Picking at pimples

Anonymous
DS has recently started getting pimples, and I’ve noticed that he picks at them a lot. I’ve gently tried to tell him he shouldn’t because he’s making it worse (I can see that they are bleeding or have bled); he agrees, but he’s still doing it all the time. It’s not yet full-blown acne (I had that myself) but I’m worried he’s on that path with all the touching and picking of them. Two questions:

Can you offer any ideas for helping him stop?
Can you recommend an effective face-wash to rid him of (and prevent) the pimples?
Anonymous
Extraction tool is better than picking
Anonymous
Yes to the pimple patches. They are awesome
Anonymous
Honestly, I used proactive and it saved me because I was a big pimple picker. If I didn’t have acne, I didn’t pick.
Anonymous
Peace Out acne dots are the best for spots. Pricey but amazing. I’ve tried them all. I get a subscription through their site for 20% off and free shipping; Sephora also sells them. My kid can also use them. If the spot is covered, can’t pick.

I’d suggest seeing a Derm, and in the meantime use a simple cleanser like Vanicream free & clear and the stridex pads in the red box that are effective but not drying or irritating. And a super basic lotion like Cetaphil.
Anonymous
My god, both my sons do this. We are constantly saying “stop touching you face”. Even the dermatologist told them to keep their hands off their face (not prompted by me) so as not to spread the acne or scar.
Anonymous
What are you doing to treat the acne? If it was under control there would be less to pick at.
Anonymous
Just slap his hands away.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:My god, both my sons do this. We are constantly saying “stop touching you face”. Even the dermatologist told them to keep their hands off their face (not prompted by me) so as not to spread the acne or scar.


Slap a pimple patch on there. It stops the picking.
Anonymous
If your son picks at them more at specific times-for my daughter I noticed it is when she is watching tv-you could try giving him a fidget so he has something else to do with her hands. My daughter randomly picked up her younger brother’s pop-it one day when we were watching tv and started playing with that. On the plus side, no zit picking. On the minus side, annoying popping noises. I will still take it as a win.
Anonymous
The hydrocolloidal patches are amazing. Clears them up and you can't pick them if they are covered.
Anonymous
Agree that the pimple patches are amazing, but I recommend taking him to a dermatologist to get started on effective preventative treatment. I took my daughter when she started getting small breakouts on her forehead and it made a huge difference. It's good to get started before it gets worse.
Anonymous
I pop every pimple I get and they drive me crazy until I do. I think not touching them at all would be torture. I use clean hands and an extractor and I’ve learned when not to mess with them and when it’s okay.
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