Picking and acne scars – what to do?

Dr. Irwin
June 5, 2011
Hi. My acne is very mild but unfortunately over the past couple of years I have used picking and squeezing my skin as a form of stress relief, which at times has caused rather horrific wounds. I have mostly gotten my behavior under control but am now left with multiple scars along my shoulders, chest, and back of every variety (raised, flat, red and white, from 2mm diameter to 1.5 cm). I am fairly certain that the rosehip seed oil I am looking into will work with my skin very well, especially on my face, but from the majority of my findings I'm afraid those raised white scars are going to need something a bit more rigorous... is there any non surgical way to return the pigment to those areas and shave them down a bit?

My heart goes out to you on this.  You’re very honest too in your understanding that this is a form of stress relief for you.   To some extent everyone “picks” something at least occasionally.  Some people bite their fingernails, some pick their scalps, some chew on their lip, etc.   So it’s really a matter of degree – when it starts to change into a way to deal with anxiety.  When it gets more serious, some psychologists think it’s a form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) which makes sense to me.   I’m happy you’ve gotten the behavior under control and for other out there, please seek help if you are causing scarring.

As for your scars, you really will need laser treatments to help you and please look for an expert laser center so you don’t waste your money. The Fraxel laser or fractioned CO2 laser would probably be best depending on how thick they are and your skin type  Dr. I

 

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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