I hate to admit it, but I cannot stop picking. I was "taught" to by my mother because she had no idea what was on my arms when I was little. Now it is a terrible habit that makes me feel guilty, ashamed and mkaes my arms look even worse.
1. What suggestions do you guys have for not picking? I think I will try the 21 days, also try wearing sleeves at night.
2. Also, for short term help, Is there anything you guys use to redude the redness after a picking fit???
3. Has anyone had success with the Dermadoctor KP scrub/cream kit? I just spent $80 on it out of desperation after Lac Hydrin and other creams have done nothing for me.
Thank you so much....it's a relief to connect with others who understand Especially after so many dermatologists make me feel like a low-life for picking/scarring

as far as not picking, that's tough. finding something else to do is the obvious choice. sometimes, tho....ya just can't stop once you start. once your skin starts to heal, and you are treating it with the scrubs, lotions etc, you will be less likely to pick b/c you'll like the way your skin looks and feels. you might try using a toner or astringent (it'll sting, but it'll help prevent infection) and covering with sleeves or long pants until healed.

dermadoctor....personally i did not have much luck. everybody is different tho, don't give up hope.

try not to let the derms get you down: it was just a slip, and you get to start over again tomorrow.

good luck and chin up!

hey

I too have problems with picking. I used Lac Hydrin too and it made more bumps and redness and of course after a while I wanted to pick them all! So I did, and I regret it because my arms looked like hell after. So I put on a treatment (not a creme.. not really sure what it is.. but its a liquid.. put it on a cotton ball, rub it on your arm.. its not for kp but for acne, but sometimes it works) it has salicylic and glycolic acid, i didnt really expect anything to happen and i just went to bed after putting it on and when i woke up my skin looked a lot better. the redness was nearly gone and the bumps looked way better than the night before.
So if you MUST pick, then do it with clean hands and try not to pick all of your arms (or wherever you have kp) and maybe just do a couple to satisfy your picking craving lol. If you do end up picking everywhere, then to help it heal faster, apply some sort of treatment to calm your skin (something for irritated or acne prone skin is probably best).
Well, I'm not too sure if this will work but it works for me. Everyone reacts differently to different things so don't give up hope.
ps.pugrrl is right.. once your skin heals it will start to look a lot better and you wont have a reason to pick.

Cut your nails off. I cut mine down to the quick- sure I could still use tweezers or whatever, but my most obvious weapon was disabled. After about a month I no longer even tried to pick and I've let them grow back without a problem.

wow it is so weird to hear stories just like mine. I've always had the bumps, just found out yesterday by finding this site what they were actually called and that OTHER people actually really do have them! I pick mine out of habit, and ALWAYS feel guilty. I have 4 siblings that have it, but one sister's faded since she was pregnant. My mom has them too, and I started picking them the same way as you, she got me in the habit when I was a child. I do it when I'm bored, stressed, tired... cutting my nails doesn't help, in fact I make worse marks when I have no nails. What's more is that for the last year it's been ALL over my body where before it was only my arms and legs. I'm going to go buy some raw extra virgin coconut oil by nutiva today and pray it works. I HATE how I look! What's worse is that my doctor never diagnosed me but I've been several times about it. He even put me on a high does of antibiotics for over a month that made me smell funny. I'm totally getting a dermatologist now!

I've tried the Dermadoctor scrubs and lotions to no avail. I've also tried lac hydrin and it just seems to be redder! I did get a peel from my derm. when I was pregnant with little results. It was alot worse tho when I was pregnant. My last resort once again is going to be to go back to the derm. and see what he can do. I feel like I'm wasting all my money trying all these different lotions and scrubs. Does anyone know a good way to get rid of the reddness? I could live with the bumps if I could just get rid of the reddness! I have very fair skin that burns and freckles easily so sun doesn't help. Since I'm so pale people always tell me I look red like I had no idea. Nothing like stating the obvious.

look for products with chammomile in them. It has soothing properties, and should help reduce the redness. I think aveeno has some products with chammomile. Or make chammomile tea, and when it cools, use a cotton ball and apply the liquid. Try it for a couple of days and see if you get any results with that. Jason's is another line to look for. Good luck!