'Buddy system' anyone?

Hi, I think having a support system would be great. Im 22, iv been picking since I was 4 or 5, it began with a scab on my nose I always scratched off at night, my parents could never figure out why it wouldn't heal. i try to be discrete with my picking, keep it places where people cant see, apart from my hands and my lips. i pick my feet, i got a tattoo a few mths ago, but i pciked it as it healed and now it has a scar over it and it looks bad. Iv just been on holiday and got burnt then started peeling, im a mess i picked the skin off so much it turned to scabs, peeled everywhere. I must have gone to the toilet 20 times a day so i could pick in privacy. Nice to talk to someone

I too am 20 years old and your story is so similar to mine. I pick in the same spots that you do and it's to a point now that I need to stop I just can't take it anymore. I also pick before bed. I think it's my reading lamp that makes the bumps more visible that starts me picking but that's just a guess. The idea of a buddy system is great. Knowing somebody else is in the same situation is very beneficial. Also, being able to contact someone when it's gets harder to avoid picking is helpful. dandilyon

I think my worst times are when im stressed, or worried about something but theres nothing i can do about it, like if theres a lot to do at work in the morning i worry the night before and pick because i cant do anything til tomoro. or when im bored, my fingers do it without even thinking about it. i have managed to stop, but only if i have a reason, like a party or holiday, and even though only for a few weeks max. I also stop when i go to the drs because i dnt want to have to discuss with them, weird isn't it? agnes is my nick mane screen name thing, you can get me on lis_walker@hotmail.com Lis

I think for me the reading light is also a major factor. With regular lighting I'm okay, because I don't see every little imperfection. When I feel the urge to pick I actually turn on the reading light just so I can see what I'm doing. Maybe we need to get ourselves lights with a really low wattage? It's not gonna stop the urge, but should make it a little harder to give into it. I think it can be of great help to know other people are going through the same thing and maybe hear how they are dealing with it. Can't be of much help myself in that respect, because I haven't really found anything that helps me reduce the picking, but still. Have either of you ever approached a therapist about it? I'm thinking about it, but am dreading approaching my GP about it to get a referral. It's something I've never talked about with anyone and am pretty ashamed of. It's one thing to talk to the person who's gonna help you with it, yet another to have to tell it to someone who's just there to refer you. And it's a big, big step. Either of you been brave enough to take it or are you contemplating it like me?

No i havent been brave enough my self. I have thought about it but i always manage to put it off, convince myself its upto my will power and i can do it on my own.maybe not. I have just found out I might have sleep apnea, iv got to wait for a sleep study, it cause sleep deprivation and depression, so im hoping if i get that sorted it mite help the picking. fingers crossed. i agree with the light thing, i try to put little lamps on rather than big overhead ones. the bathrooms always the worst, you cant avoid it. even if im in the dark tho my fingers are always running over me looking for bumps or imperfections which i can pick. my mind knows i cant pick a bump to get rid of it but i still do Lis

I am so with you on the buddy system! I've been sweeping my picking issue under the rug for years. I'm 25 (26 later this week) and I've been doing this since I was about 12 or so. It eventually became a nightly ritual, but I'm SO sick of it! Last night, I got into a compulsive pick-fest beginning with my face, then moved to my arms, then my chest, and when I crawled into bed, the backs of my legs. I lost hours to meaningless picking! What really boggles my mind is that the entire time I was doing this, I was thinking--rather, I was mentally screaming at myself to STOP PICKING! I really, really don't want to do this anymore! I had thought when I was a teenager (knowing then that my picking wasn't a good thing), that my skin would clear up when I entered my 20s and picking would be a thing of the past, but no, nope...still picking. And I still have the acne. I was thinking if I could control my little bit of acne then maybe I could go into pick-recovery. I'm fearing it isn't going to be quite that simple though. Especially since my face isn't the only area I pick, but maybe it'd give me a good start at breaking the habit. Has anyone had any success with chemical peels?

