Attacking Your Face
Acne spots and scars aren’t always caused by factors under our radar or outside of our direct control, sometimes we cause them deliberately. The routine of “attacking your face”, whether as a compulsive habit or a means of misguided stress relief, is unfortunately quite common.
A person’s skin may not even be so bad to start out with, but rather than walk away from the mirror, they compulsively start searching for a new zit to pop. Often this means running your fingers over your face, feeling for a bump that cannot even be seen on the surface. Attempts at prematurely popping deep and barely noticeable acne pustules often lead to a horribly pockmarked face the next day.
Many people turn to attacking their face after having a stressful day, while others are driven by a compulsive sense of perfection with regards to their skin. Either way, attacking your face can become habitual, much like an addiction. This is not a case of popping pustules that are obviously swelling on the surface of your skin, attacking your face is a psychological need to gain the satisfaction of popping a zit, even when none need be popped. As with any psychological compulsion, the best remedy is to start by recognizing the behavior. Realize what you’re doing, and take the time to really consider the consequences.
An effective acne treatment can help take away the object of temptation, but someone who wants to find imperfection will usually do so. You have to fight the compulsive need to find those flaws in the first place. For the one zit you may prevent by attacking your face, five more will become swelled and irritated, and you will always come out looking worse off. Commit to shaking the habit by (1) recognizing the behavior, (2) making a conscious decision to walk away from the mirror, and (3) finding something constructive to occupy your attention or relieve your stress (such as exercise or…blogging!).
