Pimple popping..

[Dani2theL]

Hi - I am new to the forum.

I decided to join because I think I need support.  I seek therapy for anxiety issues - and one of them is ocd.  I have just recently been diagnosed with it, but I believe I have had it for many years without realizing what it was.  When people think OCD - they think of sorting through carpet fringes, compulsively showering/washing hands, etc.

I have a lot of pure O symptoms -where I have internal obsessions.  I think things, and focus on something for so long where I start becoming unsure whether or not it's true.

I also have SOME compulsions.  Here is ONE of them...

I pop pimples.  Not to the point where it's normal (even though it's not highly suggested to do so - dermatologically speaking) if I see a pimple, I NEEEEEEEDDDDDD to pop it.  My arms are COVERED with tiny pimples.. and needless to say - I have a field day.

Well this is effecting my life.  It's effecting it to the point where I will spend time in my work bathroom popping some pimples.  If there is a mirror, I pop pimples, if I need to take a mini break at work while at my desk, I look at my arms and find the tiniest pimple.. and pop it.

My arms look like hell right now.  Usually during the winter time, it's much better because of long sleeve shirts. Out of sight, out of mind - except I still pop my face.  I also see pimples on my boyfriends face/back/anywhere and I'll have a SEVERE urge to pop it.


I have other compulsions, but this is a major one - and I REALLY REALLY want to stop.  The problem is, not even the suggestions my therapist are recommending are enough for me to actually do it.  I feel like I need to be hypnotized or something.  I need help. Is there anyone out here who knows what I'm going through?? Or any suggestions?! I'm dying here!

thanks,
Dani

[JavaPug]

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND I STOPPED. HERE IS WHAT I DID. SOME WORKED AT DIFFERENT TIMES. I CONSTANTLY AM ADDING AND CHANGING THE LIST IF I RELAPSE.

1. TALK TO A PROFESSIONAL. I TOLD MY THERAPIST AND DIDN'T HIDE ANY DISGUSTING DETAILS. I EMPHASIZED HOW CRAZY IT DROVE ME AND THAT I REALLY WANTED HELP. WE APPROACHED IT FROM A OCD STANDPOINT.

2. GO TO THE DERMATOLOGIST AND GET ACNE MEDICATION, INGROWN HAIR MEDICATION, DRY SKIN MEDICATION ETC.

3. BEFORE ENTERING THE BATHROOM AT NIGHT TO GET READY FOR BED TAKE 60 SECONDS TO FIVE MINUTES, SIT IN FRONT OF THE BATHROOM DOOR AND CONCENTRATE JUST ON YOUR BREATHING AND NOTHING ELSE. THIS RELAXES YOU SO THAT THE ANXIETY CAUSES DON'T KICK IN AS EASILY

4. HAVE A LIST OF THINGS YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE GOING TO BED (EX: TAKE OUT CONTACTS, BRUSH TEETH, FLOSS, PEE, WASH FACE, PUT ON ACNE MEDICATION). POST THE LIST ON YOUR MIRROR AND FOLLOW IT RELIGIOUSLY. TIME YOURSELF TO SEE HOW QUICKLY YOU CAN GET IT DONE. EACH TIME YOU DO IT UNDER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME REWARD YOURSELF WITH SOME CHOCOLATE OR A TOKEN AND WHEN YOU HAVE ENOUGH TOKENS BUY YOURSELF A MASSAGE. THIS WILL GIVE YOU MOTIVATION TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE BATHROOM AS FAST AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT PICKING.

5. IN THE MORNING WAKE UP WITH ONLY ENOUGH TIME TO GET READY. I RUSH EVERY MORNING SO THAT IF I TAKE ANY TIME TO PICK I AM LATE FOR WORK AND GET YELLED AT BY MY BOSS

6. EXERCISE!!!!! EASIER SAID THAN DONE RIGHT? AND I'M SURE YOU HAVE HEARD IT A MILLION TIMES BEFORE. JUST ADD THESE TO YOUR MANY REASONS YOU SHOULD. IT'S RELIEVES STRESS, IT MAKES YOU SWEAT WHICH REGENERATES YOU SKIN AND YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO GET THE FLAWS THAT YOU PICK AT

