How to Stop Skin Picking
How Jasmin Stopped Picking
Today I thought I'd share an email I received from a young woman who took the time to share how she helped herself stop picking at her skin. (With her permission of course.) I hope you find it inspiring and instructional. You can do this too!
Hi Annette,
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you for helping me stop picking at my skin! We Skyped a few months back at the end of July, so not sure if you remember me, but I wanted to let you know how big of a help you have been with your Youtube videos, regular emails, and also your book.
I couldn't afford coaching sessions, and I wish I could have taken part in your group coaching sessions as it would have been so nice for me to meet people with the same problem. However, hearing the success stories from your clients on Youtube got me through the lonely times when I felt like no one understood, and gave me the hope that I could beat this too!
Having clear skin has been absolutely life changing, the best change being my increased confidence and the second best being that it only takes me between 10-20 minutes to get ready in the mornings! It used to take me 90 minutes....60 at best, because I would need to cover up the damage, and I felt that I needed to do my eye make up and hair up very elaborate to distract people from my skin.
Below is a list of things I did/am still doing that have helped me stop picking. It still took a lot of patience, and a huge amount to discipline and determination, but these things helped me tremendously. Many of these you have already mentioned in your videos, emails and book, but I thought it might be helpful to share what helped me most:
Removing/covering mirrors from places were I would routinely pick (e.g bathrooms).
Using tape (initially bandaids) to cover the fingertips so that I couldn't scan my face. This worked better than gloves for me because it was too hard and time consuming to take the tape off and pick, whereas the gloves I could slip off too easily if I felt the urge to pick.
Putting little pimple covers on any pimples/scabs I felt the urge to pick at. I only did this at night (and slept with them on), as I wore make up during the day that would mostly prevent me from picking. I don't use these as often anymore, as I rarely feel the urge to pick anymore. Unless sugar has been eaten...which leads to my next point.
Eating less sugar. Every time I've eaten too much sugar I have picked. However, I recently have been able to stop myself before the damage was too bad, but that still wasn't ideal. However, if I know I'm eating more sugar than normal (e.g going to a party, having dessert at a friends place etc), I have the pimple covers (and sometimes even tape for my fingers) at the ready when I get home, and my boyfriends knows to keep a close eye on me, especially if I'm near a mirror.
Telling my friends and family to remind me to stop picking if they see me picking. This was a huge deal for me, not many people know that I pick my skin so badly, therefore I only told those close to me, which I still found quite difficult but I am extremely glad that I did. For years I told people I had acne, even my parents, and no one questioned it. I was also in denial about the fact that it was actually a skin picking disorder, to the point where I managed to convince myself it was acne. Seeing your videos made me finally come to terms with my skin picking and helped me make the decision to make changes to help reduce and eventually stop my skin picking.
Having my boyfriend never let me be alone in a room with a mirror. Only exception was the bathroom, which I was only allowed to use for a maximum of 5 minutes at a time on my own. He would also supervise me doing my make-up in the mornings.
Gently using a face wipe to clean my face instead of a facial scrub, and just generally washing my face less. I rinse with water 2-3 times a day only, and use a face wipe once or twice a day. I tried using my facial scrub again the other day, and my face went red and blotchy and felt really raw. My skin has been so soft since I stopped using a facial scrub, so now I know that it was too harsh and damaging to my skin, and that for me, it is unnecessary.
Using a face wipe to rid my skin of dried sweat after a workout. I live 45mins from where I train, and would pick at my skin while driving home. Feeling the dried sweat on my skin was a trigger, so now after every training session and before I start driving, I pull out a face wipe and clean my face. Plus it was probably not a good thing to leave dried sweat on my face for that long anyway!
Meditation - even just a couple times a week! Helps to reduce my anxiety and stress, which have often lead to picking.
Getting rid of my picking tools. I would use a cuticle cutter to help get rid of scabs/dead skin on my face. Yes it was as terrible as it sounds and would cause deep wounds, but I couldn't stop. I also have the habit of chewing the skin around my fingernails. Its gross but again a bad habit I can't stop...unless I use a cuticle cutter to keep the cuticles/skin on my fingers tidy. So I couldn't get rid of it to stop picking my skin, or I'd be picking my skin AND chewing my fingers! About a month ago I found a different type of cuticle cutter while desperately looking for a new one after my old one broke. It's hard to explain what it looks like, so I've attached a couple of photos to show what I used to use and what I now use. My new one is shaped sort of like scissors, and I can't use it to pick my skin. WOOHOO! That was a big change that has helped a lot! I also keep my nails short so that I can't use them as a tool either.
cuticle cutters
I still have room for improvement, I still pick for maybe 5 minutes once a week, and I still have the habit of scanning my face for bumps, but the improvements I have seen so far are encouraging and I am at the point now were I don't feel the urge to pick as often or as strongly.
I have attached a before and after photo of my skin so you can see for yourself, they are not edited at all and I have absolutely no make up on in either of them, not even mascara! My skin tone has changed dramatically too, it used to always look red, raw and blotchy, and now it looks healthy!
Sorry for the very long email, I'm just so excited about this because I've been picking my skin for 7 years, and chewing my fingers for 13, so I wanted to thank you and let you know how inspirational you have been, and how much you have helped me to stop picking my skin. I honestly never thought I'd be able to stop until I saw your videos. I hope there are some new things in that list that might help other people, however I'm pretty sure you have all the tips and tricks covered, but just in case!
Kind regards,
Jasmin
What if You Don't Have Jasmin's Discipline or Determination?
Kudos to Jasmine! I am so happy for her. Yet I know 80% of people have the personality type who needs some form of external accountability to achieve their desired results. If that's you and you just can't seem to make positive changes on your own, please know 1) you are not alone and 2) there is nothing wrong with you! You can make this way easier for yourself with some expert coaching. Reach out and get what you need. Contact me here to request a free session.