My parents made me hate my acne

[turtledoveinthedark]

I have acne and it never used to bother me, but my parents have been concerned about it. I know they're coming from a place of love and they don't want me to have scars, but I hate the medication. I pick my skin a lot as a reflex response to stress and depression; I don't feel comfortable sharing that with them yet. The prescriptions I'm on are time-consuming and entice me to pick my skin more. I kind of hate my acne now. Sometimes I can't look in the mirror because I'll want to scratch my skin off.

The solution I've worked out for now is just skipping the meds and doing my best not to pick... it's one of those things where it's easy on good days but I know things may go downhill once I start school again.

[-Aussie-]

9 minutes ago, turtledoveinthedark said:

I have acne and it never used to bother me, but my parents have been concerned about it. I know they're coming from a place of love and they don't want me to have scars, but I hate the medication. I pick my skin a lot as a reflex response to stress and depression; I don't feel comfortable sharing that with them yet. The prescriptions I'm on are time-consuming and entice me to pick my skin more. I kind of hate my acne now. Sometimes I can't look in the mirror because I'll want to scratch my skin off.

The solution I've worked out for now is just skipping the meds and doing my best not to pick... it's one of those things where it's easy on good days but I know things may go downhill once I start school again.

Have you tried getting like a fidget or something like that to keep you from picking at your skin. I dont have acne so I cant relate to that but I do pick at my skin and for me keeping my hands buzy with a fidget or something like that helps me. 

 

[turtledoveinthedark]

49 minutes ago, -Aussie- said:

Have you tried getting like a fidget or something like that to keep you from picking at your skin. I dont have acne so I cant relate to that but I do pick at my skin and for me keeping my hands buzy with a fidget or something like that helps me. 

Yes fidgets are life haha 

Thank you

[-Aussie-]

1 minute ago, turtledoveinthedark said:

Yes fidgets are life haha 

Thank you

mhm! may not be the best advice but I tried

[Megs-]

hi, might not be good advice but, you could try when you have the urge to pick your skin to put something you can see to fidget with as that can distract those thoughts on wanting to do that. Another thing i’d like to add is, have you ever identified when these occur? As, if it seems to be at a certain time of day e.g when you wake up then, maybe putting something in place to help you wake up and noticing patterns of this can be so beneficial in advoiding these certain triggers that cause you to pick your skin. Make sure if you do pick your skin to avoid infection by keeping your skin clean as, any small of bacteria can be very dangerous. I see you have prescribed cream for this, have you thought about applying different cream when you are wanting to pick your skin? As, you’re keeping your skin clean but maybe can give you a routine plus, it can maybe not irritate your skin like the prescription cream maybe does? Have you spoken to the doctor or health professional that’s prescribed this cream? As, maybe they can prescribe something else softer that maybe can help you and not affect your as much! Here for you hugs! me and rest of crew care about you! . You can discuss here if you want but, @Digital Mentor are here on 1-2-1 if you need CS support

[turtledoveinthedark]

11 minutes ago, Megs- said:

hi, might not be good advice but, you could try when you have the urge to pick your skin to put something you can see to fidget with as that can distract those thoughts on wanting to do that. Another thing i’d like to add is, have you ever identified when these occur? As, if it seems to be at a certain time of day e.g when you wake up then, maybe putting something in place to help you wake up and noticing patterns of this can be so beneficial in advoiding these certain triggers that cause you to pick your skin. Make sure if you do pick your skin to avoid infection by keeping your skin clean as, any small of bacteria can be very dangerous. I see you have prescribed cream for this, have you thought about applying different cream when you are wanting to pick your skin? As, you’re keeping your skin clean but maybe can give you a routine plus, it can maybe not irritate your skin like the prescription cream maybe does? Have you spoken to the doctor or health professional that’s prescribed this cream? As, maybe they can prescribe something else softer that maybe can help you and not affect your as much! Here for you hugs! me and rest of crew care about you! . You can discuss here if you want but, @Digital Mentor are here on 1-2-1 if you need CS support

Thank you for this really thoughtful and kind advice! 

[Megs-]

Just now, turtledoveinthedark said:

Thank you for this really thoughtful and kind advice! 

I care about you

[Luie]

18 hours ago, turtledoveinthedark said:

I have acne and it never used to bother me, but my parents have been concerned about it. I know they're coming from a place of love and they don't want me to have scars, but I hate the medication. I pick my skin a lot as a reflex response to stress and depression; I don't feel comfortable sharing that with them yet. The prescriptions I'm on are time-consuming and entice me to pick my skin more. I kind of hate my acne now. Sometimes I can't look in the mirror because I'll want to scratch my skin off.

The solution I've worked out for now is just skipping the meds and doing my best not to pick... it's one of those things where it's easy on good days but I know things may go downhill once I start school again.

Heyy @turtledoveinthedark, I totally hear you, and I’m really sorry that you’re going through this. It sounds like a tough situation where the acne itself didn’t bother you at first, but now with the pressure from your parents and the stress of the meds, it’s become a bigger issue for you. It’s understandable that you’re feeling conflicted, especially with how the treatments make you feel and how they seem to trigger your urge to pick at your skin even more. It’s great that you’re aware of your reflex to pick at your skin as a response to stress and depression, even though it must be really difficult to manage. You mentioned that you don’t feel comfortable sharing that with your parents yet, and that’s totally okay. You have the right to decide when and how you share something so personal.

The solution you’ve worked out that is skipping the meds and doing your best not to pick, it does makes sense, especially since you’re trying to protect yourself from feeling worse. But I can also see why you’re concerned about how things might change once school starts again. That stress could definitely make it harder to stick to what’s been working for you so far.

I am wondering have you noticed any particular times or situations that make you want to pick more? Like maybe when you’re feeling more stressed or anxious? Identifying those triggers might help you find ways to manage them, like @-Aussie- and @Megs- suggested, with distractions like fidgets or other habits that could take your focus away from your skin.

Something that I also wanted to ask which one of the other users did touch on was have you thought about talking to a doctor or dermatologist about your concerns with the medication? It’s possible that they could suggest something less irritating or time-consuming that might make it easier for you to stick with a routine that doesn’t make you want to pick as much. Or maybe there’s an alternative approach they can offer that takes your mental health into account more. What do you think?

I’m really glad you’re doing what you can to avoid picking, but I know it’s hard when it’s tied to stress and depression. How are you feeling about your skin and your mental health right now?

Just know that we are here for you, and it’s clear that others in the community care about you too. You don’t have to figure this out on your own.