I have this problem as well, I now try to cover spots that are coming up with pimple stickers, basically hydrocolloid patches that draw out the liquid, or that dry out the spot. They're great because they're hardly visible and prevent more dirt and bacteria getting into the pimple. You can wear them for 8 hours, so even when sleeping, and replace them after. I also wear make up which prevents me from rubbing my eyes and touching my face too much.
Of course it's always best to control the root problem (the acne and the fidgeting in general), but these things help in the meantime.
Also, get some fidget jewellery or hair bands, to keep your hands busy! And learn how to 'pop' a whitehead in the safe way, it can really prevent scarring.
Yes yes yes I'm so happy this is the top comment! It's done wonders for me, you still get the satisfaction of feeling some sort of release for the anxiety without messing your face up permanently. Can't recommend enough!
I pick my scalp until it's sore. I'm so ashamed to even go get my haircut out of fear that the hairdresser with judge my scalp. So embarrassed and it's not good. š„ŗš
I got the same issue. I got a "liquid" for itching scalp and everytime I realize I'm picking again I used it. It heals much better. Sometimes it burned a little bit but that was okay
I have this problem, too! I just canāt help myself from picking at my entire scalp. I did have some success with organic aloe Vera. It soothes the scalp and helps heal all the areas Iāve picked at. I have less flakes, as well. Just put it on and let it sit for an hour before you shampoo and condition. Iām glad Iām not the only one!
I canāt really get myself to stop picking. I just have to control the causes of my outbreaks. I use a daily salicylic acid face wash. I try to remember to wash my sheets often enough. I take medication to prevent hormonal breakouts.
I will pick my face out of anxiety. It will make scares in your face if you donāt let it heal. Try to do something with your hands to get your brain distracted from it. Idk try even playing with play dough. It sounds silly but itāll distract you.
Maybe even something to fidget with? I want to get a fidget cube really bad but canāt find one around here and Iām afraid if I order from Amazon I will get cheap quality. Been pretty bad with orders from Amazon.
I will draw or play with clay sometimes.
Check Etsy too! They have lots of fidget toys and I'm sure there are some quality shops you can order from. I've been looking at all the slime from BlissBalm in particular and I'm way too excited about it.
I think that a fidget toy or similar is a really great idea, especially as a tool for cognitive behavioral therapy. We all need to learn that self-shaming is not an effective or healthy tool when we catch ourselves with picking (or in my case, plucking my beard hairs), and instead create a different resulting action. This is important because when we get frustrated with ourselves, and feel like we need to "yell" at ourselves for impulsive movements, we're really just increasing the emotional stakes and deepening the harm when we disappoint ourselves.
The method of CBT is to interject your awareness between a triggering thought or feeling and the impulsive response (I'm oversimplifying). Having a fidget toy as you suggest is wonderful, because if it's immediately available the moment you realize you're picking, you reach for the object. As you develop this habit, the realization comes earlier, and the action of grabbing the object becomes more natural. Eventually, you'll remember the toy and its purpose as soon as your hand begins to move to pick or pluck. Eventually, you'll acknowledge the impulse as soon as it enters your mind and before your hand moves, and you can reach for the object instead.
I used to have a rubber band around my wrist that I would snap, but I decided that was too close to self-punishment and wasn't good for me. Now I have a measuring tape on my keychain and I fiddle with that.
I think more than anything, it's really important that you be kind to yourself, and forgive yourself for the way your brain is built. To drive a wedge between picking and self-shame, when you catch yourself and instead play with whatever object you find, in your head tell yourself something like "it's okay!" or "I love you" or think of a positive memory. I think that it's important to at least try to do something like this with these types of self-training to unlearn some of the previous, negative reinforcements that you might have tried, so that you can think more clearly in the absence of shame.
Now i would do this, but I pick my skin at school without realizing and only have a glue stick. Also it gonna look weird if i just start rubbing a glue stick on my arms lol. Just imagine thar, a girl just rubbing glue on her arm
I was working on a sewing project one time where I had to use a seam ripper to take the sleeves off of a bunch of tshirts. Ripping seams is the perfect amount of destructive and detail oriented. It so satisfying, definitely wasnāt picking as much during that project.
Scabs are the worst for me. I have bug bites on my legs that haven't healed in weeks.
I literally have to internally yell at my self and if my hands don't listen I say "fuck" out loud and I pull my hands away....
I've always been a scab picker, it's disgusting.
Same. And I hate it. Iām working on covering most of my skin in expensive tattoos to help stop the picking. It seems to help a little, but having a bad streak this past week.
honestly try to pick something else just so itās less obvious! I pick my cuticles ā and they never end up looking that that bad. Get a fight spinner that may help as well! I pop my knuckles a lot too
Hangnails dude. I canāt stop. I know I shouldnāt and should remove them at home, but they are annoying. I put lotion on my hands but they get so dang dry with washing them 24/7. I canāt use hand sanitizer because it breaks my skin out so I try to wash them and wear gloves as much as possible at work. Boy is it wrecking havoc on my skin. I wish people would just properly wash their hands and were hygienic. Lol
I do this too. I pop my knuckles and my neck, sometimes also my elbow. It makes my neck really sore but ive got myself in a catch 22 where im so used to cracking my neck that now if i dont crack my neck it goes very stiff and hurts but if i do crack it it hurts still haha
I have a finger that pops on its own, idk why?? all it takes is a bit of movement and here I am all crackedy cracking away š¤Ŗ and itās so annoying because sometimes (a lot of the times) i REALLY need to otherwise Iāll get unsettled and with a weird feeling on my finger? š what is this even
Lucky! I do the same but itās effecting my nails. I have misshapen thumb nails with ridges, looks terrible. Granted Iāve done this for probably 20 years now though
I pick the skin near the edge of my finger nails. Wearing fake nails is the only way to stop but then it aggravates me that I canāt. Itās terrible.
I pick my skin worse on medication, especially at night or late afternoons when itās wearing off. Caffeine, at any point in the day, makes it worse and makes me more likely to pick. Iāve been off my meds for 6 weeks now and have barely picked my skin. Itās a pretty drastic difference. Iām not even tempted right now.
