Online Test

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

Silhouette , 01 May 2013

New - trying to heal pick wounds on my face with 30 days till my wedding

I am fairly new to picking in some respects atleast in the respect its effecting me now and I'm panicing that I'm going to look terrible on my wedding day! I've always bitten my nails and picked at scabs and wounds but never really thought of it as a major issue since most of them were smaller and things like misquito bites or minor stuff that wasn't too noticeable. Now I'm so greatful I found the place and can see that I'm not alone in these compulsions. I was sexually assaulted as a teenager and turned to cutting and managed to work through that alone but after another traumatic event in my life I realized while I may never have returned to cutting that this picking may be as bad or worse. Its like I pick a spot to make myself look better then it looks worse so I keep picking it as if that would actually help. Its a viscious circle. My current situation though I bought an extractor the type people will use in facials to extract white heads and black heads. Youre not supposed to press very hard but I guess this is where it becomes a problem that I end up pressing so hard that while I may remove a black head I also remove several layers of skin. Half the time the so called cligged pour im trying to clear probably isnt even clogged.. Right now I have three small marks on my chin a much bigger one under my right nostril and two between my eyes . None of them are too big but as soon as they start to scab the scabs drive me nuts and I pick up the tweezers just to even out the skin almost like its ocd. Then the mark just becomes bigger and more inflamed. I hate the dead dry skin that also seems to be around all the raw marks. So I pick that too with tweezers again making it bigger. I took the first steps this past week I believe. I saw a psychiatrist for the event that happened to me last september and was diagnosed with ptsd and given some meds that I think are helping. Today I threw out my extractor through much self argument. I also did some research finding this forum and realizing this is an actual problem and not alone which while I'm sad other people suffer from it. It does feel good not to be alone. That all being said, I'm trying to find the quickest way to heal the open raw wounds. I've been using neosporin. Tea tree oil. And today after reading stuff here calomine lotion as well as biotin and fish oil supplements I read may help. Does anyone have any other advice or words of encouragement? I'm really trying to stop. Seeing the damage I've done to my face just makes me want to cry. My fiance is being very supportive and has aalready promised me whatever treatments I need to get rid of any permenant scaring but first of course I have to prove I can stop doing it and of course it won't be before my wedding. I have a facial schedualed for next week. Its my short term goal for the wounds to all be healed to the point of being able to put vitamin e and mederma on them. Sorry for the long rambling post it actually just felt nice to kind of admit this all "out loud" I guess.
6 Answers
jazmb
May 01, 2013
CALAMINE LOTION! and congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding :)
MysteriousSunshine
May 01, 2013
I think that as pickers we all have a higher level of anxiety when a big event it right around the corner. Like you, I was totally paranoid about having major skin issues on my wedding day. So, I made a pact not to pick one month prior to the wedding. It was not easy, but I ended up having decent skin on the big day and didn't cause any damage leading up to the event. Not sure what your cleansing routine is, but I have had great success with the Garnier Pure Control line. Also, there's an item called Clean and Clear popped pimple paste. It dries up and conceals the picked area. Try that overnight. If the area is particularly wounded and weeping, I use Neosporin overnight. In 3 or 4 days, I'm sure that your skin will look a lot better. Good Luck! xxx
nastyab
May 03, 2013
Hey girl, congratulations on your wedding. You must be so excited. I can't wait to be married. :) Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Women try so hard to look perfect for their weddings, but you know what? No matter how hard you prepare, things will not be perfect, and that's okay. You will still be a beautiful bride and you will still have a beautiful wedding. Don't be so hard on yourself. We, skin pickers, are perfectionists, and that is our down fall. We need to learn to accept our flaws and still see ourselves as beautiful people. The best way to let your wounds heal is to LEAVE THEM COMPLETELY ALONE. It's hard, considering we get obsessed with scabs as soon as those cuts and sores start healing. Just stay away from the mirrors, keep busy with your friends and family and just forget about your face. When you're busy, days go buy quickly, and before you know it, your skin will be healed. I am personally, not a fan of facials. I get breakouts, and facials often irritate skin, which makes it more prone to pimples. If you want a fresh glow, I recommend a good Olay product called Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir. It acts as a mini peel and exfoliates your skin while you sleep. I'm not sure how serious your skin condition is. If it is, you may want to stay away from active ingredients. If you can keep from picking for at least a week, and your skin is heeled, I would recommend using Olay product every night. Let me know if you have any questions and hang in there. :)
mamiehamilton
August 11, 2017

The wedding should be a great and well organized occasion. The couple should be well groomed and happy on their special. I want my sister’s wedding to be a perfect event and I want her to enjoy the big day of her life, hence I took the responsibility for planning her wedding so that she could relax and take care of herself and prepare for the wedding. But I’m bit worried now as the wedding date is coming near and I’m not able to take care of myself and my skin as I was busy with preparations. Hence a friend of mine suggested me to go through theaddisonofbocaraton.com professionals website, and to hire a wedding planner. I want to know how you prepared for the wedding and what should I do. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Let-it-be
August 12, 2017

Mamiehamilton, do you mean how to prepare for the wedding logistics or prepare your skin for the wedding? I would say as far as facial skin you could but some hydrocolloid bandages to wear leading up to the wedding at night on any pre-exsisting spots you may have already messed with! A tretinoin cream is a miracle worker but you need an rx from a doctor and to follow their directions when using it! I also suggest aloe sheet masks! So many brands just check ingredients to make sure they are legit! They are soothing, redness reducing, moisturizing, and also a physical barrier if you struggle with touching your face!

serene
August 13, 2017

Hydrocolloid bandaids will heal up the picked spots 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