Yea.. i've been hounded by so many family members about picking..
.. The best remedy I've had against picking really.. is telling my bf to keep track of how long i stay in the bathroom.. giving me a time limit and whatnot.. i just have to find a way to be honest about it.. i use scar treatments to kind of dull the redness and whatnot.. my mom is a cosmetologist and at her nail salon they use a special kinda salt.. I use this salt.. pretty much as often as i can.. not doing it more than twice a day because im afraid that my skin can't handle it.. But rubbing it down makes it smoother and for the most part.. stings it into a dull sensation where i don't want to pick anymore.. I'm lucky that it hasn't affected my life THAT much.. but it still makes me feel ugly.. I just found out that.. this is what i may have.. but i havent been diagnosed because of my lack of insurance.. I just feel so thrilled that there are others like me.. and that i am really not alone.... I was lost for a long time.. Thanks for existing guys =] <3

Ever tried using a shampoo with zinc sulphide in it ? I just started using Head and Shoulders shampoo and applying it to the affected areas when I shower and it has improved noticibly in just a couple of days.

I'm glad that everyone is finding solace on this forum--I have. I think I've picked less now than ever, although I still "binge-pick" sometimes. I definitely pick more when I haven't been getting enough exercise, it's like I start to get stir-crazy. I used to think I was a homebody because I could just stay home and be fine, now I know I'm really not fine because I'm picking due to needing to get out. It's so nice to be more in touch with what's happening.

Since most oils/lotions I've tried have not worked out in the long-run, I've been using cocoa butter lotion (Palmer's or the generic brand). It smells nice and is supposed to heal scars. My arms look so much better when I don't pick, even though they are bumpy and red. At least they aren't scabby, which is probably the grossest thing for other people to see.

Red'n'bumpy ==> I'm glad you're trying to control the picking. I wish I could have talked to someone about my "issues" when I was a teenager but I didn't feel anyone would understand.

I'm gonna try that extra virgin coconut oil thing that i saw on a thread that actually comes right after this one by morningbell and see how that goes..
I have actually been noticing.. that it's harder for me now to find something to pick...
either i've picked them all (and by all i maen my upper and lower arms and my thighs and calves as well)
or my body is startign to heal or something.

~closedxtrovert~ I know what you mean.. Before i moved to georgia, when i lived in california, i used to be able to get out and play ball at my high school and i had accesst to the park and the problem really wasn't taht bad then... ever since i got here, it's not safe to walk and the school is indoors so its not the same.. I've noticed that with my decline in excercise not only do i have PLENTY of time to pick but i also noticed that the condition has worsened.. Back in california it was only on my upper arm and scarce on my thighs.. but now it's spread like wildfire.. I think sweating has something to do with it.. But again i think you should try that coconut oil thing that morningbell suggested, it seems to have a good effect on people and i'm waiting for mine to be delivered.. by then i'll probably use it religiously just as green bean does =]

best of luck to you <3

I haven't picked in a long time. My sunburn is peeling so I pick that. The skin is so gross. It come off in sheets. I've probably only picked 3 bumps since the last time I replied. That's a good thing. I go to Europe on Monday, so I'll write after I get back. Toodles.

I have awful scars from picking for years... new bumps aren't coming much anymore but I'm so ashamed of the scars... I had to cut my nails very short and ALWAYS wear long sleeved tops so that I can't pick them.

I completely understand your pain. I used to do this a lot myself, and still do sometimes. Regardless, now I'm left with scars, and dread summer, as I look for shirts with three quarter sleeves. It just helps avoid the dreaded question, "what's that on your arms?" "are you okay?"...and of course you don't want to answer...umm..yeah I have this stupid genetic condition...and lord I can't even remember what it's called...and "no you can't catch it"....It gets redundant and completely wrecks your self-esteem. I had this girl in grade school once that kept questioning me about it, thinking she could catch it. I discussed this with my mom awhile back, and she told me she would have taken me to a dermatolgist awhile back if she knew it bothered me so much. For some reason, we think if we pick, at least the bump will go away, but then we're left with scars...which, surprise surprise we want to cover up anyway, so it's a vicious cycle. I have to read up more on that pumicer technique...Does it just reduce the bumps, or help reduce the appearance of scaring as well?

