Skin picking

[Penguinwaddler]

I've recently gone through a separation and have fallen into bad habits - one of them is skin picking. My scalp is so sore but I can't stop picking at the scabs. I'm not too sure what to do to stop this, has anyone else been through something similar?

@supersonicspider I looked at a questionnaire that is used in diagnoses and started answering the questions...I also realised my youngest had it.

I'm a skin picker but it's recent - since my DH had his stroke and I became his 24/7 carer which I combined with wfh for 6 hours a day. It's been too stressful and I retire from work at the end of this month. Whether that will help the picking I don't know.

I get sebhorreic dermatitis on my scalp and I scratch and pick that. I pick any scabs over and over, and worst of all I had a bad allergy attack last January and the skin inside my nostrils became raw and scabbed. I've been picking the scabs ever since. It gets so sore that I'm almost crying as I pick and in my head I'm screaming at myself.

My GP's response was that maybe I should tie my hands together at night. I think she was joking but I can't be sure since that was the sum total of her advice and treatment.

I'm listening to self hypnosis anti-stress thingies at night, and hopefully retiring will reduce the stress load but every time I feel remotely stressed about anything I automatically pick. Scalp, nose, any other sore place - just dig, dig, dig until it's bleeding and raw.

Sorry to hear that @FlipFlops4Me no doubt stress is the major factor in your situation but your GP’s response really underlines how misunderstood the condition is, throwaway comments like that don’t help.

To those wondering about the links with ADHD, I did an online questionnaire which indicates that I have ADD. Apparently it’s massively underdiagnosed in women because they are more likely to have the inattentive rather than the hyperactive kind.

press on nails. You can’t pick with them on.

I found the artificial nail thing worked also. I got them to cover my short weak nails and motivate me to stop picking the skin around them.
They also took away most of the ability/satisfaction to pick anything else as I couldn't really feel anything.

Acrylic nails are the only thing that stops me - I still pick but they don't lift the skin.

I'm the same
Sudocrem really helps with the sores and also stops me from picking at whatever I've just put it on
Sick of it
Can't remember a time in my life I didn't pick

Skin picking is a stress related automatic action controlled by the subconscious mind - you don't usually do it consciously. Like phobias, it responds very well to hypnosis as the mind believes, at the moment, that it's an appropriate response to moments of distress. By resetting or retraining the subconscious it can be stopped within 2 or 3 sessions.

I managed to wean myself off the scalp by tying my hair in such a way that it was harder - or at least reminded me not to. It took years. I sometimes have to wear a plasters on picking sites on my arm. Unfortunately face, nose and neck are fair game but at least they come and go and are not longstanding scabs.

@fedup078 same here, lifelong picker and sudocrem is my best friend 🙈

I am awaiting assessment for adhd and I do this too, mainly my fingers and feet. I also periodically chew the inside of my mouth - so if I get an ulcer or accidentally bite my inside of my lip for instance, that triggers a cycle where I chew it to make the surface smooth and then as it heals and feels rough or uneven I'm constantly chewing it so it's flat. It's the same with my skin picking it's a texture thing so if I feel any bumps or snags like blemishes or scabs or scratches in my skin I start to pick at them and the cycle is self perpetuating. It's hard to stop I've done it my whole life as far as I can remember (I'm 39).

Hi @Arsewangry, that sounds really familiar, I’ve got an ADD assessment next week. Good luck with yours!

We should set up a pickers anonymous support group
I have a nice new scar on my chin from last week
I literally can't even go one day without picking I just can't do it. Every time is 'the last time' and I'm usually picking as I'm thinking this
I think I'm lucky I have really greasy skin as it stops the scarring from being as bad as it could be

Might this product help...
Sensory 'pick n peel' stones

picknpeelstones.com/

As PP have said, it's called Dermatillomania, often found along side trichotillomania (hair pulling) and is a form of OCD and BFRB (body focused repetitive behaviour). There's also skin excoriation, which is similar.
I don't remember a time when I didn't do both of these and they fricking suck. My main areas are my fingers and my feet. I've literally hobbled around before today, when I've picked my feet so badly that it hurts to even stand up.

There are some schools of thought which suggest that NAC can help with symptoms, like these: wwww.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-n-acetyl-cysteine-600mg-60018869

I've never tried NAC but some research and first hand reports suggest that it could help

(I'm neither a health professional nor work for H&B)

@fedup078 what a great idea, it always helps to feel less alone no matter what you’re struggling with.

@YellowLemonshade I love that that product exists but don’t think I could be trusted with that hooky looking instrument 😂

@WeeOrcadian ouch, my mum struggles with picking her feet too. Interesting about NAC, I have heard of different amino acids being used for other mental health issues so that would make sense.

Well it's 11:11 and so far I haven't picked which is actually a massive achievement for me
I put some concealer on which I think is helping me not touch so I don't wipe it off

Well done @fedup078

Maybe we could use this thread as a distraction? It’s such an unconscious habit for me that anything that brings self-awareness to it is welcome!

Yeah unfortunately it didn't last very long

OP and others, how are you getting on?

I posted in a different thread around the same time as this one that I'd nearly conquered my scalp picking. Unfortunately I've fallen back into it 😔can have several days of not doing then do it again (a lot on a bad day like yesterday). I know the situation/time of day it happens in so think I need to start picking up crafts to keep my hands busy. Might try the stick on nails, have never used these before.

I haven't tried tracking days I do it for a long time, maybe I'll start and it might give me some motivation to see how many days I can refrain.

I started ADs again last year and had some talk MH sessions on the phone but it only partly helped. The MH people didn't seem familiar with body focused/picking conditions.

@rainbowninja thank you for the IG account, have followed it.

Hi @HelloMist,

It’s nice to hear from you, I am also still struggling with skin picking. I also seem to have a sort of OCD/perfectionism issue and I feel like somehow it is all linked. I also find there is not that much out there in the way of support but did come across another helpful instagram account recently and noticed that there is an online course you can do for skin picking/hair pulling. I haven’t gone as far as joining and I don’t know the cost but at least someone is talking about it!

www.cbtschool.com/bfrb-school

I have always picked at the skin around my thumb nails since I was a child. Find it hard to stop!

I've done this since I was a child - I pick the skin around my thumbs/fingers until they're raw and bloody, and also my scalp. I too have ADHD, diagnosed fairly recently.

Best thing I've done for myself is having my nails done with gel every 3 weeks - the builder gel makes my nails thicker, so it's much harder to pick. Plus they look so nice and cost money, so I don't want to ruin them with manky, scabby fingers.

I still find myself doing a minor pick of my thumb when I'm stressed, but it's so so much better than before and never bleeds or breaks the skin. It's a real luxury, but for me has been a game changer.

I've started having laser treatment
Expensive but I hope it stops me picking and helps my scaring

I've also picked the skin around my fingers for as long as I can remember. Linked to anxiety and perfectionism for me. It's very painful and the only thing that stops me from doing it is having shellac on my nails!