Derma Who?

"What the what is that?", you may be thinking.  If so, you should count yourself as lucky.  This is one of the most frustrating psychological issues I've ever encountered, and there have been many.

Basically, this is where you scratch and pick and scrape the ever loving mess out of all perceived imperfections in your skin until you're a big, bloody, swollen mess and you hate yourself.  It really stinks.  I have tried so many times to overcome this and I have made some strides but even still, I find myself relapsing every time I make significant progress.

In junior high and high school, I never had acne.  My skin was freakishly clear.  I had (...& still have) awful b.o. and a jungle of body hair from head to toe...except on my actual head where it belongs.... but my skin was unmarred.  I did pick my scalp though.  I had giant scabs on my head and my mom was always telling me to stop but I couldn't.  I have been doing that since 7th grade.  Then, in college, being the late bloomer that I am, my skin retaliated in a major way - cystic acne.

The frustrating thing about cystic acne is...you can't really pop it.  So, what did I do?  I scraped it off my face with my fingernails.  Scalp picking still persisted but was now joined by skin scratching.  My back and shoulders, my chest, my face, and even my legs where I got bad mosquito bites (Texas, y'all) are now constellations of self inflicted scars.

I'm a work in progress.  I know I'm not perfect and I never will be, but this is something I know I need to work on.  If you're in the same boat as me, maybe these tips will help you.

1. Put down the extractor, bobby pin, or tweezers.  Just throw them away (except the bobby pins, you need those for your hair!)  Having these tools at your disposal makes it easy to pick at any time.  Get rid of the magnifying mirror too.
2. Stop caking makeup on your face.  When I quit wearing makeup and made it my goal to have skin clear enough to feel confident doing so, it was not only a motivator to kick the habit, but also my skin cleared up a little from being able to breathe!
3. See a dermatologist if you actually have acne or a skin issue.  Also see a therapist.  Yes, treat the superficial issue because that is important, but treat the underlying psychological problems too because otherwise, you'll keep picking or it will manifest itself in another compulsion.
4. Cut off your nails or get acrylics.  I used to be addicted to all things nails and learned how to give myself acrylics, so I used to do them really thick to make it impossible to pick with my nails, while still looking pretty.  Now I have given up breathing in all those gnarly chemicals and just keep my nails short when I feel a picking episode coming on.
5. Give your skin some love! Do a facial mask or peel, buy a nice new toner or moisturizer, or take yourself to the spa.  Remind yourself that your skin is a part of you and it does a lot of really cool stuff that is vital to your existence.
6. Do another thing with your hands when you feel like picking.  I like crochet.  I also put lotion on my hands to distract myself, or play with small, fidgety toys or stress balls.