Let me ask you first: Do you still pick your skin sometimes, even though you know very well you shouldn't,that its going to cause those pesky marks that will take forever to clear? Does looking closely at your skin (so many times per day!) trigger that urge to pick at it? I DO!!
I was surprised when i was doing a research for this post that excessive skin picking is actually a disorder known as Skin Picking disorder(SPD). Well, i am not trying to remedy that! I just wonna give you some tips on how you can hopefully reduce this bothersome habit.
- Don't look at your skin more than twice per day, (yea, i know its hard)which is when you do your morning and evening skincare routine. Keep yourself as far away from the mirror as possible when you go to the bathroom, and make a conscious effort to NOT even look at your skin.
- Keep your hands busy – try popping bubble wrap, squeezing a soft ball ,cooking ,reading or just anything to occupy your hands.
- Throw away tweezers or other tools you might use to pick at your skin.
- Keep your nails short. Plus, it makes picking to begin with more of a challenge.
- Try leaving yourself with Post-it notes. Put up sticky notes in the bathroom that say things like, ‘Don’t pick!’, ‘Stop picking!’, ‘Don’t touch your face!’.People tend to pick on their skin when they are not really mindful of what they’re doing, so having that kind of a note will help or remind you to stop.
- Wearing gloves or adhesive bandages may help reduce the urge to pick.
- Practicing yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises to reduce stress or anxiety may keep you busy and reduce the urge to pick.
- Identify when and where you most commonly pick your skin and try to avoid these triggers
- Try to resist for longer and longer each time you feel the urge to pick
- Care for your skin when you get the urge to pick it – for example, by applying moisturizer or sunscreen.
- Tell other people -relatives, spouse, children or colleagues at work to tell you off when they notice you picking.
- Lastly,keep your skin clean to avoid infection when you cant resist the urge.
The list is not exhaustive and you can choose what may work for you but am sure most tips are helpfu