You should definitely ask your GP about that; there's a lot of stuff out there that helps with acne ranging from antibiotics to bezoylperoxide. For me it also starts with a zit somewhere and then I just go crazy on my skin for hours even if there was no problem there until I created it. I think it's some sort of impulse control thing, cos I, too, am internally screaming at myself to stop it but it's like there's a break somewhere in the delivery system and I just keep on going. It's the same thing that addicts experience when feeding their addiction, actually. Short term gain that you pay for with long term loss. Alright, I think I'll make a doctor's appointment tomorrow to get a referral. Aaah, it's scary! I'm so freakin' mortified by this. Even I think it's weird and gross, how are other people supposed to take it? Have any of you told someone about it? I think people around me sort of know about it a little bit but they understand that my lame "allergy rash" explanations are more of a "don't ask, don't tell" thing. Still been picking like crazy, btw. :(

Hi Laura, I could really use a buddy in this, although i worry that it would not be helpful if my case is signifcantly more severe than yours: i am twenty five, and i have been picking at my skin (zits on my face, chewing skin from my lips, i've got keretosis on my arms that i used to pick at so bad i wore long sleeves every day in high school even in summer, etc..) for hours every day since i was twelve. i haven't been able to stop for more than a few days in the last thirteen years, and i have tried many, many things to help me change my behavior: plenty of exercise, a healthy diet, talk therapy, medication, meditation, and lots of little tricks like taping the lightswitch in my bathroom, hairspray-frosting the mirror, snapping a rubber band on my wrist whenever i'd think about it. In my most desperate attempts, I've even visited an optometrist, and asked him if he could make me contact lenses that would impair my close-range vision. It worsens the condition, i think, that i have incredibly fine detail eyesight. Unfortunately, he told me that my eyes adapt too easily... within a few minutes of trying out different glasses my eyes would adjust and i'd have my detail vision back, just at different distances. I would like to have someone to talk to about this, and support in overcoming it, but i worry that if i were to and quit together with a buddy, i would not be able to, and that would undermine their efforts. what do you think?

HELP! I was born with Keratosis Pilaris. Until I got to highschool I had ALWAYS wore long sleeves.. didn't matter if it was 100 degrees out. I was so embarrassed by it! I had always had an obsession with picking at them, both on my arms and legs. I have now gotten to the point where I am ruining my body by this obsessive picking, popping, and using tweezers to get rid of these ugly bumps. But it goes more deeper than this. I have a serious problem and cannot stop. I have been on medication for years to help treat my anxiety and depression, and just until now, I discovered there was a name for this obsession of picking. My legs and arms look like a war zone. It discgusts my husband, and my 2yr old son watches me do this 4-6 hours a day. I am worried he'll think taking tweezers to your body is a normal thing. I have so much scarring, and scabbing it's rediculous. My legs and arms are constantly sore because of all the abuse. And it seems like the more I do this, the bumbs come back 10 fold.. which means more picking! I also have a really big problem with biting the inside of my bottom lip. I also have some scarring on my face because I "find" imperfections. I fear leaving the house because of what I look like. But no matter how many times I tell myself I NEED TO STOP, I can't. Infact, doing this "picking" is like a drug.. I need to do it! What a weird thing. I can't keep on destroying my body like this. I already have self-esteem issues, but this Dermatillomania is making issues much worse. I would love to join a buddy system! I need all the help I can get!

Dear Laura, I just found this webpage and wondered if there has been a buddy-system set up after all the comments you got on your posting? If not, lets do it! I think it would be extremely helpful since most people need to share but do not have people around them with the same problem. Please let me know. Sandra

Hi, Im gonna be 21 in November and i am oh too familiar with CSP(compulsive skin picking). i been picking for almost 5 years now. My life has definitely been put on hold because of this. i pick at my face. i have scarring because of it. i been diagnosed with OCD. i go to a therapist and a phsyciatrist and im on medication. i feel like its gotten somewhat better but im still suffering. like just yesterday i had a bad episode with picking. i feel like its really important for us to be eachother's support. i havent met anyone else with this disorder. i been to OCD support groups but havent met anyone with CSP. i feel like am alone in this, its soo frustrating sometimes. i would like 2 be there for anyone who needs someone to talk too. we need 2 be there for eachother.. this is such a lonely disorder. it makes me feel like an outsider. would love 2 hear from any of you. :)

