u/artecomet

I have this bump on my eyelid below my eyebrow that i keep convincing myself has stuff in it, picking at it rly bad, telling myself im not doing that again its gonna scar, and then picking at it again.

I put a pimple patch on it overnight then take it off during the day. But i really think i should just keep putting a patch on it for a week so i cant pick it.

Can i leave a pimple patch on that long? Obviously id change it everyday. But is that gonna do more harm than good?

I have IBS and hEDS. currently my IBS is flaring up and when that happens i get stuck laying in one position (usually on my side) in my bed in order to wait out the pain. If i move i will get extremely nauseous and my stomach will hurt so bad, and it will reset the recovery process and i will have to be laying in one position for longer.

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Laying on my side without moving for a long period of time is so painful on my hips, back, and shoulders. But also moving or turning over will be painful on my stomach.

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Or sometimes my hips will hurt so bad. And one position relieves hip pain but worsens knee pain, and another position will relieve knee pain but worsen hip pain.

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These are just examples. How do you guys deal with stuff like this?? Is everyone just suffering through it?

Ive been picking for as long as i can remember. As a grew up (im 24f) it expanded to quite literally my whole body. Anywhere (eyes, ears, genitals, bellybutton, mouth, etc) and my worse areas are my arms, legs, back, and face.

Ive tried bandages, fidget toys, covering mirrors, darkness, all the basics that are suggested. They didnt rly help.

Recently ive been trying to quit and heres what has helped me:

1. SHOWER EVERY DAY. I exfoliate every day with an african net sponge by eco tools that i found at either CVS or walgreens i cant remember. Thats made a huge difference because now theres nothing to pick at on my back because im cleaning the sweat and oils off everyday.

I double cleanse my face and for my body i use a bar soap before exfoliating with my sponge and a moisturizing bodywash that i like the smell of. Idk if this tip does anything but i also wash my back after ive shampooed and conditioned my hair so the conditioner isnt sitting on my back and clogging my pores (i have no idea if thats how it works i just told myself that)

2. MOISTURIZE. I use eucerin roughness relief (now roughness smoothing) lotion on my whole body except for my arms and face immediately after showering. This helps because i also have keratosis pilaris and the lotion has urea.

On my arms i use bio oil to help with scarring and healing scabs. If my arms are really bad i use cerave healing ointment.

On my face i use paulas choice BHA exfoliant and then a moisturizer. Bha has helped to remove dead skin and has noticeably shrinked my pores and helped with sebum/blackheads. I tend to pick at the tiny stuff.

Cicaplast b5 balm has also been useful for problem areas. Sometimes if my lips are bad i use a tiny amount(idk if u should put it on ur mouth but i do, just dont lick ur lips) and then i use cerave healing ointment. Its helped with the pain from peeling ur entire lip off.

3. PIMPLE PATCHES. When i have a pimple on my face i use a pimple patch. Drug stores usually have a cheaper alternative pack of patches that i use.

4. Quitzilla. This is an addiction tracking app that has helped me a little to keep track of how often im picking and count the days i haven't picked. Its a little motivational.

5. DISTRACTIONS. It helps me to keep myself busy.

6. SELF CONTROL. This is the most important. Stop saying to yourself "i cant stop" because its not true. You are in control of yourself. And you can just stop. Of course easier said than done but part of quitting is believing in yourself and having the discipline to stop.

7. GET RID OF UR TOOLS. if you have pimple tools, fricken get rid of them. You dont need those they are bad. I couldnt bare to just throw them away so i gave them to my mom since she lives next door to me and was allowed to use them once a week for an hour. If you have someone u can do this with it really helps. Eventually i realised how much damage i do with them and i told my mom to throw them away. The only thing i have now are tweezers for my eyebrows, i still use them to pick sometimes but that's a self control issue. I gotta have tweezers for my brows man..

8. Quitting gradually. I still pick. But i dont allow myself to go on hours long "rampages" if theres a big pimple, yea i pop it like a normal person. But the difference is im not allowing myself to "dig" or continue popping it and picking the scab, put a patch on it and forget about it. And im not picking at stuff that isnt there. Unless its a rly bad day. I forgive myself and continue trying.

If you can stop long enough to let your skin heal a bit, it really helps to motivate you to keep trying. Because you can see an improvement in your skin. It helps me to show my partner and say "look how much my arms have healed!" I also have taken pictures when my skin was bad and compare it to now. Progress!

9. get your nails done (if youre able to). It helped me alot to not be able to scratch and dig as much because my nails are thicker and square. Or you could try cutting them super short. I cant pick at my scalp very easily cuz of my nails.

10. Get to know your trigger zones. I know i pick at certain times of day, places in my home, and after certain activities. For example i pick more at night, especially before bed. I am tempted to pick infront of the bathroom mirror, sitting at my vanity, or sitting in my bed. I know i pick after my boyfriend leaves, after a long day, when im bored, etc. Knowing when i am triggered helps me to identify when i need to pay more attention to what my hands are doing and stop myself.

11. Therapy and medication. This ones obvious. If its available to you, try it.

This is what ive done so far that has helped me significantly and i thought i would share since ive been a long time user of this sub and see alot of people who struggle with quitting. If i think of anything else i will comment.

I was diagnosed last month after a huge flare up triggered by being a housekeeper. I just got out of the flare and now the weather just went from 90 TO 50 IN A DAY. yesterday was 50 and my knees hurt a bit. Today i woke up and my whole body hurts. Does temperature effect EDS? How do i manage???