Squeeze pimples - This is how you manage to pick less.

We've all removed a blackhead or popped a pimple, who doesn't know that?! But what if you can't stop puffing? Or when you press and scratch where there is actually almost nothing?

Squeeze pimples and remove blackheads

I know from myself, but also from my circle of acquaintances, that occasionally more pimples or blackheads are pressed around than is actually necessary. For a long time I have been dealing with the question of where the urge to get rid of skin impurities comes from .

Why do pimples and the like leave some of us cold, while others can't resist the impulse and simply HAVE to push them?

A little Google research quickly shows that there are many people who would like to push themselves less. Problem: You can't do it.

Precisely because many of you ask me about care for impure skin, I believe that the topic is not only interesting for me.

Just a habit or already pathological?

It's absolutely okay to pop a pimple every now and then. This is simply part of personal hygiene. However, many of us tend to overdo it. It becomes critical when pushing around or scratching becomes a regular occurrence, i.e. takes the form of a ritual.

Popping pimples as an addiction? In fact, this disorder is called skin picking (or dermatillomania) and is under-researched. This is despite the fact that, according to conservative estimates, up to around five percent of the population is affected.

Distinguishing “normal” puling from a disorder or addiction is not easy, the transitions are often fluid and occasional puling becomes a habit over time.

It becomes problematic when a large part of the thoughts and actions revolve around the processing of the skin and a lot of time is required for this. And when the skin suffers from the pulping and then a bad conscience sets in.

There are various forums and literature about it, I have included a few links below. In this article, I would like to sensitize you to the topic and give you – if you can’t stop doing it often – a few simple tricks on how to avoid excessive pimple squeezing and scratching. This is how you create the conditions to be less tempted.

Why "just quit" doesn't work

When stressed or bored, some go outside for a cigarette, others chew their fingernails, others pick at themselves.

Someone who doesn't share the problem with you will hardly understand why you don't just stop it. According to the experts Vollmeyer and Fricke, who wrote the book "Saving your own skin", the main reason is that pushing around is accompanied by a positive feeling for the first time.

Cleansing rituals have a strong relaxing effect when you are stressed or bored and they can be fun – squeezing pimples is one of them. The rituals can help us get rid of negative thoughts or simply distract us.

We save this change in feeling and the next time we get tense we know what to do: A bit of peeling has always helped!

The negative feelings only set in afterwards. You feel weak-willed because (again!) you couldn't resist the urge.

In addition, you spend the next half hour trying to get the most out of the concealer. This pattern of behavior needs to be broken. Let's get started:

These tricks will help you pop fewer pimples

1. Recognize the triggers

Reversing (not flipping) the emotional association in your head isn't easy, but simple action tricks can go a long way. Pretty sure pimple popping follows a certain pattern. Once you know the triggers, you can try to turn them off. Be sure to try to find the triggers for this and ask yourself the following questions:

• Where does pimple pressing and fumbling happen most often?
• At what time?
• After what situations?
• Is it some kind of ritual for you?

2. Banish the spotlight

For example, do you mainly pulse in front of the bathroom mirror at home? Then it can be helpful to simply replace the 200 watt spotlights with a romantic light. This is much friendlier to you and does not tempt you to act rashly.

3. Throw zinc cream and tea tree oil in the trash

Do you use a magnifying mirror? Away with it! Are zinc cream, tea tree oil and concealer among your favorite companions? Please put it in the bin.

Or, if you don't have the heart, entrust these "tools" to someone you trust to keep them for you.

Why? Because you already know BEFORE the pulattake that you can't fix everything afterwards by disinfecting, covering etc. So it's better to leave it alone.

The goal is for you to get by without these things. Because they only make things worse.

Of course, tea tree oil has an antibacterial effect and zinc cream also does a great job of making your reddened skin areas disappear overnight.

But they're pretty harsh, drying out your skin in the long run and only making it more prone to breakouts. They are only for absolute emergencies and not for everyday use.

4. Realize that a popped pimple is followed by two new ones

A blemish does not go away because it is treated. Rather, the skin suffers:

Bacteria are carried away, the skin is only dried out with agents such as tea tree oil and alcohol pads and becomes horny due to the mechanical pressure of your fingers.

As soon as you suffer from cornification, sebum can no longer drain off, clogs the pore and allows impurities to sprout. So remember, pick-pushing is like chopping off the head of a hydra. 1 becomes 2, sometimes even 3.

In order to prevent the spread of bacteria, properly trained pimple removers have a whole arsenal of tools ready: alcohol pads, tweezers, needles and zinc cream.

They cover up pimples with tape overnight and cover everything with green concealer in the morning to conceal the redness. I too have used these tools in the past.

But this vicious circle is not the solution. By the way, neither does the anti-pimple cream recommended in the many forums (unless you suffer from acne, but that's another topic).

Developing strategies that will keep you from slouching will do much more good. The above tricks have helped me a lot. I hope they do the same for you.

Appendix: Find strategies for coping with stress

If you notice that you are already very much fumbling around and you not only want to eliminate the triggers and aids described above, but also want to get to the bottom of the cause, then I recommend the book Saving Your Own Skin by Vollmeyer and Fricke, published in Balance Verlag or the book in my skin by Bäumer and Schubert, published by Mabuse Verlag.