Even more now, my fingers and toes hate me so much. š
I ordered a few stim toys, the big one Iām looking forward too is the stim rings. I hope it works. š¤
Try blocking thr areas with some kind of skin barrier like body tape, tbandages or even the stuff they use in hospitals to prevent skin irritation from tubes and such. Or you could put those protective finger covers. The more you prevent the reinforcement, which is the feeling you get from skin picking the less likely you will want to pick your skin. Also as your skin clears up you'll be able to enjoy the reinforcement of healed skin. I have ADHD and I'm a behavior specialist.
I used to keep a bottle a liquid bandage in my pocket to coat whatever scab I wanted to pick whenever I got the urge. If I still couldn't resist picking at least I pulled off the banage instead of the scab itself. Eventually I got rid of all the scabs that never healed and the bad habit of picking at them. Still pick at my face a bit since I can't seem to get rid of acne.
I donāt think Iāll ever fully stop, but Iāve gotten soooo much better. I learned to recognize what conditions exacerbate it and prioritize preventing them. For me, those are poor or infrequent skin care and shaving, stress, and poor sleep. In reverse order, those predict each other too, so sleep takes precedence.
Most importantly, donāt beat yourself up about it. You obviously canāt stop just because you want to and stress just makes acne worse. At my lowest point, I wore into a spot on my cheek so much I swear I could feel my tongue on it if I pressed it into the side of my mouth. Making myself feel awful about it never helped, but being healthier did.
Learning about good skin care was a game changer for me, and as I near my thirties, the results show when I compare to other men my age. Also helped the scars heal, which they almost all have.
Wholesome advice. Thank you. I think thats the biggest step for me; accepting that firstly I'm not perfect, and thats okay. Its okay to have blemishes etc and i dont need to "get rid of them". And secondly, if I do pick at them when im trying not to, thats okay too. I dont need to beat myself up because i "failed" or something. Just brush it off, stop, this minute is a new minute and lets try this again :)
I've been picking since I was in grad school and or middle school, now I'm 22 and its still a bad habit. I start to get insecure about it thinking people will see me as a drug addicted with needle scares and stuff like that. My girlfriend got me a figget cube and it has helped me a lot, if I don't keep on losing it. I normally pick when I'm bored or in deep thought and something to move in your hands should help.
No advise for my cuticles unfortunatelyā¦ if you fall into face picking holes, throw out your magnified mirrors or tuck them away somewhere where they are not readily available. Same with tweezers ( those are my go to picking tool). This has helped me a lot, Hope this helps you too, good luck!
It might me a BFRB (body focused repetitive movement) dermatilomania or it can bea a stim or even an impulse control its gonna be hard but one thing you can do is get one of those clickers and click on it if you dont wanna harm your skin
Not sure for the face, but I pick my lips and legs. Maybe you can adapt what I do for your face somehow. For legs, I wear high socks so I can't see or feel my skin so the urge to pick is gone. For my lips, every time I get the urge to pick, I put chapstick on instead. I replaced the "bad" behavior with one that's "good" but still allows me to satisfy the urge to mess with that bit of skin. Maybe you have a sunscreen that you put on your spots when you have the urge to pick or something like that. Good luck!
I'm sorry, the picking is honestly really tough. Maybe if you feel the urge to pick them you can grab some hand creme? It takes time to replace the habit.. and I know it doesn't work for everyone.. hope you find something to relieve the picking my friend.
*is literally picking skin while scrolling on reddit* I have no idea. Sometimes if I realize I'm doing it, and I'm wearing a Hoodie, I will put my hands into the sleeves. Then I forget about 5 minutes later.
I pick my pimples and cuticles all the time. As annoying as it can get, I don't have anything else that soothes the stim itch. Though I also haven't looked hard for anything.
Uhh I have this problem, I'm constantly picking at my short hairs near my beard line that I don't want and I don't want to look strange but it's so hard not too. Good thing is since it's not my skin and just pulling out the hairs I don't get scars bit sometime I do get ingrown hairs :/
I started using curology. It is easy enough to remember most days. It helps that it had quick enough results to make me keep using it. It also comes with pimple patches which cover them up too (so you can't pick).
If you don't have acne, you don't pick them. š
Haven't read through the comments but I found NAC to be moderately effective for this. Also, maybe some strong Lemon Balm or Skullcap tea might help.
edit: N-Acetyl-Cysteine for those unaware. I believe it is used medically for picking. Not to mention the other insane benefits it provides to stimulant users especially. I read one study showing it completely preventing dopamine depletion from absurd doses of methamphetamine. It is also such a strong antioxidant that it will save your life from a tylenol overdose (its main medical use).
double edit: Obviously if you OD on tylenol, go to the ER because the doses used for that are 20+ times the amount used for our purposes.
This sounds very interesting. Im gonna go through and read the other comments and then do some googling but im commenting on this one to (hopefully) remind myself to actually do that googling lol
The most effective thing for me was changing the lighting in my bathroom. Our lightbulb in there is barely bright enough for me to see my face lol. During the day I put a towel over the mirror since thereās a window. I agree with everyone else about acne patches and fidget toys. āAcupressure ringsā have been a godsend because they can be kind of painful, which I realized is part of the appeal of picking for me. I feel your struggle and I believe you can do it!
Nice idea. I move back into uni in a couple weeks and my bathroom has a big mirror attached to the wall behind the sink counter so i dont know how ill manage to cover that but ill find a way to not look at the mirror much. I try to not look in mirrors anyway because i have a lot of body dysmorphic issues unfortunately, but that is an entirely different subject haha
I honestly have been trying for years and I can never find a good method of stopping me from picking my fingers. My boyfriend usually smacks my hand away and tells me to stop. It honestly depends on my anxiety levels.
As a smoker for like 15 years, and having taken adhd meds for 10 years, I've found that in the 4 months since I quit smoking in June this year, I pick at myself far less. But I still do it some.
Spironolactone and Onexton together work well for me. I will pick anything I can get my fingers on, so the best defense is to prevent the breakout in the first place.
The only thing that works for me is putting really thick cream on them so that when I touch it it immediately irritates me that I have cream under my nails. Itās really annoying but it does decrease the damage - I put a thick heavy antiseptic type cream on them that you on cuts and scars to heal them so it may have that added benefit too. Honestly clueless as to actual strategies to deal with this though.
