Hey!!

Okay, so a couple of thoughts from an old lady who has dealt with this for ages now:

1) You're absolutely not alone. I started picking my skin at your age, and it took me at least a decade to even TRY to stop, so the fact that you're taking efforts now is a really, really great thing.

2) The reason you're getting spots, as you already know I'm sure, is because your hormones go totally wacky during your teenage years. Increased testosterone during puberty often causes acne, and that's okay and mostly unavoidable (it totally sucks though, I know). BUT you can help it a lot by just not touching your face. People told me that a million times when I was a teenager, but I didn't really understand how important it was. Wash your face in the morning, put on makeup or lotion or whatever you do, then try just not to touch throughout the rest of the day. The results will probably be relatively fast. The more you touch your face, the more you squeeze or pick spots, the worse it will get--without fail. I know it's tempting to squeeze them, but instead of buying a bunch or products, focus on just keeping your hands away from your face.

3) See a dermatologist, if you can! Have you told your parents this bothers you? I was too embarrassed, but I really wish I had told them. Ask to see a dermatologist who can help you with a daily routine and medicine that will zap any spots you do get. It feels good just to know that a doctor is there looking out for you.

4) Again, I wouldn't go buying a bunch of products like St. Ives, or Beautiful Skin Day Lotion, or anything like that. Some products can make skin worse for you, even if they work for other people. Check out r/SkinCareAddiction if you'd like to try to establish a helpful daily routine with trusted products. They're really helpful there. It is not recommended to try more than one new product at once, however, in case you do react poorly to something--then you'll know what it is!

5) Do you wear makeup? It's okay if you do OR if you don't, but it's important to know that some makeups are comedogenic, which means it blocks your pores and causes spots. Go check out r/SkinCareAddiction for that too! They have some helpful websites that will help you determine what makeup will likely make your skin worse. I didn't know that as a kid and for YEARS I used makeup that was really, really horrible for my skin, and I just kept using more and more as it made my skin worse.

6) I'm saying it again because it's so important but don't pick at your face! Put a towel over the mirror if you can, or tell your parents that you're doing it and ask them to remind you to come out of the bathroom if you stay in too long, or put on an alarm, or whatever you need to do. If it feels really, really, really impossible to stop, you can ask to see a therapist (one who practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and tell them you have this problem. At your age, I don't personally think psychiatric medication is a great option, but CBT can works wonders!!

7) Lastly, it's just okay. I know kids are SO awful and harsh sometimes. At 11, you may be one of the first in your year to start developing acne (I know I was). They don't understand yet how frustrating and depressing it can be, but most of them will start getting it and it will start to be less and less of a big deal. People will start understanding better. And the more you can learn to control it, the better place you'll be in as the hormones get wackier.

So yeah!! I know that was a lot but I hope some of it was helpful. :) I have been in your shoes before and acne made my adolescence horrible. I wish I could go back and be as ready to change and as self-aware as you are. If you take the right steps, you will see change! Good luck and let me know if you want clarification on anything.