u/hedislimanejacket

I think the biggest thing I’ve done to stop picking is getting rid of any texture the could trigger me to graze and pick.

3 things have basically erased my comedones and thus preventing me from getting the dopamine response of popping and picking at comedones and clogged pores.

The first one being azelaic acid 20%

I use cos de bahas cream as it’s the least grainy in texture and doesn’t pill. This also erases scarring and can be paired with lots of other actives when used correctly

in terms of clearing sebaceous filaments I’ve had really good luck with niacinamide 20% (very strong but the most effective for STUBBORN skin like mine). I have not had irritation as the rest of my routine is barrier focused.

I like jumisos 20% serum as it’s formulated with txa which is really good for scarring and PIH

the third thing which also ERASED my body acne was taking low dose Accutane. (I took with a daily antihistamine and omega 3 -look for high concentration of epa dha ideally 800+)

honourable mention to the ilso sebum softener liquid.

hope this helps someone xx

This speeds up the healing so much. After this routine I can apply makeup over it the next day and all of the craters and wounds I’ve left in my face 95% healed and flat in 2 days max.

what makes the biggest difference to my skin healing without super crusty raised scabs is applying tattoo healing ointment like bepathen. when I’ve come to my senses and stopped hacking away at my face, I cleanse my skin and apply a thin layer. this keeps the skin moist and is made to reduce scabbing, scarring and inflammation as it’s super occlusive and basically acts as a liquid bandage to the skin. I believe bepanthen also contains 5% vit b5 which is probably why it’s so effective at healing broken skin.

on top of this I will apply a THICK opaque layer of Nivea cream in from the blue tin. It’s so rich and forms a barrier, preventing the spots from getting dry, flaky, and scabbing. it’s also great since it’s so opaque and smoothing so it stops me from looking at my skin or grazing over it. ( I do this even when I haven’t picked at my skin to prevent a picking session and it’s SO helpful).

now these are probably my most controversial and extreme measures to get my face right especially if I have something coming up where I don’t want to look like I’ve ripped my face apart lol.

once the wound is closed over (normally the next morning) I will SPARINGLY apply 1% hydrocortisone cream to reduce the inflammation and swelling. however I do this once a month MAXIMUM and will go super light handed.

if I picked really really badly at my skin I’ll take an oral antibiotic to prevent infection and further reduce inflammation.

anyways, take this with a grain of salt. im NOT a medical professional im just a girl i who obsesses over her skin way too much.