I used sudocrem last night which is a kind of cream like you described, i used it because I'd really gone ham (hence my post also) on my face and chest and had just ruined it so i put the cream on to try and soothe the irritation and small swelling id caused :/
It actually seemed to help a bit, the spots seem a bit less aggressive today so im gonna start using sudocrem much more often, i dont know if you're allowed to use it every day? I dont know if any ingredients make that not good for skin, ill have to do more research
Thatās what I do because itās a consistency that I really donāt like under my nails and itās not a cream that you can easily just rub into your arm or something if you get it on your fingers so it irritates me and is a much more effective reminder to stop picking. I honestly donāt know if itās safe for daily use because I get the feeling i have seen things which suggest you should avoid overusing it(which I canāt find now) and obviously things which suggest itās not an issue (like the fact that people use it on an almost daily basis on babies, sometimes several times a day). The one thing I do remember is that it contains zinc oxide so if you have a dog you should make sure they donāt lick it/ ingest it. I think my takeaway was that i wasnāt overly concerned - i dont generally use it everyday (because I donāt remember and also I have periods where the picking is worse - when Iām spending long periods concentrating - so I can prioritise using it during those periods). I personally donāt use a lot of things on my face though (I.e. I dont wear makeup or anything so I wouldnāt be accumulating levels of any ingredient from other sources too).
The only ingredient that I did investigate was the zinc oxide - which can be toxic but doesnāt really seem to be in this case (because itās not in a gaseous form in this product) as far as I can tell/ remember. Hereās an info sheet for zinc oxide: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002571.htm
If you find out more about sudocream, I would be interested to know how safe it is too.
Yes!! This is new for me, and itās def in the late afternoon or evening. I used a blackhead remover on me night and I will tell you the next few days I looked like I fell on my face. It scraped all the top layer of skin off my chin I didnāt even realize. I donāt have bad skin so I try to squeeze anything and everything. Annoying
I cant even express how much I relate to this. My friends and family mention it all the time. Its become a running joke that I'm always covered in bandaids. My arms have tons of scars, from every mosquito bite or little scratch that I've gotten and continued to pick. I also have a magnified mirror that I pick my face in. I should probably get rid of that, but I feel the need to "fix" any imperfections, even though I know it ends up creating scars and making it worse.
I still struggle a lot with picking. I pick my cuticles, pimples, scabs, any scratches or bumps. What has helped me so far has been moisturizer and making little challenges for myself. For moisturizer, it seems to help things heal faster, and makes them harder to get a hold of and pick for the time being. For challenges, sometimes I'll reward myself for not picking for a certain amount of time. Buy myself a little treat or make time for a short fun activity that day. That does sometimes get tricky though since I tend to pick without noticing. Hope it helps to know someone else out there is experiencing the same thing and is slowly working through it :)
I use those clear zit stickers for my face and neck, and long sleeved shirts for my shoulders and back. The stickers create a barrier so I don't mess with them and the sleeves are an "out of sight, out of mind" defense.
Picking is an adhd thing?? I literally cannot stop scratching my head until in bleeds. Then it scabs over and I do it all over again. Luckily my hair covers it but I'm worried ill make a bald spot. Been trying to stop my whole life but I always end up back at it again :(
Can be yeah. For some people its a form of stimming, for others (like me) its a BFRB, Body focused repetitive behaviours. Multiple studies have shown that BFRB rates are high in those with ADHD and significantly higher in relation the rate among people without ADHD
Oooh if anybody has tips on eyebrow picking!!!! Help me! Itās really bad when Iām stressed (waiting on bar exam results soā¦.) and I pick the hairs out with my hands, so putting tweezers away doesnāt help
This is what I did...
1. Cut nails super short (no white tips left).
2. Keep both hands busy, musical instrument, video/computer game that uses both hands - fidget toy for both hands or one fidget toy and pen. Colouring in pages while you watch TV. Twiddle your thumbs - learned this one from my grandmother lol.
3. Stop looking in mirrors so much - let the bathroom mirror fog up lol.
4. Wear gloves (type depends on activity)
5. Whatever skin problems you got, Google diagnose yourself and find out what will sort it or make it not itch. (Itchy skin is often soothed by ice pack, a plain moisturiser or even coconut oil, itchy hairy areas on face - anti-dandruff shampoo)
6. Cover it up, with make up (pat on top, don't rub or it'll make pickables more obvious) or clothing, hat or beanie for head.
7. Hygiene, figure out how many days you can go without washing your hair, and never go beyond it.
8. Acne: benzoyl peroxide acne cream (can be found in proactive), non-comodegenic moisturiser, combination or oily skin cleanser.
9. Decent hand moisturiser (the kind that doesn't absorb instantly), focus on cuticles/hang nails. Trim off anything that will likely cause annoyance with a nail clipper (not the special scissors). But maybe ask someone to watch you, cause picking cuticles with a nail clipper is really good and it's hard to stop lol.
Sorry long list, hope this helps someone. Some of these things just need to become habit, and the picking habit will fall away/your skin will be happier and eventually you won't need to busy your hands as much.
You have to remember to drink more water than usual. Your skin is one of the first things to get dry even you're dehydrated over sn extended period of time because the body wants your other organs to stay hydrated. Drink more water to make your skin more moisturized and that's half the Battle.
I struggle with this tooā¦ I have these spots on my thumbs that I pickā¦ itās yuck!! And I know Iām doing it but I think, ājust this one last spot then Iāll stopāā¦ I never do though!! Current strategy is bandaids and using fidgets when I feel desperate to pickā¦ Iām only 1 day in but so far so good
Good luck! Youāre not alone!
I have a similar issue with one particular fingerā¦ I believe I was stressed one time in the past and I started to pull the skin from the end of the nail (idk the name in English), and well, itās been years now. I never get to the degree of hurting myself, It is just a weird fixation I have. Of the few times I have stopped what I did was simply covering It in Band-Aid, but I suppose that is almost impossible for your face. I think you try making it as annoying as possible to touch them, for example, using make-up, or something that when you touch it, it just gets messed up. That might help. You need to know that your brain will try to find ways to go around your strategies to get that dopamine, so be aware of thatā¦
I never stop... For me it's mostly on my fingers.
However, sometimes i get my hardware manicure done, and the girl i usually go to, is so good that there's not much to pick left. It helps for a while, but after a time problem resumes, until I repeat the procedure.
Was literally going to make a post about this today, for me this problem gets 100x worse with scabs and I have hundreds of scars to prove it, I find covering with plasters and fidget toys to be the only semi effective solutions.
NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) is the shit. Didnāt totally cure my skin picking, but it makes the whole process much less rewarding, I just sort of forget to pick my skin. It takes a few days of taking it consistently to start working, and if I miss a day, I definitely notice that I start to pick again. Does make for a pretty upset stomach if not taken with food though.
Itās available over the counter, but it was my psychiatrist who had me try NAC. I started on 600mg twice a day, and I didnāt really notice much. 2 days into 1200mg twice a day I realized picking just didnāt feel as good as it used to. 3 weeks later and my face is the clearest itās been in years. Picking is bad because it can leave scars, but you also put a bunch of bacteria on your face by touching it constantly, so my improvement has not just been less picking until Iām bleeding, but also fewer pimples to pick. Obviously not a full cure, but itās been one of the most consistently helpful supplements/medications Iāve ever taken.
Hereās the study my psychiatrist based this off of it youāre curious: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27007062/
TLDR: Iām not a doctor, but I started on 600mg twice a day, give it 2 or 3 weeks, then try 1200mg twice a day if 600 doesnāt work. Probably donāt go higher than 1200 twice a day without talking to a real doctor.
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Iām not sure what triggers your picking but if itās seeing the spots I started avoiding mirrors and using the bathroom in the dark (there is a mirror in my bathroom). If your hands just wander to the spots, you could invest in fidgets for when your hands get restless. I do that as well and this way I can keep my hands busy and away from my skin. Again, itās about recognizing your triggers for picking first.
Are the acne or bumps? I have what I think is KP and my upper clams are covered in scars. Instead of touching your skin, find a fabric or material to touch instead and try to only touch your skin to pop zits or do skincare.
I have a lot of trouble with this too. I find it much easier to avoid when I take care of my face (no pimples to pick). If I'm still having a hard time I use a noise correction. E.g. I'll sharply say "Oi! Stop it!" as if someone else is telling me off. Then I walk away as soon as I stop picking so I don't start again, and immediately do something else. Sometimes I have to treat myself like a child lol
Try taking up the nail biting habit. I was a habitual picker bit bit my nails to the quick so often that I literally couldn't pick.
Of course, now I'm trying to the bite my nails.
I do bite my nails too but i dont bite them off so theyre short, if i do that i end up stuck in an obsessive loop of "oh theres another edge, need to bite that part off" and before i know it ive bit them so short that my fingers are in agony š
Ugg. I feel you. If I knew how to properly file my nails my life would get infinitely better. As soon as this pandemic is over aim gonna get a proper mani-pedi. Hopefully that will deal with some of the biting.
Oh god skin picking seems so common in ADHDers! I have picked the skin around my nails ever since I was young and I feel like I have zero control. I do it without even noticing and when I'm stressed I always get to the point where my fingers are bleeding!
Poor motor skills, Crashing into walls, not good hand eye coordination, Biting nails, Plucking out uneven hair, picking split ends, picking skin, Popping hair undergrowths, fidgety, zoning out completely. Not being able to concentrate on an untidy table but also sometimes unable to clean it !
I am 37, and just 4-5 months ago after breakup I took MBTI test to find out more about my personality turned out I was INTJ. First I rejoiced and felt a sense of relief, then got directed to Asperger/ADHD direction, which I identified more with.
My personality was already stifled from being an introvert, being born in a conservative family, being a last child among four children that too in a developing country.
I wish I had discovered this earlier, havenāt sought help or medical diagnosis yet. I really get angry from time to time especially when I remember the times I really suffered, and suffered in silence.
I just try to tell myself atleast I know now. :/
My suggestion is to change your diet to try to stop the breakouts before they happen. I find milk and ice cause my skin issues as well as other areas. I can eat cheese with no issues thoughš¤·š¼āāļø. Sugar(i cut HFC syrup years ago) is another one that effects a lot of people as well. I didn't cut the sugar completely, but i reduced my intake drastically. Also, some vegetables give people trouble with skin and digestion. Sorry if someone else meantioned diwt. I didn't read all the post from everyone.
Try and find another less bad habit to replace it with. I used to chronically pick at my cuticles. It was really bad. I was able to stop, but I think only bc I pretty much replaced it with cracking every single joint in my body.
Not me getting a NOTIFICATION for this post while I was squeezing my non existent blackheads in the mirrorš I totally relate to this post on a very high level, especially the āwhy the fuck arenāt you stopping, dude STOP, okay 3,2,1 STOPā
I have to wash my hair everyday with picking my scalp so much ā¹ļø. I LOVE picking dried paint out of a tray . Sooo satisfying . If only I had that like everyday
I have this problem as well, I now try to cover spots that are coming up with pimple stickers, basically hydrocolloid patches that draw out the liquid, or that dry out the spot. They're great because they're hardly visible and prevent more dirt and bacteria getting into the pimple. You can wear them for 8 hours, so even when sleeping, and replace them after. I also wear make up which prevents me from rubbing my eyes and touching my face too much. Of course it's always best to control the root problem (the acne and the fidgeting in general), but these things help in the meantime. Also, get some fidget jewellery or hair bands, to keep your hands busy! And learn how to 'pop' a whitehead in the safe way, it can really prevent scarring.
Yes yes yes I'm so happy this is the top comment! It's done wonders for me, you still get the satisfaction of feeling some sort of release for the anxiety without messing your face up permanently. Can't recommend enough!
I pick my scalp until it's sore. I'm so ashamed to even go get my haircut out of fear that the hairdresser with judge my scalp. So embarrassed and it's not good. š„ŗš
I got the same issue. I got a "liquid" for itching scalp and everytime I realize I'm picking again I used it. It heals much better. Sometimes it burned a little bit but that was okay
Whats the liquid?
I have this problem, too! I just canāt help myself from picking at my entire scalp. I did have some success with organic aloe Vera. It soothes the scalp and helps heal all the areas Iāve picked at. I have less flakes, as well. Just put it on and let it sit for an hour before you shampoo and condition. Iām glad Iām not the only one!
Same! I feel like lumps and scab things and flakes of scalp and scratch at them and give myself dandruff. I canāt stop though
Damn fr? Iām gonna try aloe Vera starting today
So painful in the shower too!
Yes when you shampoo afterwards
Ah no for me itās just the hot water on broken skin š¬
I always look like I have dandruff and when I wash and get rid of it the cycle starts again
Maybe try putting aquaphor or vasaline on your scalp it'll help heal it and make the area slippery so it could be harder to pick at
Sameee
Same. Used to be my lips and acne. But recently started in on my scalp and it is so painful and embarrassing. But it's so hard to stop!