7. LASER HAIR REMOVAL

8. WHEN YOU DO RELAPSE DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT. HAVE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT ON HAND AND IMMEDIATELY PUT SOME ON. IT WILL HELP IT HEAL FASTER

9. THINK ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAD RIGHT NOW WHO WOULD PAY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BE IN YOUR BODY. IT MAY NOT BE PERFECT, BUT IT WORKS AND YOU ARE DAMN LUCKY FOR THAT. REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS AS MANY TIMES A WEEK AS YOU CAN (ONCE A DAY?). LEARN TO LOVE IT FROM A DIFFERENT STANDPOINT. NOT BECAUSE IT IS FLAWLESS, BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE IT.

10. THINK OF EACH PIMPLE AND BUMP AS A CUTE LITTLE PUPPY OR KITTEN. GIVE IT A NAME AND PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS. TALK TO IT OUT LOUD (WHEN NO ONE IS AROUND). TELL IT HOW MUCH YOU LOVE IT. PET IT. FEED IT. EACH ONE OF THOSE CUTE LITTLE PUPPIES REALLY NEEDS ACNE MEDICATION OR ANTIBIOTICS IN ORDER TO BE HEALTHY JUST LIKE A PUPPY NEEDS WATER AND FOOD. YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO HURT SUCH A CUTE YORKIE/PUG/LAB/BENGAL/SIAMESE PUPPY OR KITTEN WOULD YOU? SOUNDS NUTS BUT IT ISN'T AS NUTS AS YOU DIGGING AWAY AT SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PART OF YOUR BODY.

11. IF YOUR ACNE ISN'T THAT BAD BUT YOU JUST FIND THINGS TO PICK AT THEN GET SOME GOOD WATERPROOF MAKEUP, PUT IT ON AND KEEP IT ON. ONLY REMOVE IT IN THE SHOWER AND THE SECOND YOU GET OUT PUT IT RIGHT BACK ON BEFORE YOU LOOK FOR FLAWS. THIS WAY THEY ARE ALWAYS COVERED UP AND YOU CAN'T SEE THEM.

12. FLAUNT YOUR FLAWS. INSTEAD OF BEING REALLY EMBARRASSED WHEN PEOPLE SEE YOUR SCARS, SHOW THEM OFF, IF SOMEONE ASKS SAY "I HAVE A HABIT OF PICKING AT MY SKIN, WEIRD RIGHT? OH WELL AT LEAST I'M NOT A PSYCHOPATHIC KILLER" GIVE A HUGE SMILE AND CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

13. READ SOME SELF HELP BOOKS. THEY WORK FOR SOME PEOPLE.

14. PINPOINT THE TRIGGER AREAS. HAVE A DEFENSE FOR EACH OF THOSE AREAS. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU PICK YOUR ARMS WHILE SITTING IN TRAFFIC, HAVE AN EASY LONG SLEEVE SHIRT TO PUT ON, DRAPE IT OVER THE DRIVERS SEAT. TOO HOT FOR THAT? PUT ON THE AC. LONG SLEEVE SHIRT AND PANTS JUST FOR THE BATHROOM. A COSTUME MASK YOU PUT ON WHILE IN THE BATHROOM. REMOVE MIRRORS FROM YOU ACTUAL ROOM. LONG SLEEVE PAJAMAS. ECT.

15. TAKE THE LIGHT BULBS OUT OF YOUR BATHROOM AND REPLACE THEM WITH CANDLES. CAN'T SEE ACNE SO WELL WITH THAT LIGHT.

16. FIND A HEALTHIER HABIT. IT MAY NOT BE AS SATISFYING, BUT GIVE YOURSELF SOMETHING TO DO INSTEAD. CHEW GUM, POP BUBBLE WRAP, TAP YOUR FINGERS, TEAR UP PAPER, GET A COLORING BOOK (LOOK UP PHIL LEWIS FUN STUFF)

17. THE TIME YOU WOULD HAVE SPENT PICKING VOLUNTEER INSTEAD. AN HOUR A WEEK EVEN. IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF, AND BETTER ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE. AS BAD AS YOU HAVE IT THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE IT WORSE I PROMISE YOU. IF YOU SEE IT FIRST HAND YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO LET GO OF SOME OF THE SMALLER THINGS.

