabens rather than with cosmetics in general, but it has been extrapolated to the cosmetics industry as a whole, prompting many consumers to check the ingredient lists of the products they’re using. What all the researchers who are studying this issue agree on is that the information to date is hardly conclusive and at best vague; parabens require more study. For example, the presence of parabens in human breast tumors doesn’t mean they caused the tumors in the first place. It is also unclear whether cosmetics are a problem, or just underarm deodorants, as some researchers have hypothesized. It is also important to realize that parabens are used in food products as well (Source: Food Chemistry and Toxicology, October 2002, pages 1335–1373), which could very well be the source. As yet, no one has any idea (or has evaluated) whether it is the consumption of parabens or their application to the skin that is responsible for their presence in human tissue. And no one knows what the presence of parabens in human tissue means. Even product lines that make claims (albeit exaggerated) about their “natural” content often use parabens as the preservative system because they are “food-grade” substances. It’s interesting to note that parabens actually do have a “natural” origin. Parabens are formed from an acid (p-hydroxy-benzoic acid) found in raspberries and blackberries
All info from www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=152

[froglet logged in as]

Hi, thanks for the tips - Im glad someone here is doing well - its nice to hear that it can be done! Just thought I would add my little tip...
If my skin is really scabby flakey and rough from picking I find that Sudocream helps. Its thick white skin healing cream primarly for nappy rash, but also states its for sunburn, chileblanes and that kind of stuff. If things are really bad, I put it on at night and in the morning all those loose scabs and flakey bits wash off easly with an exfoliating cloth.
I also wait till Im in bed with the light out - then I cleanse my face with face wipes so I cant see what my skin looks like with make up off.
Lara