[Initiative]

Hey ladies. I haven't posted on the forums for awhile, I've been doing pretty well just maintaining my weight. The main reason I'm posting is because I'm having a hard time coping with my body. I'm not seeing what my fiance and best friend sees, I still feel like I'm over 200lbs a lot of the time. But on top of that I have come to the realization that I have a problem with Chronic Skin Picking. I have a lot of mental and physical problems and instead of biting my nails or other kinds of habits I pick. My legs are covered in red dots from me picking at any kind of bump, anything that looks amiss. But afterwards I look like I have the chicken pox or something. I do it when I'm anxious, and because of physical and mental pain I pick to alleviate whatever I'm going through. I'm ashamed and I feel ugly because I try hard but still subconsciously pick at myself. Mind you I pick at my whole body but my upper thighs are the easiest for me to "examine" I guess you could say. When I first started going through puberty I started getting really bad eczema from all kinds of things like cheap metals and deodorant. That kind of thing itches and scabs, so what else would someone do but pick at it. This has escalated since I was young and I want to hide under clothing forever. My skin is very pale from it which makes the marks even worse.

Am I alone or does anyone else have a problem like this?

[LTs girl]

I do not personally have this problem, but I worry about my 13yr old. He excessively chews on the skin around his fingernails. To the point that they are all in different stages of healing. I will catch him doing it at different times. So I don't think it is just nervous, I think it has become a habit. I am afraid he is going to ruin his nail bed and destroy his nails. (yes it is that serious) I am surprised it hasn't gotten infected yet. Next time he has a doctor visit I am going to talk with the doc about it.

Sorry I don't have any advice but you are not alone.

[laueliz]

It sounds like a coping mechanism for anxiety. Have you ever considered talking to a counselor or someone who can help you break this destructive behavior?

I am not sure how a person would go about stopping this habit on their own.

I'm sorry you're going through this. It sounds painful and difficult to stop.

[Initiative]

LTs girl - Try clear nail polish, the bits are horrible in the mouth and he might just stop from not liking it. You could try gloves. There is also things similar to that sour spray you get for animals to make them not chew on things. Things like that might help him with his nails. I used to chew my nails until I didn't want to anymore so I tried things like that and every time I would catch myself doing it I would think of all the nasty dirt I'm putting in my mouth.

laueliz - I would go to see my doctor but the economy sucks and I have no money, on top of the state whipping me around just to keep myself healthy. I get really nervous around doctors and just people in general so it's hard for me to talk about things face to face with them.

Currently I've been dry brushing. I dry brush my skin once a day and it's been helping with the bumps and the smoothness of my skin. I'm not having as big of urges to pick as I was. I have also been using bio oil once daily. I'm seeing improvement in my eczema as well. I am still picking without realizing it so my main focus is to pay attention to my habit. I am VERY self conscious of my legs and I want more than anything to wear skirts, dresses, and shorts without feeling the need to hide my legs. I'm not just talking about breaking the habit, I want to be comfortable with myself. I can tell myself, " Who cares what other people think of my scars" but in the end I never go out showing ANY skin. I ruin my skin just so I can hide it.