Hi, I'd love to have a buddy for this so we could encourage each other. I am 16 and have been picking, mostly my face, for several years. I'd like to catch this now before I get older and the habits get more ingrained. I have tried to quit picking many times before but in the end, nothing worked. Picking is a calming thing for me, even though I can't pinpoint any area of my life that feels especially stressful or unhappy. Like many others I feel reluctant to be close to another person or have a relationship because of this problem. So, I'm really tired of picking at my face all the time and want to quit! I'd love to hear from anybody. My email address is charlotterose13@yahoo.com. :)

Hey everybody! I'm very sorry for not replying to your comments. It is part denial and part being incredibly busy. Since you were all sweet enough to reply to my idea of a support system and there seems to be a lot of you who feel they would benefit form such a thing, I've (finally) thought about how we could accomplish it and come up with to following: a forum. It might seem a little redundant since, hello, we're already on one, but I think we might be able to make thing a bit more personal with just a little group of people who wish to support one another and be supported. Let me clarify that I do not at all mean that to be a jab at skinpick.com, which is awesome and great and I would go on a date with it! ;) It is merely an experiment and if it doesn't work out we'll know soon enough. http://buddyup.l.makeforum.org/ Sorry for the lame name. :P I have no clue if you can join through just that link, cos I am ignorance personified when it comes to forums and websites and such. Let me know if it works! In any case, I'll send those of you who posted an e-mail address an invite. Let's try this thing. Laura ps. If you can't apply via the link, just post your e-mail address here and I'll send you an invite. Hopefully, that will work.

Hi guys, I'm so glad I finally googled this. My family and friends don't understand although they have tried to get me to stop and are concerned. I'm eighteen and having been picking at my arms, face, and recently legs for probably five years or so. Hearing you guys' stories about when you get older is a real wake-up call for me, since I don't want to have to wear long sleeves like I do now for the rest of my life and now go swimming etc. I'm glad you all are out there. I think a buddy system would be perfect; getting to know people who have the same problem and maybe similar reasons might give us enough perspective on our problem to convince ourselves to stop. I live in montreal and would like to hear from anyone nearby or just anyone who's up or wants to talk... Anyways, lots of love and strength to us in stopping this, elisabeth

P.S. My email is eliegill@gmail.com and I would be glad to hear from anyone who wants a friend and some support. <3, Elisabeth

I know you posted this ages ago but I just came across this site today and I can totally relate. I would love to have a buddy system of sorts to stay motivated to stop picking. I am so devestated by this disorder and want to make changes. If you are still looking for a buddy let me know.

Hi my name is Maria and my email address is sxyshortii87@yahoo.com. i would love to hear from any of you who need support for i need some too/.

I'm 35, and can't remember when this pattern started, but I know it was going on in college if not before. I have keratosis pilaris, so the little bumps all over my arms and thighs were my first targets, as well as the breakouts on my face, but in the past few years, I've mostly switched to attacking my scalp - it doesn't show, so I suppose that's less anxiety-provoking than seeing the red marks on my face / arms / legs. The behavior is definitely worse when I'm tired and / or stressed, and I get into a trancelike state usually. It usually doesn't itch before I start scratching, so I'm not doing this because of itching. I feel like, by removing the bumps and irregular patches, somehow I'm improving the skin there, even though I know better. Using a 2% beta hydroxy acid product on the bumpy skin areas to help smooth it out has helped me stay away from my arms / legs (Paula's Choice www.cosmeticscop.com has several great products (no, I don't sell it, I just have seen how well it works). I've tried special shampoos with salicylic acid, sulfur (head & shoulders - type), and Scalpicin with salicylic acid, but my scalp is still always bumpy. I'm desparate enough to try tar shampoo, but I just HATE the smell. I'm on Prozac and Wellbutrin, but I don't think it makes a difference. I'd like a buddy system. I can't access the buddyup.l.makeforum.org site from work, but I'll check it out from home. I'd be happy to talk with anyone / everyone. My email is Runjoplin@suddenlink.net if you want to send a message - we could get forum-type help going if people just "reply all."

