Any other compulsive skin pickers out there? (Dermatillomania)

[Flingmoo]

Reading through the sporn thread full of juicy pus stories has reminded me how stupid my skin picking is, as I'm not even squeezing proper spots. I tell myself I'm squeezing spots but really I'm just picking at almost-invisible pimples and blemishes leaving a horrible red or bleeding mark which looks a lot worse.

It doesn't help that I have lots of tiny pimply bumps all over my face, arms and chest. I know they're barely visible to anyone else unless they looked really closely but I do wish I had smooth skin, I don't think I'd feel the urge to pick so much if there weren't all those little bumps to pick at.

DH sometimes stops me from doing it and I find myself quite agitated as I feel compelled to keep going.

Sometimes when I'm in front of the mirror doing it I tell myself "you should stop, you're not doing any good, you're just ruining your face" but I can't stop. I guess part of me feels like I'm creating a smooth base for makeup to go on and cover up all the marks. But it's just creating more scabs which look just as horrible with or without concealer caked on top.

Sigh I'm letting it all out now but better stop rambling... Any other MNers out there with this issue or just me?

I had this problem for years, as long as I can remember really. I used to keep scabs open for months and months as a child, even unsightly ones on my face. I got beth agitated if anyone saw me picking and told me to stop, though. My fingers would be raw round the wicklows too.

So I understand! It was only after I read on here of a few "people like me" that I even realised it was "a thing". My dh once said it was an addiction, which was a real shock.

Bizarrely, the last really bad episode I had was when I was pg. Since dd arrived (2y 7mo ago) it hasn't been anything like as bad. Maybe the first few months I was so busy that I didn't have time and gradually I kind of lost the impulse!

Is this why I pick and bite my lips??? I've done it when stressed for years.

Used to be horrendous. Now only when I'm stressed.

Ironically, when I'm not doing it people say I've got lovely skin.

I do it and am a face picker like you. I have been doing it for 20 years

I went to an amazing GP btw who pretty much cured me overnight. I keep meaning to write and thank him but it was nearly 15 years ago now.

How did he cure you MrsMorton ?

I'm not sure tbh. He took it seriously, explained it was a type of OCD, listened and made it seem like it wasn't all in my head. I don't know really but I slowly stopped doing it badly from the day I saw him. Sorry.

Ooh yes, I do exactly what you describe op, and have done since I was at least a teenager. It drove my parents bonkers and now it drives me a bit bonkers because I know its ridiculous, but its a compulsion. ort of glad Im not alone.

Has anyone tried or considered hypnosis?

Not face, but I pick, bite and cut the sides of my thumbs and cuticles until they bleed.

With DH I have started to recognise the triggers and put plans in place for containing it. I regularly have 2-4 fingers plastered up though

Oh I do this but I didn't know it was a thing.

I do this with my thumbs. Definitely more when stressed. Wish I could stop as it looks horrible and is quite sore

I find if I keep my nails painted I do it much less. Ditto the face - keeping it smooth with microfibre cloth washes & moisturiser helps.

I do this to my scalp. I have scabs on my scalp which have been there for months, I never let them heal. I only do this badly when I stop biting my nails. This time around I seem to have stopped biting my nails for good, it's been over a year. But the downside is I wreck my scalp, I can't seem to achieve any sort of equilibrium without some form of harm. My scalp is a mess and I have actual bald patches now :(

Glad I'm not the only one here with this annoying habit. The worst part is sometimes I'll go for quite a while and not do it, then I'll get PMT which means 2 of the absolute worst triggers for it multiplied together: 1. Breaking out with pimples/blemishes due to hormones 2. Being generally stressed which I think causes me to do it more.

If I didn't pick and scratch at all the tiny blemishes the horrible hormonal skin would probably return to normal within a few days. But because I pick it, it'll be bad for 2 or 3 weeks. Leaving about one week each month for it to heal up and look a bit better, then the whole cycle starts again!

The amount of money I have spent on primers and foundations to try and cover it all up!