This guest piece comes from Danielle Roberts. Danielle is a Canadian freelance writer who graduated from the University of Calgary in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She is an avid runner, reader and mental health advocate who is committed to supporting others with dermatillomania. You can follow her on Twitter @PluviophileRead or on her blog: https://pluviophilereader.wordpress.com.

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The Dreaded Relapse: Dermatillomania

For those of us that are dealing with and working through Dermatillomania, we’re all familiar with the major ups and downs of this condition. From going to a few weeks or hours without picking or just managing to reduce the picking to a minimum for a while, we’ve all encountered the occasional times after these instances when we are faced with a major relapse in our picking. These relapses are not only damaging to our skin but are often times devastating to our self-confidence and mental health. Here are some tips, remedies and advice to get back on track and staying positive through these tough times:

• Determine the trigger:  Are you stressed? Getting enough sleep? Or perhaps you’re excited or anxious? These are vague trigger definitions but they are a start. Part of making progress with this condition is monitoring your habits and getting in touch with your triggers. Many people with this condition are self-sabotagers on other levels than with their skin. Whether it’s not getting enough sleep or exercise or just ravaging yourself with negativity and self-hate, recognizing these behaviors are essential for healing. Do you notice that you pick when you have trouble making decisions? When you’re overwhelmed and unorganized? When you have to face/deal with certain types of people or situations? Or are just triggered by perhaps the feel or look of your skin? Get specific and write it down. Create a habit log. It doesn’t have to be complicated but include things like how strong the urge was, how long you picked for, where were you when you were picking and how you felt.  Once you start to notice a pattern of thoughts, behaviors and places where you pick you can start creating strategies for the future. Check out CSBN’s tips and tricks page for more resources.

• Forgive and be kind: Relapses, just like skin picking, don’t define you or your progress. Be kind! Negative self-talk, hatred and pity will get you absolutely nowhere. Do not make yourself a victim. Victimization will perpetuate the cycle of picking and anxiety. Recognize that you’ve slipped, tell yourself it’s okay, give yourself a hug and look forward. I highly recommend diving into these books for further assistance in getting over some of these mental road blocks: “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown and “Skin Picking: The Freedom to Finally Stop” by Annette Pasternak. Check out CSBN’s store for more book recommendations.

• Don’t let the relapse hold you back: The red open wounds of a relapse make most of us want to crawl underneath the covers and never emerge but this is often one of the worst things that you can do. Don’t cancel plans over your skin and don’t let it stop you from doing what you want to do. Reclaim your control and get out there! Wallowing at home often leads to more picking and negativity.

• Reinforce positive thoughts and go back to your picking-reducing behaviors ASAP: If you know you can’t control yourself in certain instances there are few things that you can do to help keep your hands away.
  • Disposable medical gloves work really well in keeping hands away from the skin. They are thin enough that they don’t get in the way of everyday tasks (they even work with touch screens) but will prevent you from looking for and picking at perceived imperfections.
  • Cover up: if your pick spots are on places on your body cover them up so that you’re not tempted to inspect your skin.
  • Set timers and cover up mirrors: If the bathroom is a room you can’t seem to get out of then cover that mirror and get yourself a timer so that when you do have to make use of that room you’re on a tight time limit. Create a system of rewards and punishments for making or breaking these time limits.
  • Fidget toys and spinner rings: Keep those hands busy! There are many places where you can get these great little trinkets for your hands. Check out CSBN’s store for a few of these great items.
  • Don’t want a fidget toy or a ring? Try knitting or making friendship bracelets. Check out the CSBN’s bracelet project!

• Healing the wounds you have made: So you’ve made peace with yourself but you’re still left with the open sores. Try these remedies to speed up healing and reduce redness:
  • Apply a clay mask: clay reduces redness and draws out impurities to prevent infection. It can however dry the skin out don’t leave it on for more than 20 minutes.
  •  Try a mix of honey, cinnamon and lemon juice: Honey (unpasteurized is best) and lemon juice have natural anti-bacterial properties to keep those sores clean and infection free while the cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties to reduce redness and swelling. Leave it on as long as you want and remove by washing or wiping your face. This mixture works well on the fresh wounds, as it will help create a nice even scab making it less likely you will pick it off later and the sticky honey is a deterrent to keep your hands away from your skin.
  • If you’re going to wear make-up try to let those wounds scab over to an extent and try not to cake it on. Use a green concealer to masks redness and a mix of foundation and pressed powders to get the best coverage. Get mineral based and oil free make-up to prevent further aggravation of your skin.
  • Tea tree oil: a natural and pain-free antiseptic that will keep wounds clean and will dry them out quickly.
  • Bactine: This pain-free antiseptic spray will clean out sores and has a pain reliever that will numb surface pain.