The Aftermath of Skin Picking
Enjoy this guest blog post from our partner Carter + Jane, by co-founder Sara Jane.
As a skin picker, I’ve tried just about everything in the book to help with the aftermath… Pickfix™ was, and continues to be, a savior for my skin… And though I try hard not to pick as frequently as I once did, for the times I do I realized I was missing a step.
Immediately after picking comes the bleeding phase… the “oh sh*t I took it too far” moment we pickers understand all too well. As a picker and a product formulator, the “oh sh*t” phase of picking is often on my mind. We all need to find a way to “prep” our skin for Pickfix™ or whatever treatment is used. Have you ever tried alcohol? Good god it’s awful… and a common post picking mistake that creates a myriad of other issues, including an increased likely hood of severe scarring.
Let’s back up just a sec… for those of you lucky duckies out there that don’t suffer from skin picking, aka Excoriation Disorder, let’s talk about it for a minute. In many instances, including my own, skin pickers often focus on picking at any imperfections that feel very tactile. For many pickers, when we feel or see a bump on the skin, there is an immediate urge to pick at it to make the skin’s surface smooth again. It's likely the same feeling non-pickers experience when they have a scab that's ready to fall off…that intense urge to get rid of it. But magnify that urge by a hundred—that's what it feels like to have skin-picking disorder. It’s very hard to explain and not a club any of us want to be a part of… but none-the-less here we are…
Now back to that “oh sh*t” moment. You’ve broken the skin, bleeding profusely, and now it’s time for damage control.
Enter PostPick™. PostPick™ uses the same plants as PickFix™, but instead of the essential oil from the plant, we use hydrosols. Hydrosols contain water soluble healing compounds, including plant acids, which protect and repair the skin while providing nourishment and balance. We also added powerful pre and probiotics, added to restore the healthy flora to your skin (which many pickers and acne sufferers are missing…especially those who have been using alcohol or alcohol-based products on their skin).
Here are the steps we recommend after picking:
Step 1: Make sure your hands are clean and repeatedly splash the picked area with water.
Step 2: Use a clean cloth (damp or dry) and apply pressure until the bleeding is under control.
Step 3: Spray PostPick™ on the area and allow to dry.
Step 4: Apply PickFix™. Depending on the severity you may need to cover with a bandage.
Step 5: Though we highly recommend against it, if you must use cover-up immediately after, we recommend finding a mineral-based powder concealer with the cleanest ingredients possible. (Note from Susie - we love our Mineral Air Airmist with Four-in-One Foundation. It's no-touch, mineral-based, and helps to heal your skin!)
PostPick™ and PickFix™ will not cure skin picking; they are simply tools to help safely improve your skin after.
The most important thing to know is that you are not alone. There are millions of us out there, and all too many continuing to suffer in silence.
If you need, or just want more information, check out the TLC Foundation and Picking Me Foundation for resources and support.
Sending love to all!
xoxo
Sara Jane
Susie Kuse is Passionate About Great Skin and Co-Founder of Indie Beauty Market. She has been in the spa and beauty industry since 2002. She loves to help people understand that a little daily self-care goes a long way toward great skin, health, beauty and happiness. And it’s important to keep your products safe, effective, healthy, clean, sustainable and ethical.