r/CompulsiveSkinPicking • u/Yonosoyliz • 2d ago
Need advice on Skin picking NSFW
I always do this to myself then regret it after wards. I’ve tried the patches to stop, using acrylic nails, makeup, a skin routine. Yet I still can’t control myself to not do it.
3
u/Wastenotwasteland 2d ago
Maybe you could try wearing soft cotton gloves? Then you couldn’t really pick or get traction to press on spots on your skin?
4
u/OGgunter 1d ago
A therapist had me do SUDS (subjective units of distress). Basically, how long could I go in a triggering situation (mine was any mirror) without picking? I started at 2 seconds. My vision tunneled, I got sweaty, but I didn't pick. Every day I would stand in front of a mirror and then chart length of time and on a scale of 1-10 how intense the SUDS felt. Then every week the therapist and I would go over the data, talk about mitigation strategies that were working. Slowly I worked up to 5 seconds. Then 7. 10. Eventually I made it to full minutes. I'm still not perfect by any means, but it really helped with mindfulness and accommodations. Best of luck to you, OP.
6
u/Shot-Effective4645 2d ago
Maybe you can try to stop looking at the mirror? I know it sounds hard, especially if you apply makeup daily… but I quit looking at the mirror for a good month and that kind of reduced the habit for me because a huge trigger for me was looking at the mirror.