I have been very blessed with good skin since I was young. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid problems like rosacea and teenage acne, so I’m confident in my genetics. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience problems. The problem is simply “artificial.” In other words, the above problems (usually blemishes and red marks/scars) are caused by me picking out the tiniest pores and turning them into puffy open blemishes. Yes, I have skin picking disorder, also known as skin mania, and it has a huge impact not only on the quality of my skin, but also on my self-confidence and mental health.
Simply put, skin picking is when a person compulsively picks or scratches their skin, causing injury or scarring. Dr. Sonia Khorana, Cosmetic doctor and dermatologist. “It’s nearly impossible to resist the urge to pick or scratch your skin. It can cause new wounds or reopen old ones, leading to bleeding and scarring.” According to the study. Skin picking is more common in women and can occur at any point in life. There are many reasons why someone might start picking their skin, but they point out that possible causes include “genetic predisposition, general poor grooming, and environmental factors (stressful events).” lydia johnson Hypnotist and Founder london hypnotherapy clinicwho often meets patients with skin mania.
Looking beyond picking
One thing that became clear to me was that this was more of a mental health issue than a surface level skin issue. Lydia agrees, pointing out that “skin picking is one of a group of disorders classified as physically focused repetitive behaviors that occur on the compulsive spectrum.” She explains that stress and anxiety are major contributors to skin-picking patients (“Stress reduces our ability to control and focus on short-term relief from unpleasant effects on the mind and body”). ), but in reality, it’s a vicious cycle. Not only can poor mental health lead to skin picking as a coping mechanism, but it can also worsen mental health (causing shame, isolation, frustration, anxiety, and low self-esteem), which can lead to relapse. The problem continues because it encourages skin picking. “Skin picking creates a vicious cycle, as it negatively impacts relationships, work, and overall quality of life. This often leads to more skin picking to alleviate the unpleasant feelings they are experiencing. “Yes,” says Lydia.
Fitting into this pattern, skin picking for me is both a symptom and a cause of my OCD and anxiety. Just like completing checks around the house and seeking reassurance from others, picking out items temporarily relieves my anxiety and gives me an outlet to let my worries go. It also acts as a distraction. Just like my bad habit of doom scrolling on TikTok. But once the initial “shock” wears off, I start to feel terrible. I hate the stains and scars that only I cause and start to feel disgusted about why I do it in the first place. Even as a beauty editor who loves getting compliments on her skin (in an industry where achieving that “glow” is so coveted), it’s hard to counter this issue.
That’s why I wanted to try hypnotherapy. I tried to stop myself (even putting a plastic bag over it so I couldn’t access the glowing magnifier), but unfortunately nothing actually stuck. I knew it was important to change my mindset, rather than find ways to avoid changing my mindset. Experts agree that hypnotherapy is a great treatment for people with skin picking disorder. “It can help you interrupt the familiar urge to choose something, regain control, and increase your awareness and ability to choose a more beneficial response,” says Dr. Sonia.
So how exactly does it work? Lydia explains this process: “When you’re deeply relaxed through hypnosis, your subconscious mind is more receptive to modifying your thoughts and actions.” To do. This allows you to become more aware of how your skin-picking behavior occurs, identify your triggers, and develop new personalized responses to them that do not include this habit. Hypnosis can also help calm and relax your body and brain, which has an overall positive impact on your mental state.
try hypnosis
My experience began with a two-hour conversation with Lydia. She wanted to know more about my life and what led me to skin picking. I felt incredibly safe in this space and cried a record three times in front of her, even though traditional therapy had never made me emotional. I believe that the comfort I felt in her office helped me become my most vulnerable and adaptable self for treatment. What quickly became apparent was that this was far more a mental health-related problem than a skin problem (as I had thought). Lydia admitted that she thought I was burnt out with worrying and that my nervous system was “exhausted” because of it. She gave me tips like breathing exercises, practicing gratitude, and even creating a daily habit that includes swimming in cool nature (when possible). I choose this as a last resort as it helps me control my emotions and therefore leads me to a calmer, less anxious skin disease prone person. She ultimately wanted to move me away from the patterns I had fallen into. That pattern was followed by spikes in cortisol, which affected my health in many ways.
Then the actual hypnosis “part” began. Lydia laid me down, put on headphones, and spoke soothingly to me. She talked about breaking old patterns, choosing better and healthier ways to release my stress, and taking steps to reduce stress first. To be honest, I can’t say exactly what she said because I was conscious and immediately in what can only be described as a state of sleep. I’m very skeptical about things like this, always believing that my mind is too “busy” for alternative treatments, but by the time I realize it’s only been about 10 minutes… I thought I knew I had “gone there,” but in reality I was 30 years old. I was successful in hypnosis.
My challenge was to listen to that tape every day for 21-28 days and begin to change my patterns and behaviors. Lydia says the audio “helps rewire your neural pathways, let go of old subconscious patterns that keep you stuck in outdated loops, and uplifts your thoughts to create a kind and supportive culture in your head.” It’s a reminder of why we need to do it.” Relaxes and calms the nervous system. ”
result…
It’s been 3 weeks now and I’m noticeably calmer and can now control my urge to pick my skin. This all happened at a pretty unstable time in my life where I was trying to go through some changes, so I can’t say this has completely “solved” everything, but it definitely helped me helped put me on a path of prioritizing myself – care and my own health. It opened up a world to me that was finally trying to deal with some of my “problems” and I was able to calm myself down instead of going to the magnifying glass to get rid of my anxiety. I used to go into a “trance” when narrowing down my spots, but now I’m starting to stop and actually think about my decisions.
If you struggle with skin picking like I do, I highly recommend trying hypnotherapy. Although medical professionals tend to support it as a legitimate method, some suggest trying other techniques and methods alongside hypnosis. Dr. Janet GrafA board-certified dermatologist, she suggests considering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), one of the most common conversation-based therapies for various mental health conditions, and something called habit reversal training. I am. It is a therapy-based therapy that helps patients identify the triggers of undesirable habits and replace those reactions with healthier behaviors and coping mechanisms. ” It is important to consult a dermatologist for advice and to choose topical products that are gentle on your skin. And most importantly, remember to be kind not only to your skin, but also to your heart.
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