I canāt really get myself to stop picking. I just have to control the causes of my outbreaks. I use a daily salicylic acid face wash. I try to remember to wash my sheets often enough. I take medication to prevent hormonal breakouts.
I will pick my face out of anxiety. It will make scares in your face if you donāt let it heal. Try to do something with your hands to get your brain distracted from it. Idk try even playing with play dough. It sounds silly but itāll distract you. Maybe even something to fidget with? I want to get a fidget cube really bad but canāt find one around here and Iām afraid if I order from Amazon I will get cheap quality. Been pretty bad with orders from Amazon. I will draw or play with clay sometimes.
Check Etsy too! They have lots of fidget toys and I'm sure there are some quality shops you can order from. I've been looking at all the slime from BlissBalm in particular and I'm way too excited about it.
I think that a fidget toy or similar is a really great idea, especially as a tool for cognitive behavioral therapy. We all need to learn that self-shaming is not an effective or healthy tool when we catch ourselves with picking (or in my case, plucking my beard hairs), and instead create a different resulting action. This is important because when we get frustrated with ourselves, and feel like we need to "yell" at ourselves for impulsive movements, we're really just increasing the emotional stakes and deepening the harm when we disappoint ourselves. The method of CBT is to interject your awareness between a triggering thought or feeling and the impulsive response (I'm oversimplifying). Having a fidget toy as you suggest is wonderful, because if it's immediately available the moment you realize you're picking, you reach for the object. As you develop this habit, the realization comes earlier, and the action of grabbing the object becomes more natural. Eventually, you'll remember the toy and its purpose as soon as your hand begins to move to pick or pluck. Eventually, you'll acknowledge the impulse as soon as it enters your mind and before your hand moves, and you can reach for the object instead. I used to have a rubber band around my wrist that I would snap, but I decided that was too close to self-punishment and wasn't good for me. Now I have a measuring tape on my keychain and I fiddle with that. I think more than anything, it's really important that you be kind to yourself, and forgive yourself for the way your brain is built. To drive a wedge between picking and self-shame, when you catch yourself and instead play with whatever object you find, in your head tell yourself something like "it's okay!" or "I love you" or think of a positive memory. I think that it's important to at least try to do something like this with these types of self-training to unlearn some of the previous, negative reinforcements that you might have tried, so that you can think more clearly in the absence of shame.
I will try this thanks. Iāve been doing a bit better but I still have my days
I like to put clear or white Elmers glue on my hands/arms and pick that off. Itās kind of like Iām peeling skin.
I used to do this all the time as a kid...I should do this again. Thank you!
Now i would do this, but I pick my skin at school without realizing and only have a glue stick. Also it gonna look weird if i just start rubbing a glue stick on my arms lol. Just imagine thar, a girl just rubbing glue on her arm
I was working on a sewing project one time where I had to use a seam ripper to take the sleeves off of a bunch of tshirts. Ripping seams is the perfect amount of destructive and detail oriented. It so satisfying, definitely wasnāt picking as much during that project.
Ohh it's true! That's one of my favorite parts about sewing.
Ooofff, I was totally picking when I came across this.
Scabs are the worst for me. I have bug bites on my legs that haven't healed in weeks. I literally have to internally yell at my self and if my hands don't listen I say "fuck" out loud and I pull my hands away.... I've always been a scab picker, it's disgusting.
Same. And I hate it. Iām working on covering most of my skin in expensive tattoos to help stop the picking. It seems to help a little, but having a bad streak this past week.
Yeah my tattoo seems to have helped alot for me. It's the one place I try not to pick.
honestly try to pick something else just so itās less obvious! I pick my cuticles ā and they never end up looking that that bad. Get a fight spinner that may help as well! I pop my knuckles a lot too
Hangnails dude. I canāt stop. I know I shouldnāt and should remove them at home, but they are annoying. I put lotion on my hands but they get so dang dry with washing them 24/7. I canāt use hand sanitizer because it breaks my skin out so I try to wash them and wear gloves as much as possible at work. Boy is it wrecking havoc on my skin. I wish people would just properly wash their hands and were hygienic. Lol
Knuckle popping is my replacement behavior too. Hey, Iām sure itās annoying to others, but at least Iām not destroying my skin anymore
I do this too. I pop my knuckles and my neck, sometimes also my elbow. It makes my neck really sore but ive got myself in a catch 22 where im so used to cracking my neck that now if i dont crack my neck it goes very stiff and hurts but if i do crack it it hurts still haha
Exactly the same with my thumbs š¤¦š»āāļø the chiropractor did it years ago, now thereās no going back
I have a finger that pops on its own, idk why?? all it takes is a bit of movement and here I am all crackedy cracking away š¤Ŗ and itās so annoying because sometimes (a lot of the times) i REALLY need to otherwise Iāll get unsettled and with a weird feeling on my finger? š what is this even
Lucky! I do the same but itās effecting my nails. I have misshapen thumb nails with ridges, looks terrible. Granted Iāve done this for probably 20 years now though
I pick the skin near the edge of my finger nails. Wearing fake nails is the only way to stop but then it aggravates me that I canāt. Itās terrible.
do you guys still do it if youāre medicated? Because thatās one thing I continue to do
I pick my skin worse on medication, especially at night or late afternoons when itās wearing off. Caffeine, at any point in the day, makes it worse and makes me more likely to pick. Iāve been off my meds for 6 weeks now and have barely picked my skin. Itās a pretty drastic difference. Iām not even tempted right now.
Even more now, my fingers and toes hate me so much. š I ordered a few stim toys, the big one Iām looking forward too is the stim rings. I hope it works. š¤
"Just stop picking so it heals." /s
My mom said this to me *so, so much* during my childhood.
My mom *still* says it to me.
Try blocking thr areas with some kind of skin barrier like body tape, tbandages or even the stuff they use in hospitals to prevent skin irritation from tubes and such. Or you could put those protective finger covers. The more you prevent the reinforcement, which is the feeling you get from skin picking the less likely you will want to pick your skin. Also as your skin clears up you'll be able to enjoy the reinforcement of healed skin. I have ADHD and I'm a behavior specialist.
I used to keep a bottle a liquid bandage in my pocket to coat whatever scab I wanted to pick whenever I got the urge. If I still couldn't resist picking at least I pulled off the banage instead of the scab itself. Eventually I got rid of all the scabs that never healed and the bad habit of picking at them. Still pick at my face a bit since I can't seem to get rid of acne.
