Please help me to stop picking my face!

[PoppySausage]

How do I stop? I have been doing it for 20 years and I cannot carry on like this, constantly trying to cover up big holes I have picked in my face. It is awful.

I have just made such a mess of my face

velour voyager, i have the hair touching the skin aversion too. In fact i have lots of sensory issues in general (linked to my childrens autism but im not actually properly autistic )
I still feeeeel my hair strands and check for imperfections and my face. Its not a massive problem at the moment but it does come and go. I get KP on my legs which i pick to death. My face isnt spotty these days and as long as i can avoid those magnifying mirrors then im ok.
I think if you want to stop picking your face, its gonna be hard without another tactile sensory obsession to put in its place.

Thanks milkysmum, I didn't know that, will look into it

Thanks Branleuse, you're definitely right. It started at 13 when anxiety kicked in. I have more underlying anxiety than I probably know.

I do get chest pains with anxiety at times. Really odd times though like sitting on the sofa last night thinking about what I hadn't managed to do yesterday and what I needed to do today

Velour - yes! Me too. If not picking, constantly rubbing my face checking. Upper back if in company and I'm desperate. Can't bear my hair touching my face either

Thank you Jane. So do you mean there is a strong feeling of picking dissipating negative feelings but I need to look for other ways? Makes sense.

I get so absorbed in it, it is genuinely pleasurable sometimes but the shame and guilt afterwards and when I am trying to cover up craters in my face is too much now

I wonder whether I could play with playdough or something. I do sew but I also do a lot of study so desperately need something for then

I am trying not to touch my face today and can feel waves of panic and I have tingling arms. It feels like restless legs in my arms

Oh and I uses sudocream last night which forced me to leave it alone while I read a book

there is nothing so satisfying yet misery inducing as a massive picking session. That feeling that you are ironing out and removing the imperfections. It is very self soothing, but its so fast... and it never ends. Youre scratching an itch that is self perpetuating.

You need to stop thinking of the imperfections as so disgusting and in such urgent need of dealing with.

If you did manage to not do it, the urges are hideous at first but they do become easier to deal with after about a day. Like any psychological addiction.

i bought some textured nail varnish once, which felt like it had sand in it.
I got over a recent picking urge bout by wearing this and stroking andfeeling my nails with my other fingers and feeling the roughness. Gives my finger pads something textured and tactile to feel. Hated it at first but actually did help

also some nice facial oil, lile neals yard rose oil, or coconut oil, is very healing, smoothing and nurturing for your skin.
This isnt easy x

Brilliant tips, thank you! I have some of that nail varnish, worth a shot! The sudocream has calmed my face a lot too.

On the up... Studying now, may need to sit on left hand while I write

Booking gp later

Hi guys :) decided to look this thread up again because it was actually quite helpful for me, I've been making more of an effort not to touch my face/head since I posted.
Been blasting with Avène spray but I think the itching is just in the mind not the skin!

Branleuse it's reassuring to hear about someone with the same thing! I was reluctant to mention autism but it does make sense of course.....lots of my family are neurotic aspie types with weird sensitivies- to smell and sound mostly but my mum has the touch thing as well (e.g. she's a very affectionate loving mum, but I couldn't sit on her lap when I was little because there was something about it she couldn't stand)

How has it been for everyone else?