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Bandaid or not?
Hi,
I recently had a ton of stress and anxiety. I've been a picker for years.... But don't do it too often anymore. Mainly after VERY stressful events.... And only when I get cystic acne. Which for me happens after I'm very stressed. I had a cystic break out, and went to town. Scabs have started to forum. It looks like I'm going to have indentations. Would it help at this point to try covering it with Neosporin and a band aid? I've read quite a few of you swear by this for not scaring. The creator is the size of an eraser head, so I'm pretty freaked out that I'm going to have a huge scar. I have a Family a wedding to go to in 3 weeks.... I'm already thinking of excursus I can use not to go. I'm so embarrassed of the mess I've made on my face! I have a few other spots I messed with. My fave haven't looked this bad in years! I would normally go to my Derm and have a Coz (dry ice) treatment and then a chemical peel after a break out like this to heal it quickly and diminish scaring. However I had a medium strength peel 2 months ago, and the girl doing it didn't know what she was doing so I peeked WAY more then I thought I would. My skin is not fully recovered from that. So I can't do a peel. To top it off I panicked, and used WAY too much Retin A.... So I'm red, irritated, inflamed , and perking a bit. My skin looks AWFUL. So I have to heal the redness, on top of trying to heal these wounds. I'm not wearing makeup, using a gentle wash etc. I'm feeling very down, don't want to go anywhere. When I leave the house I put a huge band aid on my chin. :( I would appreciate ANY suggestions for FAST healing! But more importantly avoiding a scar if I can. I read about the Calmine lotion, but I'm worried it I go that route (I of drying it out) I'll end up with worse scaring I'm in my 40's so my skin doesn't bounce back like it used to. Thanks!!
Neosporin is only good for treating an infected wound. If the wound is seeping and still fills up with pus, then Neosporin would be of great benefit to eliminate the infection and lessen the pain and some of the swelling. If the wound is on its way to healing, the best thing to do is to use a hydrocolloid bandaid. The regular bandaids are not worth it, they let too much air to get to the wound. But if you go the regular band aid route, you could try using medicated Manuka honey on the wound and placing the band aid over it. Manuka honey aids in healing and is a natural antibiotic. It's often used in hospitals to treat a wide array of skin issues such as small cuts, chaffing, and irritation. I ordered a small tube from Amazon and I have noticed that it's excellent at healing the skin, primarily during the scabbing stage. You mentioned that the picked spots are starting to scab over. Are you usually strong enough to resist the urge to pick at the scabs? As long as you can be gentle with your skin and not pick further, then things should be ok. Just impliment the hydrocolloid bandaids and try out the Manuka honey.
I agree with Serene, the hydrocolloid bandaids are simply amazing...every time. You want to leave them on as long as possible. 12-24 hrs before you change them. If you put them on a scab and pull them off shortly after you may rip the scab off that way which would be bad. I would use them even after scab comes off if you think skin still needs a little healing over. In my experience, if you can stop picking, 3 weeks is plenty of time for skin to heal almost completely! I would not worry about the wedding just focus on leaving your skin alone and letting it sort itself out then you may even be able to reintroduce tretinoin only a small amount on the spots that need the turn over the most. I do this sometimes when my face is sensitized and I don't want to smear it all over but I have a few fading dark spots from picking that I want to fade faster.
Thank you guys! Im so glad I found this site!! I'm feeling really bummed, and trying not to leave the house if I don't have to. Which really isn't helping me because then I just obsess about how bad it looks! I don't pick once the scab is formed. It's just the one on my chin is VERY deep. Can you find that honey at the store?
Is there a way to add photos to this feed? I think I have done if those Band aids, but they were Walgreens brand so I can't find the word Hudroclloid on them? Are they the thick gel like ones? Do they have to have that (Hydracolloid on them?
They are the gel ones, yes. You can purchase bigger sheets and just cut them into the right size for the open wounds.
I can link but since this site doesnt allow spacing good luck. https://www.amazon.com/Nexcare-Absorbing-Cover-Sizes-Count/dp/B00BRGUNV…
...................and this ...............
https://www.amazon.com/Hydrocolloid-Dressing-Assortment-AWC-Box/dp/B00U…
..............another example................
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057RKL5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_…
......................Just look up hydrocolloid bandaids on Amazon and you will see more examples. I dont think that all of them will have the hydrocolloid written on the packaging. Basically these bandaids act like second skin, which tricks your skin to regenerate underneath without the extra work of having to form a scab on top. The moisture that is kept inside truly helps to heal skin quickly.
Im not sure if Manuka honey is sold in stores. I am sure that the big jars of it are probably sold at Whole Foods or Sprouts. Natural places like that would probably have it. Maybe they have the small tubes made for the skin as well, but I have never really looked in store. The big jars can get quite expensive, particularly if the honey is of a higher quality. So I would just look for the small tubes made for dermatological purposes.
Where can you find the small tubes, j looked on Amazon and only found Jars. I was surprised at how expensive it was! Thanks for the Band aid info! I bought the generic Walgreens gel like ones.... But could not find that word on the box! Can you find them in stores at all, or just online? Thanks soooooooo much!!
Where can you find the small tubes, j looked on Amazon and only found Jars. I was surprised at how expensive it was! Thanks for the Band aid info! I bought the generic Walgreens gel like ones.... But could not find that word on the box! Can you find them in stores at all, or just online? Thanks soooooooo much!!
https://www.amazon.com/Eras-Natural-Sciences-Manuka-ounces/dp/B001LEXKH…
Hydrocolloid bandaids are found in stores. Any store, CVS, Walmart, Rite Aid, Walgreens, maybe even grocery stores in the first aid isle.
This is the exact Manuka honey product that I purchased...its also the exact same one which is used in hospitals.
https://www.amazon.com/Improved-Medihoney-Wound-Dressing-Sciences/dp/B0…
Thank you guys so much!!! <3