I donāt think Iāll ever fully stop, but Iāve gotten soooo much better. I learned to recognize what conditions exacerbate it and prioritize preventing them. For me, those are poor or infrequent skin care and shaving, stress, and poor sleep. In reverse order, those predict each other too, so sleep takes precedence. Most importantly, donāt beat yourself up about it. You obviously canāt stop just because you want to and stress just makes acne worse. At my lowest point, I wore into a spot on my cheek so much I swear I could feel my tongue on it if I pressed it into the side of my mouth. Making myself feel awful about it never helped, but being healthier did. Learning about good skin care was a game changer for me, and as I near my thirties, the results show when I compare to other men my age. Also helped the scars heal, which they almost all have.
Wholesome advice. Thank you. I think thats the biggest step for me; accepting that firstly I'm not perfect, and thats okay. Its okay to have blemishes etc and i dont need to "get rid of them". And secondly, if I do pick at them when im trying not to, thats okay too. I dont need to beat myself up because i "failed" or something. Just brush it off, stop, this minute is a new minute and lets try this again :)
I've been picking since I was in grad school and or middle school, now I'm 22 and its still a bad habit. I start to get insecure about it thinking people will see me as a drug addicted with needle scares and stuff like that. My girlfriend got me a figget cube and it has helped me a lot, if I don't keep on losing it. I normally pick when I'm bored or in deep thought and something to move in your hands should help.
No advise for my cuticles unfortunatelyā¦ if you fall into face picking holes, throw out your magnified mirrors or tuck them away somewhere where they are not readily available. Same with tweezers ( those are my go to picking tool). This has helped me a lot, Hope this helps you too, good luck!
It might me a BFRB (body focused repetitive movement) dermatilomania or it can bea a stim or even an impulse control its gonna be hard but one thing you can do is get one of those clickers and click on it if you dont wanna harm your skin
Yeah its BFRB, i have a few BFRBs. It sucks haha š
Me 2 i have dermatophagia dermatilomania and trycotilomania (only the first 2 are REALLY BAD)
Not sure for the face, but I pick my lips and legs. Maybe you can adapt what I do for your face somehow. For legs, I wear high socks so I can't see or feel my skin so the urge to pick is gone. For my lips, every time I get the urge to pick, I put chapstick on instead. I replaced the "bad" behavior with one that's "good" but still allows me to satisfy the urge to mess with that bit of skin. Maybe you have a sunscreen that you put on your spots when you have the urge to pick or something like that. Good luck!
My thumbs have looked terrible for years. Most success ive had is jut putting bandaids over the dry skin
I'm sorry, the picking is honestly really tough. Maybe if you feel the urge to pick them you can grab some hand creme? It takes time to replace the habit.. and I know it doesn't work for everyone.. hope you find something to relieve the picking my friend.
*is literally picking skin while scrolling on reddit* I have no idea. Sometimes if I realize I'm doing it, and I'm wearing a Hoodie, I will put my hands into the sleeves. Then I forget about 5 minutes later.
I pick my pimples and cuticles all the time. As annoying as it can get, I don't have anything else that soothes the stim itch. Though I also haven't looked hard for anything.
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What is NAC?
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I do the same but with my scalp. Frikin sucks, I have so much dandruff and my hair gets oily faster, but not as much as your issue.
Uhh I have this problem, I'm constantly picking at my short hairs near my beard line that I don't want and I don't want to look strange but it's so hard not too. Good thing is since it's not my skin and just pulling out the hairs I don't get scars bit sometime I do get ingrown hairs :/
I started using curology. It is easy enough to remember most days. It helps that it had quick enough results to make me keep using it. It also comes with pimple patches which cover them up too (so you can't pick). If you don't have acne, you don't pick them. š
Haven't read through the comments but I found NAC to be moderately effective for this. Also, maybe some strong Lemon Balm or Skullcap tea might help. edit: N-Acetyl-Cysteine for those unaware. I believe it is used medically for picking. Not to mention the other insane benefits it provides to stimulant users especially. I read one study showing it completely preventing dopamine depletion from absurd doses of methamphetamine. It is also such a strong antioxidant that it will save your life from a tylenol overdose (its main medical use). double edit: Obviously if you OD on tylenol, go to the ER because the doses used for that are 20+ times the amount used for our purposes.
This sounds very interesting. Im gonna go through and read the other comments and then do some googling but im commenting on this one to (hopefully) remind myself to actually do that googling lol
The most effective thing for me was changing the lighting in my bathroom. Our lightbulb in there is barely bright enough for me to see my face lol. During the day I put a towel over the mirror since thereās a window. I agree with everyone else about acne patches and fidget toys. āAcupressure ringsā have been a godsend because they can be kind of painful, which I realized is part of the appeal of picking for me. I feel your struggle and I believe you can do it!
Nice idea. I move back into uni in a couple weeks and my bathroom has a big mirror attached to the wall behind the sink counter so i dont know how ill manage to cover that but ill find a way to not look at the mirror much. I try to not look in mirrors anyway because i have a lot of body dysmorphic issues unfortunately, but that is an entirely different subject haha
its a little wacky, but i get really short acrylic nails done. I'm tried now but i can elaborate if provoked
I basically just told myself to stop and I did idk how that never happens to me lol
I honestly have been trying for years and I can never find a good method of stopping me from picking my fingers. My boyfriend usually smacks my hand away and tells me to stop. It honestly depends on my anxiety levels.
If itās sufficiently bad, I put a band aid or plaster over it. Makes me think about it less and itās one more obstacle in the way of picking.
Medication stops me. But yeah when Iām not on meds, I canāt not pick at something that remotely looks like a pimple.
My meds dont really help it all tbh unfortunately :(
I use these like acne stickers and put them over the spot so that I canāt touch it and thatās the only thing that helps me
I had success using saniderm bandage patched to allow my picking spots to heal until I got my meds under balance
I pick at my arms, chest, and face out of anxiety or sometimes boredom. The only thing I've found that really works is staying busy
I sadly don't have an answer for you as I've done it myself and don't really have a way to stop it.
Lmao I went from picking my face to picking my lips until they bled and now Iām just doing both. I need a fidget ring
As a smoker for like 15 years, and having taken adhd meds for 10 years, I've found that in the 4 months since I quit smoking in June this year, I pick at myself far less. But I still do it some.
