Obsessive skin picking!!!

[LukeSkywalkerBoots]

It’s iust dawned on me how badly I’m clawing at myself. I don’t care if I make my fingers sore or if they bleed. I bite the skin around my nails and the cuticles. I can’t stabd having cuticles. I attack them with my nails and tweezers to get them off. If even the tiniest bit of cuticle is there I have to rush straight to the tweezers, I literally cannot think about anything else til I’ve sorted it out. Ditto if I find a spot or blocked pore while scanning over my face with my fingertips. I scan through my hair and my neck and my face for anything I can pick at constantly. If there is anything I can attack I can’t do anything else til I’ve done that first.

I think I may have an issue.

For info purposes I’ve got a long history of anxiety and depression and self harm. I’ve seperated myself off from my family who put me through hell as a child and it’s been dreadful to deal with. Sometimes I get these surges of anger and irritability about it all.

Please be gentle. What do I do? And I’m on anti anxiety and anti depressant meds already.

I cant help, but your first paragraph describes me exactly. I don't really consider that I suffer with anxiety or depression, on the face of it, it's "just" a habit but I'm definitely worse when I'm anxious. My finger are very sore atm.

I believe it has a name and is considered a form of self harm.

Hopefully someone who understands will be along soon

Dermatillomania is what this is called - I think I have it too.

This is the NHS information on it.

Hi, I have this... I scan my body at least once everyday for any lumps or bumps to pick at. If I find any I will pick and dig whatever it is out. Sometimes it isn't really anything and I just make myself bleed. I have scars on my arms and face from digging and picking at my skin.

I have noticed that I tend to rush to my mirror when upset or angry it's like a release.

My work friends are always telling me to stop picking at myself as I'm always feeling around my hairline and behind my ears for bumps to pick. 😳

I have no idea how to stop I started this as a young teenager

I have this too, constantly chewing and picking and searching. Not sure what the answer is, I don't think I'm anxious but sometimes I wonder if I am. It comes in waves sometimes I'm bad for months at a time then good for ages.

My mum does it too and used to pick my spots as a teenager. Anyone else? I wonder if I learned it form her?

I am sometimes very tempted to bribe DC to let me have a go at theirs and have to have strong words with myself.

Me too. Dermatilamania. Go to your GP and get referred for CBT. I've picked since i was a child, I can control it much better now although I don't think I'll ever not pick.

I am awful for this. I have lots of scars on my face from where I have picked it. I have even had several rounds of microdermabrasion at great expense and then gone and picked it all again.

It's not a stress thing for me I don't think. Just habit. But one I can't stop.

I do this. My fingers are really sore right now as I’m stressed so it’s definitely a reaction to stress for me but never completely goes away when I’m not stressed. I want to stop it, but it will take a lot of time and effort and I’m not sure I can be bothered

Hello fellow pickers, I’m sorry you have this problem too. I feel like I literally can’t stop it- eg if I have a white head I have to run straight to the mirror and attack it immediately. The feeling is so strong to pick! The one thing I’ve found that helps a bit is putting moirturising gloves on my hands in the evening- it stops my fingers from wandering around looking for bumps and me biting lumps out of my fingers. Urgh.

I forgot to do that last night however and I’ve bitten my nails down so low that they’re sore and I’ve probably spread spot bacteria around my face from scanning.

We have a self-refer counselling service here so I’ll maybe try them, however they were once useless about a different issue so god knows if it’ll work.

I usually start the scars myself, I have been told its called Dermatitis artefacta

The definition is - Dermatitis artefacta (DA) is a skin condition caused entirely by the actions of the patient on the skin, hair, nails or mucosae.

The patient has full insight, but hides the responsibility for their actions. Deliberate self‐harm differs from dermatitis artefacta in that patients will often take responsibility.

I dont agree with this but I am also classed as a SH so can I be both? Who knows, to me its only labels?

TRIGGER WARNING - photos of wounds on the link

www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/self-harm-non-accidental-injury-and-domestic-violence-cutaneous-features

I have this! Started when I was 11 but wasn’t diagnosed until 24. I was referred for CBT but the therapist had no experience of dermatillomania so just skimmed past that altogether. Antidepressants didn’t help either (although they did relieve some of my general anxiety)

What finally did it for me, after 16 years of suffering, was to start getting acrylic nails. Because they have a blunt edge, I can’t pick my skin. The first couple of weeks was excruciating because I was desperate to pick but couldn’t, but my whole impulse started to fade after a while.

It’s been 3 years now and I’ve never looked back. There’s one area I still manage to pick, but it’s nothing like before. I’m no longer scarred, bleeding and in pain. Plus my nails look nice and I get compliments on them all the time!

It sounds silly but acrylic nails have absolutely changed my life. I only wish I’d done it sooner

Hi,

Unfortunately this is, similar to actions like hair-pulling etc, considered self-harm.

One suggestion might be to really try and pamper your hands - so really try and moisturise and give your hands a chance to heal. So whenever you feel like picking at them, maybe try rubbing your nails and cuticles with a nail oil and/or moisturiser instead?

@aquiver That’s a good idea, I’ve got a nail buffer and hand cream so I’ll leave those with my moisture gloves and try to do a whole thing with that instead of picking.

Good luck @LukeSkywalkerBoots 

I have this too. Arms, legs and chest covered in marks and scars. Scalp and face too when I'm stressed, and cuticles a mess. Also chew the inside of my mouth constantly to the point of causing sore patches and ulcers. Didn't even realise it was a "thing" until quite recently.

I dont even realise often that I am doing it, I can be chatting to someone and I feel a spot and will just squeeze with 2 hands mid conversation and carry on just like nothing has happened,

My partner has had to swat me off him many times, I recall one day on the main street in big town nearest us, going down the street, I pulled him in for a hug and kiss and in a second, I popped the whitehead I had spotted before he realised how "romantic" I was really being

I do this, but not to my body or limbs. I will to my face and used to to my nails. The worst of it for me is the inside of the mouth. I'd like to be able to stop it but a lot of it is subconscious.

I have Aspergers. I don't know if that's connected but I suspect so.

I have dermatillomania too and sometimes it's an absolute nightmare. I got put on escitalopram for my anxiety a couple of years ago which I do think has helped somewhat. I also find taking real care of my skin with a routine full of little treats (masks etc) has reduced my picking, mainly because there is less to pick at and it forces me to think more about my skin/how delicate it is. As someone said above though, I can't see myself ever stopping entirely

I do this, compulsive skin picking and hair pulling, part and parcel of my GAD. I'm currently sporting sudecrem over 4 fingers and over my face/neck. I've done it as long as I can remember, I used to spend hours plucking my legs/pubic hair as a teen and my face is constantly marked/scarred (I have acne and hairy too so both contribute to the picking/tweezing). I've had my fingers lanced on more than one occasion due to infection from biting my cuticles too much. I will tear the skin off with my teeth and will continue till it's flat - I've taken to carrying around a nail clipper with me to get the snags off rather than me ripping further. Unfortunately nothing has helped me with the picking, the only thing that helped my fingers was painting my nails nicely and using moisturiser, but this doesn't seem to be a deterrent anymore.

Best thing to do would be to see your GP about therapy or anxiety medication.