Does tanning help?

I know exactly how you feel when you say it's infuriating. I am 22 and have been picking for more than half my life. For me, tanning does help. Specifically tanning beds because there is no one around to see what my skin looks like under my clothes. It clears up the bumps that are coming, dries up the ones that I can't stop picking at and helps my scars not look as prominent. That being said, tanning does have a lot of terrible side effects; my cousin loved to tan and now she can hardly go out in the sun because she got melanoma from the tanning beds. Also, it's not a cure. While it may be a quick fix that boosts your confidence and gives your skin a break from all the digging, it's still not a cure. Because it sounds like you have a fair complexion, tanning for great lengths of time or even several times too close together may burn your skin quickly which can lead to pealing which is almost irresistible for fingers to stay away from. If you do go this option then I would urge you to use caution. For me, it only takes 3 or 4 times before my skin looks normal and I'm not ashamed to wear a tank top and shorts. However, I am italian and have naturally pretty dark skin. For someone with a fair complexion, it may only take 1 or 2 short visits. If you're desperate for a quick fix (like I am sometimes) then I don't think there's anything wrong with tanning a few times. But I think it would be wise to look for healthier alternatives e.g., meditating, listening to music, running when you get the urge to pick, or starting a garden where you can dig the crap out of weeds. My personal favorite is making jewelry. Sometimes when I'm really anxious and trying not to pick I'll just tie the hemp up into knots until I calm down, so I honestly can't say I've made that many good pieces of jewelry, but having something to do with my hands definitely helps! Hope this helped!

I have also had success with tanning on helping my skin to heal and to help prevent me from picking. However, I would wait a few days to tan if you have fresh wounds. When I tan the day of or after a picking session, I feel the tanning makes them look worse! I usually give them 4-5 days before I will go. And I always make sure to put a low SPF on my face and neck to help combat wrinkles and sunspots. It still seems to tan evenly with the rest of my body. Hope this helps!