Online Test

Find out the severity of your symptoms with this free online test

wiltedfame , 17 Mar 2011

How do you treat your scabs once you've picked? (Let's make an active list.)

I know for me, when I pick I immediately start trying to resolve the damage as soon as I realize what I've done. Right now I have neosporin and aloe vera on the little line of scabs I've picked between my nose and my mouth. I'm also considering getting a spray tan to help conceal the damage... I'll get back to you on how that works. What do you do to treat the damage you do to your face?

12 Answers
anonymous31894
March 17, 2011
yesterday i was horrified by the scabs i had made on my face and many were in that awkard soft and broken stage which just makes me want to to squeeze until there is blood and it will heal evenly. i used aloe vera and neosporin and vaseline but was still discourgaed. last night i broke out the apple cider vinegar just to try and it reallyyyy helped. also tea tree oil(but if you use both do it at different times and apply a moisterizer after one and before the other)
startexas
March 23, 2011
I have heard rose hip oil and lavender oil are supposed to help in formation of scabs and healing- not sure how to dilute and what not as these are essential oils and potent (?)- you might want to google these and be sure to only apply sparing where needed and even put a little dot bandage it you can to not spread oil around if it may cause more zits. jojoba is a good mixer oil.
startexas
March 23, 2011
forgot to mention another "new discovery" I had after I got one of those I sqeezed too much and the skin basically sloughed off like a blister open wound (not even a zit anymore) --- my estitichian (?) friend had once said she used the 'inactive ingredient' (clove oil) on bug bites and zits --- but it is NEW SKIN or LIQUID SKIN in the first aid section. It has an active ingredient that is an effective antibiotic/antiseptic (YAY!) and the inactive ingreidients are alcohol (less than 7%, and pyroxyl something-that forms the "skin"). This stuff burns like crazy for a sec going on, but stops quickly, dries, and forms and invisible barrier so no "germage" can get continue to get in- your skin will naturally rehydrate underneath- and it stays on!- which for me prevents more picking....There are generic store brands but I do not think the ingredients are the same. Also- I have noticed I can put makeup over it when I apply it properly and it doesnt have as nasty a look of "make-up in a cracked scab" and the make up is not actually 'getting in'. I say test on your inner wrist first to make sure you are not allergic to the clove oil.
waylander
March 23, 2011
I've not had much success with anything i've bought over the counter. Perhaps the best thing for an active spot (not a scab reallY) has been a witch hazel stick. Sometimes i use a standard cosmteic ' spot cream' then tea tree oli on top the witch hazel on top of that. the witch hazel seems to dry things out, get rid of the infection faster.
Steve
March 23, 2011
apparently, eating lemons is great for healing skin (and making skin look nicer), so i've been eating 1-2 lemons a day. It may sound gross, but there are these pills I found called mberry tablets, which are made from a fruit called miracle berry found in africa. It changes the tastebuds on your tongue for a few hours and makes sour things taste sweet, so it makes lemons taste absolutely amazing. I just take half a pill every day and eat a lemon or two, so far it seems to be working, my scars are slowly but surely diminishing and my skin is looking healthier, although i'm also doing a few other things (like using tea tree oil facial stuff and getting my omega-3's).
adecadeisenough
March 24, 2011
crushed up asprin in water will take out redness (and is likely 'on hand' for most people- not to mention super cheap!)
lexyw
March 25, 2011
this is random, but visine works in a pinch. seriously, put visine on a red mark and check back in about 10 minutes. also, if i have an "open" wound, neosporin and bandaids. also, i'll open a vitamin e pill and douse my scars with that (well, it takes many more than just one pill). someone else on this forum suggested kelo-cote gel - i was able to get a tube from amazon and it's amazing!! it's scar gel that's recommended by plastic surgeons. i'd recommend using this whenever something is fully "closed" if that makes sense. it's really really effective at diminishing the scars. and, another member suggested apple cider vinegar. i've found that this works best if something's "open". it burns like hell and then after it dries, the area feels almost numb if that makes sense? at the very least, the desire to pick disappears and the next day, the sores have healed soooo much! hope these help. obviously, not a cure, but they certainly help :)
waylander
March 27, 2011
some great advice here. any thoughts about how to get rid of a really 'deep' spot, you know the ones i mean, sore, lumpy, but no amount of squeezing/poking with a needle makes it pop, and itjust destroys the surrounding skin. I get these a few times a year o n my chin, but because i can never let it go more thatn 3 days without trying to pick anyway the aftermath lasts almost until i get the next one. any ideas to make it go quickly?

Start your journey with SkinPick

Take control of your life and find freedom from skin picking through professional therapy and evidence-based behavioral techniques.

Start Now