PREVENT SKIN PICKING

I used to have a serious problem with picking and my skin hated me. I legit would stare in the mirror for 2 hours just picking at my skin and popping huge pimples. Sounds like you?

·      When we have acne, our skin may feel itchy or painful, and it's often a normal response to the irritation.

·      It can even be satisfaction-driven. For instance we sometimes feel a touch of satisfaction when they spot a bump and have the itch to pop it on their own.  

·      Another common reason for picking is due to concentration. Sometimes people pick while deeply focused on other tasks such as watching TV, reading, driving, or at their desks without even knowing!

·      Sometimes we pick because its associated with anxiety and OCD when people exhibit excessive picking, cause scars or infections from picking, spend a significant amount of time picking or feel compelled to remove skin imperfections. Then it becomes a habit as a stress reliever.

I’m going give you some practical tips to stop picking.

1. Journaling.

Instead of defaulting to picking your face as a coping mechanism, journaling every morning or night can help ease any frustration and anxiety creeping their way into your headspace. If you don't want to extend too much, try bullet journaling, a style of note-taking based on intention and productivity. It can give you clarity and keeps you focused while stimulating creativity. 

Keep a notebook, and keep it a next to your bedside and write your feelings, your daily events, or whatever comes to your mind.

2. Hide Your Mirror

I legit have those mirrors with one sides that’s magnified.. While they're great when we're doing some makeup or at home brow maintenance, these mirrors can reinforce picking by putting every "flaw" on display, which incites temptation. Also avoid spending too much time staring at the bathroom mirror, especially right after a hot shower as skin is even more sensitive.

3. If you can’t keep your mirror away, keep an arm’s length. This helps you from overanalysing

4.  Get a facial treatment for them to professional remove any blackheads.

Picking generally delays the healing of acne lesions, makes them look worse, and can result in new lesions from constant irritation. So treating acne or other underlying conditions is a component of treatment for skin or hair picking. Try to get the help of a professional to help heal your skin and determine a healthy skincare regimen designed for your specific skin type and skin concerns

 5.  Consider Therapy

For mental health, skin picking is often a sign of significant stress, depression, or anxiety that needs to be treated not only to help improve skin but also because this can cause a significant decline in one's overall wellbeing. Don’t feel embarrassed thinking this isn’t a serious enough issue to seek therapy.

6.  Clip Your Nails

This makes a huge difference. Keep your nails short. Try clipping or filing your nails every week to avoid using them for picking—it will be more of a challenge. It can be helpful especially in more mild cases or for the occasional picker.

7. Occupy Your Hands

Whether it’s something as simple as keeping a stress ball or Silly Putty by your desk or simply getting into the kitchen and making a batch of cookies or a loaf of bread, keeping your hands busy (and thus, off your face) is another great option if you're trying to wean yourself off the habit of picking your face. Remember: if you make it a habit and be aware of where your hands are all the time, it will be easier to stop this pattern.

8. Destress

Meditation can be used to develop new habits and feelings, as well as reduce stress and develop concentration. This practice can make you recognize and release thoughts that lead to anxiety. Redirecting your energy can liberate you, by helping you break away from your old habits.

9. Try Face Masks

While working or resting, a cream or sheet mask can work as a barrier making it harder to keep picking. I highly recommend the

Banish Pumpkin Mask [ LIZY to save $] for fading hyperpigmentation and drying active acne, this prevents your spots from looking more prominent so you’re less likely to pick. The pumpkin mask is thick enough to stop our hands from picking and it has a lot of good reviews treating redness, dry and sensitive skin, I’ve been using it for over 3 years! I also recommend Banish’s fighter gel. This is super calming and soothing for acne breakouts, helping fight irritation and inflammation.

10. Get pimple stickers.

Hydrocolloid ones are awesome to draw our all the gunk from your pustules. This helps prevent reinfection if you’ve already picked at it. Pimple patches also act as a physical barrier to prevent you from picking. For cystic acne, try to get the ones with microdarts to penetrate the skin with anti acne fighting ingredients. Check out Zitsticka.

Do you have any other tips? Comment below!

I hope this blog was helpful!

Xoxo Your gal, Liz