We're all a little more anxious these days about touching our faces (thanks, plague!), but some of us are used to picking our faces on a daily basis. And it's tempting: there are dry spots and whiteheads to pick at, and sometimes it feels like it's helping your complexion to pick away.
It's not. In fact, picking can cause serious skin issues. But if you're a constant skin picker, you may have OCD-related compulsions, and we won't be delving into those. Rather, we're talking about the occasional skin picking.
There are a few things to know: first, picking at your skin means that all the bacteria on your hands and beneath your fingernails transfers to your face. That can lead to inflammation and irritation at best and lead to staph infections and cellulitis at worst.
Then there's the scarring. When you pick at your skin, you're really tearing it. Even though serums can help heal microtears and strengthen skin, it's always best not to wound yourself. If you really pick at your skin, you can even cause scabs to form, and those can lead to further scarring.
Then there are the long-term effects. Over time, picking at your skin can lead to trauma that comes to the surface later in life, leading to discoloration and pitting.
So how do you stop picking at your skin? The surest way is to heal your skin so it doesn't break out because you likely won't pick at your skin if there aren't any imperfections to pick at. Work first on healing those imperfections and preventing others from occurring by using a marine collagen-based serum.
If you still can't keep from picking your skin, try a fidget toy to keep your hands busy. And be sure to develop your own skin regimen; when you invest time in your skin and are mindful about caring for it, you'll be less likely to touch it or sabotage all that work you've invested in creating the perfect complexion.