I've heard good things about rose hip oil for scar reductions.

I haven't tried it though, I didn't see the point in getting rid of the scars until I got rid of the KP.

My scars aren't too bad actually, I mean I have quite a few of them but the amount of time I've spent picking them I thought there'd be more.

Enasnisrm- I know the post is old, but I want to know what kind of salt you are using. I'm a cosmetologist, so I want to see if I can get it. If you could give me the brand name, where your mom gets it from or even the type of product it is I'd really appreciate it!

Hi, I am new to this website as well as to the discussion forum. I have found all of your comments extremely helpful and comforting- mostly to know that there is, at best, a treatment for my "alien arms". My sister and I would giggle when we were younger, as she popped a zit and the pus hit our bathroom mirror. And I am only half-kidding when I say that picking at my arms is not a laughing matter anymore, though it is satisfying when that "pop" noise results from my all-too-compulsive habit. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing and I look forward to browsing through your comments in search of what might work for me in reducing the hellacious sight that is my upper arms.

Thanks AlKate for making my day. It's amazing that the something like picking, which started out seeming so harmless, can turn into such a horrific compulsion. I do like reading all of the treatments that are posted. The thing is I don't think I'll see accuate results until I first treat my compusion (atleast for the most part). Then I will be able to step back and really see the KP, thus deciding which on treatment options is best for me. In the mean time I'm using a natural body brush in the shower with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo. It's been a couple of months and I've noticed that the bumps are better. The only problem is that I'm such a "picker" that it doesn't matter if the bumps are big or small, I'll find them.

I notice that my KP gets worse and redder when I pick at it. I have this awful picture of myself that was taken one day after a particularly bad episode of picking and my arms are just so awful looking. It is a good reminder to myself to stop. I know that picking will make it even worse, and make me want to pick more. So, I just remember what I look like when I do pick at it. It is a nervous habit for sure. When I do catch myself doing it, I am usually thinking about something stressful.

Hi, I am also new to this website, but am really relieved to have found this site. I have just recently realized that I have KP, and now I find that I am not the only one in this world who have problem with picking. I have been picking for as long as I can remember and have a lot of scars from it. I have always just thought that it was just me there was something wrong with, and that I should be able to stop if I just pulled myself together. But now I'm almost 25 and have come to realize that it isn't as easy as it sounds. It is difficult to explain to others, but it is like any other addiction, I have tried to stop so many times, but then I would allow just one, and then one more pick and before I knew it I was going over my arms and legs like obsessed and I looked like I had been attacked by mosquitos or something.

When ever I go somewhere I always wear shirts or tops with long sleeves and always long pants, so when the summer begins it is always a pain to find cloths to wear....it sucks!

My boyfriend is the only one who knows about the extend of it, and he really tries to help, but whenever I'm alone, bored or whatever I pick, often without knowing before it's too late.
Yesterday I started a new effort to get rid of the habit, and I have picked in 24 hours, wow...As someone have mentioned it takes 21 days to break a habit, so 20 days to go... I'm trying to look at my skin as little as possible, and then put lotion on whenever I get the urge to pick... I really hope this will work!!

Thank you all for sharing, it is really nice to know that I'm not the only one.

i just now found this forum and then this thread! i'm a picker too and it's reassuring to know i'm not the only one. i've gotten much better than i used to be - i picked one huge white one on my upper left arm this morning but that's it so far today - am resisting the urge right now - i'm dry, i just need to moisturize.

and i don't use my fingers, i use tweezers - ugh.

well im just glad u dont pick ur nose.