Stop picking my lips

that’s how long i have been picking my lips. i cannot remember a time when i didn’t pick my lips. there is a certain euphoria that i feel when i pick it. a sense of comfort. but no more. from this second, i am going to stop.

i went to sams club and i bought chapstick. 12 chapsticks in one pack. i have 3 lip glosses and one chapstick in my purse. i have 1 chapstick and 1 vanilla honey organic one at my desk at work. i have the medicated chapstick on my nightstand. i have the burts bees tinted type, the expensive shiny type, the type with sunscreen. i will not fail!!!

I have done this for probably 25 years. I hate it! I have tried to stop a billion times. I know it is just a stress reliever; yet it just causes more stress. It drives my husband crazy. I’m going to try Clinique all about lips and see if maybe it helps. (I have tried at least 100 different chapsticks/lip treatments/etc to no avail.)

I can’t wait till I can wear lipstick with out it looking bumpy and chapped….

I found this site while researching compulsive disorders related to dermatology. I pick the skin off my lips, and from recent relative reports, I’ve done it all my life. Started when I was a toddler, and it’s become a part of who I am. I have tried EVERYTHING, tried Competition Therapy (replacing picking with a handy-habit like sewing or knitting), medication (Anti-depressants, mood-stabilizers), tried record-keeping, re-hydration, getting more sleep, it hasn’t stopped. I made this account specifically to add my voice to the other voices I’ve found on this site. I always thought I was weird for having this “habit”, and its comforting knowing that I’m not alone here.

My mother recently told me that picking is a anxiety-management tactic. Ex-drug addicts often pick or bite their nails, jiggle their feet, etc. Maybe it’s just a way our brain is wired, maybe it’s just a darker, subconscious fear of not being accepted in society. Whatever it is, it has dominated and controlled my mentality and changed the person I’ve become. I’m a pessimistic person because smiling hurts and I’ve come to associate happiness with pain. Something needs to change. I’m not willing to lose a part of who I am to this disorder, any advice you guys have that could help will be much appreciated…

I’ll try to keep searching for something…hopefully we’ll be able to solve this.

I am new to this site. I found it doing a search to try and stop picking my lips. I have been doing it for over 10yrs now and it has recently gotten out of hand. My problem is, if i feel the slightest place that isn’t smooth on my lips i have to pick until it is smooth. which ofcourse leads to more. they bleed, crack and look HORRIBLE. it is just so frustrating!

I didn’t pick! My lips actually feel smooth and soft! I’ve given myself discipline to stop. I even realized I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t find it attractive to go around with my lips like I got beat up, and I don’t think guys would find it attractive either.

I’m not going to do this anymore. My discpiline is this:

-How pretty I look with them healed.

I noticed when I had them picked, I always covered the spot up and saw what I could look like without it happening.

Now I look like I wanted to. I am happy with my decision. I will keep this goal up in case, but I am discplined now and determined. Good luck to you all. I’ll be here to help.

I haven’t done this in a while and have been useing alot of pink Burt’s Bees and my lips aren’t flaky any more. I will re-open this goal if i do it even once though.

Things are slightly better now. Trying to change my diet to be more healthy and cut out things like dairy and sugar that i KNOW make my skin issues worse.. Moisturizing as usual too.

I only picked one spot. It was obvious. But it’s a lot better than usual. I did pick other spots, but they’ve healed by now. I think it was just dry skin. The other part was a weak area that was obvious but now is just a tiny tiny scab.

See?! This is getting easier. Whoooo.

The lip picking has started again. Its been a combination of stress, bad diet, late nights, and a few parties with alcohol. Eczema has flared up also, but i dont pick/scratch at that!

I am continuing to moisturize to aid in healing, and eliminate the dry/flakey/peeling skin… but if a piece just happens to be sticking out, i just cant help but pick it!

And i was doing so well over the past 6 months!! =(