How can I stop compulsively picking, yet get rid of all my white heads?

I started picking at my pores compulsively when I was in college but my nail marks always healed and I would start digging into my skin again. Recently, however, my skin has been taking a longer time to recover from the nail marks.

Needless to say, stop picking 🙂 Your skin can repair itself better when you are younger, but as you age, factors like pollution, age, sunlight, all makes it harder for your skin barrier to recover from trauma.

Not to mention, picking is a sure way to increase the likelihood of infection and really nasty scarring. Speaking from personal experience here.

Whats worse, I don’t know if introducing sunscreen has got anything to do with the appearance of big, burly, menacing white heads or if its nocebo.

Certainly, if the type of sunscreen isn’t suitable for your skin type, it will result in more comedones (white and blackheads) because it clogs up your pores.

You should choose a oil-free, alcohol-free, water-based sunscreen that is non-comedogenic.

I wanna start using acids to slough everything off and kinda “start again” but I can’t get them otc and my doctor won’t prescribe any retinol.

Get retinol from a different doctor 😉 Some doctors are a bit cautious about prescribing topical retinol, especially if you are trying to get pregnant, (the oral form is teratogenic), but it’s really very harmless and very effective, especially for whiteheads.

Dermatologists will certainly prescribe it to you, as well as most aesthetic doctors.

The guys at Sephora wouldn’t recommend them either although they tested an activated vitamin c treatment on my hand after much insistence. But my skin started turning red within the first minutes.

It’s likely that you developed a skin sensitivity reaction to the Sephora product. Do avoid.

Im basically pretty lost right now and I dont know where to start. Any recommendations?

Do consider seeking out a doctor/dermatologist who’s interested in acne treatment.

Part of the treatment regime for you will almost certainly include a topical retinol, which will rapidly improve things.

Cheers

I agree with Dr Ethan that it is important to stop picking at your acne. The more you pick, the more the skin will be irritated and the marks will be left behind.

Many of the products that help to get rid of comedones like salicylic acid and tretinoin cream and glycolic acid can be potentially irritating for the skin and can aggravate the skin especially if it is already red and irritated.

The first step to getting better is therefore to stop picking to minimize skin irritation. You should consider seeing you dermatologist/doctor to assess the current condition of the skin to determine the need for treatment to calm the skin or for additional treatments to clear you comedones and marks.

Sounds like you may have early acne issues, it would be good to seek consultation at a doctor who is interested about acne treatment.

You will need a detailed consultation, examination and most likely Salicyclic Acid Peel in the clinic, and take home cleansers, topical lotions and serums to treat the issue completely.