hi my name is sandy, don't worry,trust on god sandi ______________________ [url=http://www.drug-intervention.com/mississippi-drug-intervention.html]Drug Intervention Mississippi[/url]-Drug Intervention Mississippi

Laura if it will help me and my problem of course I would be willing to support this. I am now 55 years old and really am sick and tired of the sores, scares and embarassment the picking and scratching have caused me. It has caused me a lot of grief and pain. Every day I keep thinking if I can just go through one more day. Try to take it one day at a time. Try not to look at the big picture but your everyday life. Try wearing gloves at night, I know that is when I do most of my picking. Also try taking a over the counter sleep aid. When you want to scratch or pick use a lotion and rub really hard it seems to help. We just have to take it one thing at a time. Good luck, lets hope for the best for both of us!

I think that this buddy system will work, I just found a friend that I can email with and I am verrrrry happy! If you would like to talk my email is Tarynbenedetti@yahoo.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Stay Strong! Hope is not the closing of your eyes to the difficulty, the risk, or the failure. It is trust that- If I fail now - I shall not fail forever; and if I am hurt, I shall be healed . It is trust that Life is good. love

Hi, I'm new here, but am so, so, so relieved and amazed to find people like myself. Picking is such an unbelievably personal thing, (I hate when friends and family rebuke me for it, which causes snappy denial and defense), and I was surprised that it is so common...it felt like my own little dirty secret. So, how do we do the buddy thing? Anyone have ideas? Should we even take it to a photographic level so that there's no cheating? Also, sharing ideas on healing damaged skin would be extremely beneficial, worthy of a new thread...

Wow. Why didn't I google sooner? I'm glad you guys are here. I've been gouging my lower legs since junior high (I'm 42 male financial professional now) and pick other random sores constantly too but not as aggressively if they are visible. I have many sores in different stages of healing and skin/scar discoloration. It looks like a Cheetah's spotted coat. I have deep pot marks from the early days in junior high school, mostly hidden by leg hair. I trim my nails to the quick, which makes it worse cause I'll just use my ring fingernail and dig even deeper. Sometimes I think I like the brief intense pain, an OCD substituting psych issues? The worst place is at my computer at work, I'll gouge and not even really realize it. Sometimes I gouge so deep that the blood drips onto the floor. Another bad place is sitting on the jon since my legs are exposed and there they are just waiting for me. When I first wake up is bad too. My sheets have blood spots all over the place, as well as the inside of my dress pants and jeans. I just counted 16 sores on my left leg below the knee, mostly in front, sizes from 1/4" to nickel size, which of course are very deep. I live in Florida and I don't remember the last time I wore shorts. I recently bought knee high Nike soccer socks to prevent picking, but no difference. I've used cover makeup to hide the red/black scabs and spots from a distance. I have thought about getting tattoos to hide the scarring, but there are never few enough sores to not be embarassed or even get the tattoos. I like that there seems to be vitamin supplement recommendations here, which is what I was searching for that led me here. I too am relieved I'm not the only one. I too am concerned about healing and then craving the obsessive twisted satisfaction of it all. This is my addiction I guess. Thanks to you all for being here. I'm going to try the B-3 gels, and maybe the organic honey. Better the mess than this endless self mutilation. I am seeing my high school sweetheart in a month, the love of my life, and I don't want to have to wear those f'n socks! So I'm motivated...

I'd love an invitation to the forum: debself at gmail.com. I don't even know if I can talk about this yet, but am working up to it. Thanks.

Hi Laura. I just tried to join as well. Here is my email address: inquisitive_creatures@hotmail.com

Hi, I'm 27 and have been picking for years, literally. Mostly face but also other parts of body. Just found out today through googleing that this is something that others also suffer with and not just me having no self-control whatsoever. Am desperate to stop, have tried stuff like throwing my small mirrors away but i have always managed to get hold of another one somehow! I also have ocd about checking things (doors/taps/oven etc) but that doesn't bother me as much as this does. Would really appreciate some support, have tried to stop myself but i now accept that maybe i can't do it alone!