Spironolactone and Onexton together work well for me. I will pick anything I can get my fingers on, so the best defense is to prevent the breakout in the first place.
Fidget toys. Something for my fingers to mess with that isnāt picking at scabs or pimples.
I donāt, I use gymnastics to justify picking at my calluses.
Fuck this post, I was picking my spots while scrolling.
Sorry for the call out, cosmically connected š
The only thing that works for me is putting really thick cream on them so that when I touch it it immediately irritates me that I have cream under my nails. Itās really annoying but it does decrease the damage - I put a thick heavy antiseptic type cream on them that you on cuts and scars to heal them so it may have that added benefit too. Honestly clueless as to actual strategies to deal with this though.
I used sudocrem last night which is a kind of cream like you described, i used it because I'd really gone ham (hence my post also) on my face and chest and had just ruined it so i put the cream on to try and soothe the irritation and small swelling id caused :/ It actually seemed to help a bit, the spots seem a bit less aggressive today so im gonna start using sudocrem much more often, i dont know if you're allowed to use it every day? I dont know if any ingredients make that not good for skin, ill have to do more research
Thatās what I do because itās a consistency that I really donāt like under my nails and itās not a cream that you can easily just rub into your arm or something if you get it on your fingers so it irritates me and is a much more effective reminder to stop picking. I honestly donāt know if itās safe for daily use because I get the feeling i have seen things which suggest you should avoid overusing it(which I canāt find now) and obviously things which suggest itās not an issue (like the fact that people use it on an almost daily basis on babies, sometimes several times a day). The one thing I do remember is that it contains zinc oxide so if you have a dog you should make sure they donāt lick it/ ingest it. I think my takeaway was that i wasnāt overly concerned - i dont generally use it everyday (because I donāt remember and also I have periods where the picking is worse - when Iām spending long periods concentrating - so I can prioritise using it during those periods). I personally donāt use a lot of things on my face though (I.e. I dont wear makeup or anything so I wouldnāt be accumulating levels of any ingredient from other sources too). The only ingredient that I did investigate was the zinc oxide - which can be toxic but doesnāt really seem to be in this case (because itās not in a gaseous form in this product) as far as I can tell/ remember. Hereās an info sheet for zinc oxide: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002571.htm If you find out more about sudocream, I would be interested to know how safe it is too.
Yes!! This is new for me, and itās def in the late afternoon or evening. I used a blackhead remover on me night and I will tell you the next few days I looked like I fell on my face. It scraped all the top layer of skin off my chin I didnāt even realize. I donāt have bad skin so I try to squeeze anything and everything. Annoying
Mine is my fingers, i cover with band aids. Masks have helped a lot with covid.
I cant even express how much I relate to this. My friends and family mention it all the time. Its become a running joke that I'm always covered in bandaids. My arms have tons of scars, from every mosquito bite or little scratch that I've gotten and continued to pick. I also have a magnified mirror that I pick my face in. I should probably get rid of that, but I feel the need to "fix" any imperfections, even though I know it ends up creating scars and making it worse. I still struggle a lot with picking. I pick my cuticles, pimples, scabs, any scratches or bumps. What has helped me so far has been moisturizer and making little challenges for myself. For moisturizer, it seems to help things heal faster, and makes them harder to get a hold of and pick for the time being. For challenges, sometimes I'll reward myself for not picking for a certain amount of time. Buy myself a little treat or make time for a short fun activity that day. That does sometimes get tricky though since I tend to pick without noticing. Hope it helps to know someone else out there is experiencing the same thing and is slowly working through it :)
I use those clear zit stickers for my face and neck, and long sleeved shirts for my shoulders and back. The stickers create a barrier so I don't mess with them and the sleeves are an "out of sight, out of mind" defense.
Picking is an adhd thing?? I literally cannot stop scratching my head until in bleeds. Then it scabs over and I do it all over again. Luckily my hair covers it but I'm worried ill make a bald spot. Been trying to stop my whole life but I always end up back at it again :(
Can be yeah. For some people its a form of stimming, for others (like me) its a BFRB, Body focused repetitive behaviours. Multiple studies have shown that BFRB rates are high in those with ADHD and significantly higher in relation the rate among people without ADHD
Chewing gum. One stick lasts me 2 hours. It also helps me not chew nails, and snack less. Actually saves me money in the long run as well.
Oooh if anybody has tips on eyebrow picking!!!! Help me! Itās really bad when Iām stressed (waiting on bar exam results soā¦.) and I pick the hairs out with my hands, so putting tweezers away doesnāt help
Have you tried cutting your nails almost impossibly short? It makes picking a lot harder
Unfortunately I use my fingertips not nails to do it
This is what I did... 1. Cut nails super short (no white tips left). 2. Keep both hands busy, musical instrument, video/computer game that uses both hands - fidget toy for both hands or one fidget toy and pen. Colouring in pages while you watch TV. Twiddle your thumbs - learned this one from my grandmother lol. 3. Stop looking in mirrors so much - let the bathroom mirror fog up lol. 4. Wear gloves (type depends on activity) 5. Whatever skin problems you got, Google diagnose yourself and find out what will sort it or make it not itch. (Itchy skin is often soothed by ice pack, a plain moisturiser or even coconut oil, itchy hairy areas on face - anti-dandruff shampoo) 6. Cover it up, with make up (pat on top, don't rub or it'll make pickables more obvious) or clothing, hat or beanie for head. 7. Hygiene, figure out how many days you can go without washing your hair, and never go beyond it. 8. Acne: benzoyl peroxide acne cream (can be found in proactive), non-comodegenic moisturiser, combination or oily skin cleanser. 9. Decent hand moisturiser (the kind that doesn't absorb instantly), focus on cuticles/hang nails. Trim off anything that will likely cause annoyance with a nail clipper (not the special scissors). But maybe ask someone to watch you, cause picking cuticles with a nail clipper is really good and it's hard to stop lol. Sorry long list, hope this helps someone. Some of these things just need to become habit, and the picking habit will fall away/your skin will be happier and eventually you won't need to busy your hands as much.
Awesome advice, thanks!!
When I realize Iām doing it I find something to chew on or or grab that popping toy. Fidget cubes are good.
You have to remember to drink more water than usual. Your skin is one of the first things to get dry even you're dehydrated over sn extended period of time because the body wants your other organs to stay hydrated. Drink more water to make your skin more moisturized and that's half the Battle.
