It’s Not Your Fault You Pick!

Excessive picking, squeezing, or scratching of your skin is called excoriation disorder. It is a type of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). You are not alone if you can’t stop picking. Stop beating yourself up for picking your skin, it’s not your fault and is not easy to control! Acne pioneer Dr. James Fulton (creator of Vivant Skincare and Retin-A) had some insightful thoughts on skin picking in his groundbreaking book Acne RX, so we thought we would summarize them for you! 

We all know that picking makes acne worse, but did you know it actually is a top CAUSE of acne as well? If accidental friction (think PPE or sports gear) can trigger breakouts, imagine what purposeful touching and picking can do to trigger breakouts!  

Picture the damage you are doing when you pick. Each pimple has a tiny seed (called a comedone). When you squeeze your skin the whitehead may come out, but that tiny seed most likely will not. It will then just cause a more inflamed pimple than you started with. If you have an inflamed lesion that doesn’t have a whitehead, like a cyst or a nodule, squeezing it will just make it much more angry and inflamed. These inflamed lesions NEED to be iced, not picked. Blackheads may look fun to squeeze, but those can come at a high price too! You can scar, stretch, and aggravate the pore, turning a small blackhead into a wound or lesion.  

So what’s your picking style?

There are three types of pickers. Identify which one you are and you can pick the best treatment plan. 

The purposeful picker. This picker thinks they are an honorary aesthetician and they try to extract their skin. They are most likely starting with clean hands and clean skin, and they may even use extraction tools. If they are lucky enough to get the impaction out with minimal effort, it will heal accordingly – however, you are still going to do more harm than good. Go see a professional for a proper extraction! Remember, if you’re an active client working with us regularly, you can book a complimentary consult15 from time to time when you have an emergency extraction so that you don’t take matters into your own hands.

The subconscious picker. They touch and pick while they study, watch tv, work, drive, you name it. Touching your skin not only spreads acne-causing bacteria and comedogenic oils that might be on your hand, but it also creates friction and will make future breakouts. If you are this type of picker, you may not even know it! Start logging how many times a day you touch or pick your face. And then aim for less. Please don’t use heavy hand creams if this is you and wear a layer of Sulfur Clay Mask while you study, watch tv, or hang out – this will prevent you from touching your skin. 

The compulsive picker. This picker creates acne lesions (and scarring) by relentlessly squeezing and manipulating a pore until there actually is a lesion there. This type of picking is most common with young women. (Women tend to pick more in general because of anxiety fluctuations that come along with the menstrual cycle.) The stress or insecurity that is causing the compulsive picking will only become worse as this picker sees the damage done to their skin. This type of picker should seek therapy, meditation, diet and lifestyle changes, and exercise, in addition to seeing an aesthetician. Remember, aestheticians see it all and never judge – we’re here to help. Once this picker identifies the real source of stress and learns impulse control behaviors, they can begin to heal themselves and their skin. 

No matter how hard you try you will probably never completely stop picking your skin. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try! Every pimple you leave alone is a victory and every pimple you pick is an opportunity to grow next time. 

Our best tips to limit skin picking

Do your 4-step regimen twice a day to curb breakouts and get that face-to-hand satisfaction. 

Apply acne-safe skincare masks that are safe to leave on for long periods of time and use spot treatments to avoid picking. 

Come see us more often for short treatments. We’ll extract every single thing we see and perform a microdermabrasion treatment to smooth the skin completely which will limit your compulsion to pick.

Slow down. Life is so fast-paced today and causes chronic stress and anxiety. Don’t sweat the small stuff and spend more time with the people you have positive relationships with.

Do not use magnifying mirrors, no one sees your skin that close and, frankly you shouldn’t either. Aestheticians don’t even use them. Everyone’s pores look scary magnified 100 times.

Do not keep tools like tweezers that you may use to pick in your home. 

Let us pick your skin for you, book an appointment!