Hi Laura I definitly think a buddy system is a good idea. I am amazed after finding this website how many others are going through the same thing as myself. I am taking it one day at a time. Today is a good day. I did not pick the last three night! I also seem to pick the most before bedtime. Once in a great while if I am really stressed out I will pick just a little while during they day or at work but usually it is in the same bathroom at my house when I start to get ready to go to bed. Then instead of going to bed I am picking!!!! My upper arms are also my main area. I look and feel for any bumbs and then try to squeeze them. I also go to alot of 12 step Narcotics Anonymous meetings because I have been a drug addict for several years. I have not used drugs for over a year now thank God. I apply alot of the methods and suggestions from that program to help me with my skin picking addiction. Like step one " We addmited that we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable". Also I try to remember to not pick "just for today" I don't worry about not picking for the rest of my life because I think that makes me anxious and when I am anxiious I usually pick so when I get the urge to pick I just tell myself, not today, I am not going to pick, just for today. I think about how shitty I feel after I pick. I think about how beautiful and confident I am when my skin looks good. I just try to get through the day..... I think by supporting eachother we can help eachother stop picking.

Yes, I'm in. I promised myself a professional clarifying facial if I can survive 10 days without picking. Today is my first day.

I have been dealing with the same thing. I am 23 and have been doing this for years. It got the worst when I was in college, and am still suffering from it now. I look back at pictures from high school and my skin was so clear. It's terrible because I feel like all my clogged pores, scars and pimples are self-inflicted, and doubt that I would have had problems if I had never began this habit. When I started picking, my skin was not bad and never even got pimples, just maybe a few blackheads on my nose. Now I have clogged pores everywhere on my face, and it breaks out regularly. It's a terrible cycle because I feel bad about myself because of my bad habit and then I pick because I feel bad which exacerbates the problem. I want to stop, but I just keep doing it. I mostly pick at my face, but I also pick at my back and chest on occasion. Someone please contact me for the buddy system. I like the idea of taking pictures or meeting locally if there is someone in ohio. Please let me know if you are interested in partnering up with me. I feel like if a stop now, there is still a chance my scars will fade and I can move on with my life. I fear if I continue this, my scars will be permanent, which may already be the case, but I hope not. If you're interested, respond to this post and we can get in contact!

Hi, I'm new here. A 23 year old female from Canada. And needless to say that I'm here for the same reason as everyone else, or at least the majority of you. My email is o.myxa.o@gmail.com if anybody wishes to contact me. I also created a google group for the time being that you are welcome to join. --------------------- http://groups.google.com/group/skin-picker?hl=en&lnk=gcimv ----------------- I'll try to create a proper forum as soon as I can, but for now anyone can join the group, introduce yourself and share your stories. I emailed an invitation for all those that posted their e-mail here, I hope it's not a problem, but if not you can simply erase the invitation.

Hi, I'm SweetDeeDee but just call me DeeDee for short. I am 24 years and I'm a recovering picker for day 9 and still counting. If anyone would like to contact me at dwalker12@hotmail so I'm on msn or hotmail to email me if you have any help from picking or whatever that happened. I know all about te picking situations. I can help you if any way I could do it for you so thanks again!

I've been picking since before i can remember. I'm 21 now, but somehow I've learned to be very controlled in my habits related to the picking. I used to have scabs everywhere, face and all . Now I stick mostly to my scalp and back, No Face. I don't know how I do it but I can reach anywhere on my whole back. It seems to be easier to learn to cope than to stop and I noticed that I do it less and less with some guidelines and rules. I 'm hopefull that they might lead to stopping this alltogether. I didn't know other people did this too so a buddy system sounds amazing and unreal all at the same time. lol.

Please tell me the buddy system is already out there!!! I'm so desperate...I need to heard options, what is working for you guys? this is soooo hard... if it's nbot why don't we start writing what works for each...maybe that way we can find some relief. Even know I still working on being able to talk about it...mine is not the usual. Let me know somebody!!! glaistik55@yahoo.com

i pick my cuticles bad and i have found that putting cream on helps. but i am counting to ten when i think about picking or have picked/bite.in fact i am biting right now.......... i find that the best thing we could do is keep so busy that those thoughts dont reach our minds and then slowly we will forget why we were even here. i know i know it sounds to good to be true.

I could definitely use someone to lean on... GhsthntrNiki@aol.com