18.NEVER GIVE UP.ONE DAY YOU WILL BE READY AND IT CAN ALWAYS GET WORSE SO DONT GIVE UP BECAUSE OF THAT

19. TRY TO FIX THE UNDERLYING REASON. IT IS PROBABLY SOME SORT OF ANXIETY, BUT IT COULD BE ANYTHING. YOU MAY NOT SEE A DIRECT CONNECTION, BUT AS SOON AS THE OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE FEEL BETTER THEN THIS WILL GET BETTER TOO. FOR ME IT WAS THAT I NEEDED TO FIX MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MOM. PROFESSIONAL HELP IS A HUGE HELP HERE IF YOU CAN GET IT.

20. HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY HELP YOU. SIT DOWN WITH EACH ONE INDIVIDUALLY. EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT YOU HAVE A SERIOUS OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER AND YOU ARE GOING TO DO YOUR BEST TO STOP AND YOU REALLY WANT THEM TO HELP YOU IN A POSITIVE WAY. TELL THEM TO KEEP AN EYE OUT IF YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN THE BATHROOM. HAVE SOMEONE YOU LOVE AND TRUST CHECK YOUR SKIN AT NIGHT BEFORE BED. EMPHASIZE THAT YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO GET ANGRY AT YOU, BUT TO GIVE YOU POSITIVE FEEDBACK IF YOU HAVE A SUCCESSFUL DAY OF NOT PICKING. AND IF YOU HAVE AN UNSUCCESSFUL DAY THEN GIVE THEM SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOU, SUCH AS, WHAT WERE YOU FEELING WHEN YOU DID IT? HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW BETTER OR WORSE? WAS THERE ANYTHING WEIGHING ON YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU DID?

21. EAT HEALTHY AND DON’T DRINK OR DO TOO MANY DRUGS. YOU MAY NOT SEE IMMEDIATE RESULTS, BUT WHEN YOU ARE HEALTHY YOUR SKIN AND MIND ARE HEALTHY TOO, WHICH ARE THE TWO CAUSES OF YOUR PROBLEM.

[Knewk720]

Hi there,

I know you posted this a few months ago, but I'm sort of in the same boat as you.  I do believe it is part of OCD.  I too have OCD in the form of obsessive thoughts and then I get to the point where I question what is right for me or what action I should take.  I started picking my pimples when I was a young teen and around that time is when my eyesight started to go bad.  I became nearsighted.  I have gone a few days without picking and when I am around people I don't, but I often do when I am alone at night.  I wondered if looking so close up in the mirror when I pick is making my eyesight worse since I am probably straining my eyes.  No one in my family that i know of is nearsighted so I wonder where it came from.  I would love to get lasik surgery, but am worried that if I don't stop my picking then I will only strain my eyes more and it will negate the surgery outcome.  Seeing that there are others out there with similar issues does help in that I realize I'm not alone.  I think maybe one thing that will help with the picking is to be around people more often.  That I find distracts my mind plus it's embarrasing if they see the red splotches on my skin that form as a result of iritation.  

[kkRoss]

We are alike in a sense.  I have this condition called Keratosis Pilaris (def:  a common skin condition characterized by small, pointed bumps, especially on the back and sides of the upper arms sometimes cause by dry skin or ingrown hairs).  This is not easily treated and there is no cure.  Trust me, I've tried EVERYTHING.  The only thing that helps is the sun and not picking.  Mine is really bad on the upper arms and I tend to pick at it.  I don't know if I have OCD or not, I've never been to a doctor or been diagnosed, but after much research on the net, I think this could be part of it (anxiety about things in my life).  I tend to pick unconsiously.  As soon as I realize what I'm doing, I stop.  But by then it's usually too late and my arms look horrible.  I used to wear sleeveless shirts all the time in the summer, now I very rarely do because my arms look so bad.  It's very embarrassing, but I also know it's my fault for picking.  I'm trying to deal with this habit on my own, without meds or any other kind of treatment.  But I've tried it before too, to no avail.  This time I'm taking it day by day.  So, far I haven't picked since 11pm Friday night, so it has been over 24 hours.  woohoo!!!!