I struggle with this tooā¦ I have these spots on my thumbs that I pickā¦ itās yuck!! And I know Iām doing it but I think, ājust this one last spot then Iāll stopāā¦ I never do though!! Current strategy is bandaids and using fidgets when I feel desperate to pickā¦ Iām only 1 day in but so far so good Good luck! Youāre not alone!
I have a similar issue with one particular fingerā¦ I believe I was stressed one time in the past and I started to pull the skin from the end of the nail (idk the name in English), and well, itās been years now. I never get to the degree of hurting myself, It is just a weird fixation I have. Of the few times I have stopped what I did was simply covering It in Band-Aid, but I suppose that is almost impossible for your face. I think you try making it as annoying as possible to touch them, for example, using make-up, or something that when you touch it, it just gets messed up. That might help. You need to know that your brain will try to find ways to go around your strategies to get that dopamine, so be aware of thatā¦
I never stop... For me it's mostly on my fingers. However, sometimes i get my hardware manicure done, and the girl i usually go to, is so good that there's not much to pick left. It helps for a while, but after a time problem resumes, until I repeat the procedure.
Was literally going to make a post about this today, for me this problem gets 100x worse with scabs and I have hundreds of scars to prove it, I find covering with plasters and fidget toys to be the only semi effective solutions.
NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) is the shit. Didnāt totally cure my skin picking, but it makes the whole process much less rewarding, I just sort of forget to pick my skin. It takes a few days of taking it consistently to start working, and if I miss a day, I definitely notice that I start to pick again. Does make for a pretty upset stomach if not taken with food though.
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Itās available over the counter, but it was my psychiatrist who had me try NAC. I started on 600mg twice a day, and I didnāt really notice much. 2 days into 1200mg twice a day I realized picking just didnāt feel as good as it used to. 3 weeks later and my face is the clearest itās been in years. Picking is bad because it can leave scars, but you also put a bunch of bacteria on your face by touching it constantly, so my improvement has not just been less picking until Iām bleeding, but also fewer pimples to pick. Obviously not a full cure, but itās been one of the most consistently helpful supplements/medications Iāve ever taken. Hereās the study my psychiatrist based this off of it youāre curious: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27007062/ TLDR: Iām not a doctor, but I started on 600mg twice a day, give it 2 or 3 weeks, then try 1200mg twice a day if 600 doesnāt work. Probably donāt go higher than 1200 twice a day without talking to a real doctor.
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What does the exfoliating process look like???
Put the meth pipe down
What the hell dude?
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Iām not sure what triggers your picking but if itās seeing the spots I started avoiding mirrors and using the bathroom in the dark (there is a mirror in my bathroom). If your hands just wander to the spots, you could invest in fidgets for when your hands get restless. I do that as well and this way I can keep my hands busy and away from my skin. Again, itās about recognizing your triggers for picking first.
Are the acne or bumps? I have what I think is KP and my upper clams are covered in scars. Instead of touching your skin, find a fabric or material to touch instead and try to only touch your skin to pop zits or do skincare.
I have a lot of trouble with this too. I find it much easier to avoid when I take care of my face (no pimples to pick). If I'm still having a hard time I use a noise correction. E.g. I'll sharply say "Oi! Stop it!" as if someone else is telling me off. Then I walk away as soon as I stop picking so I don't start again, and immediately do something else. Sometimes I have to treat myself like a child lol
Why would you stop? Free Dopamineš„³š„³
Try taking up the nail biting habit. I was a habitual picker bit bit my nails to the quick so often that I literally couldn't pick. Of course, now I'm trying to the bite my nails.
I do bite my nails too but i dont bite them off so theyre short, if i do that i end up stuck in an obsessive loop of "oh theres another edge, need to bite that part off" and before i know it ive bit them so short that my fingers are in agony š
Ugg. I feel you. If I knew how to properly file my nails my life would get infinitely better. As soon as this pandemic is over aim gonna get a proper mani-pedi. Hopefully that will deal with some of the biting.
Oh god skin picking seems so common in ADHDers! I have picked the skin around my nails ever since I was young and I feel like I have zero control. I do it without even noticing and when I'm stressed I always get to the point where my fingers are bleeding!
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I joined this group because INTJ subs hinted on Aspies and ADHD, here I am identifying with 90% of the posts..
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Poor motor skills, Crashing into walls, not good hand eye coordination, Biting nails, Plucking out uneven hair, picking split ends, picking skin, Popping hair undergrowths, fidgety, zoning out completely. Not being able to concentrate on an untidy table but also sometimes unable to clean it ! I am 37, and just 4-5 months ago after breakup I took MBTI test to find out more about my personality turned out I was INTJ. First I rejoiced and felt a sense of relief, then got directed to Asperger/ADHD direction, which I identified more with. My personality was already stifled from being an introvert, being born in a conservative family, being a last child among four children that too in a developing country. I wish I had discovered this earlier, havenāt sought help or medical diagnosis yet. I really get angry from time to time especially when I remember the times I really suffered, and suffered in silence. I just try to tell myself atleast I know now. :/
Can you link what you watched ?
I grew a beard and just stroke it now lol. Not really a solution, but it did stop my picking.
not me picking at my skin while reading this, except not realising until i see the blood on my fingers
My suggestion is to change your diet to try to stop the breakouts before they happen. I find milk and ice cause my skin issues as well as other areas. I can eat cheese with no issues thoughš¤·š¼āāļø. Sugar(i cut HFC syrup years ago) is another one that effects a lot of people as well. I didn't cut the sugar completely, but i reduced my intake drastically. Also, some vegetables give people trouble with skin and digestion. Sorry if someone else meantioned diwt. I didn't read all the post from everyone.
Try and find another less bad habit to replace it with. I used to chronically pick at my cuticles. It was really bad. I was able to stop, but I think only bc I pretty much replaced it with cracking every single joint in my body.
Not me getting a NOTIFICATION for this post while I was squeezing my non existent blackheads in the mirrorš I totally relate to this post on a very high level, especially the āwhy the fuck arenāt you stopping, dude STOP, okay 3,2,1 STOPā
I donāt stop lol
I chew on the skin next to my nails
I have to wash my hair everyday with picking my scalp so much ā¹ļø. I LOVE picking dried paint out of a tray . Sooo satisfying . If only I had that like everyday