dermatilomania (skin picking) - anyone have it? advice? make up solutions?

[frankie80]

does anyone else have this?

I've been picking the skin around my face since my teens. i thought it was just a bad habit but after hearing about dermatillomania, I now believe I have this.

I'm going to see my doctor on Tuesday for advice but I do worry she'll just dismiss it as a bad habit and not take me seriously (I don't realise i'm doing it most of the time so it's not like smoking, where you can just quit)

Also, its really hard to cover it up with makeup, so far clinique anti blemish is best but not 100% coverage. I'm very self concious about my scabs, especially as I work full time with very glamourous colleagues.

Any tips from those who have it as well would be appreciated. I want to stop and feel/look good.

Thanks

don't really have any advice, but wanted to wish you luck with the doctor. have you tried posting in general health? might be worth it.

Make sure that the mirrors in your home are not well-lit - i.e. light enough for make-up but not enough to see the imperfections on your skin.

Also, keep your nails very short, filed to the skin.

Do you do it at certain times of day? Just thinking, for example if it's usually in the evenings, at home watching TV, could you wear cotton gloves to prevent yourself picking? It might then help to break the habit as you'll feel the cotton on your face and stop yourself?

Yes, although more on my legs than anywhere else, having said that, I have permanent scars on most body parts now

It was not that long ago that I realised it was a condition that had a name either! Nice to have something to google and see you're not the only one though....

Tips I got - find something else to do with your hands, stress ball etc. wear gloves where possible. When you find yourself picking, really bring it to the forefront of your conscious and really think about what you're doing and tell yourself to stop.

I haven't got any make up tips I'm afraid as I generally just keep my legs covered and my face is not too bad. I actually barely touch my legs these days, certainly compared to what I used to do. I'm not really sure how that happened either, considering like you, it had been going on since m teens, so nearly 20 years!

Re legs - Do you wax or shave?

Shave mostly, epilate occasionally (am assuming that q was for me not op

Don't epilate or wax, just shave. There is much less to pick at on a shaved leg, because its hair regrowth doesn't make bumps on follicles or cause ingrown hair.

Cut nails short and file to the skin. Always use dark nail polish that will chip and look awful if you continue to pick.

thanks for these tips so far. I'm a bit wary of wearing gloves, it would be noticeable in the workplace (although my face is already noticeable).

I quite like having my nails long though, but cutting them very short is a good idea. I read somewhere that having false nails can also help by making it more difficult to pick?

I don't do my legs, just my face really and sometimes my chest. I scratch at my feet too.

The mirrors thing, I have a lot of mirrors in my house, in the bathroom its very big and very bright in there.

Change the light bulbs in your bathroom in particular but generally around/above your mirrors. Take some out, lower the intensity of others. If possible, arrange furniture such that it is not possible to come very close to those mirrors (I assume your face needs to be several inches from the mirror max to pick).

Even wearing gloves at home may help - it's all about breaking a habit.

I've picked for as long as I can remember at the skin around my finger nails. I've always got a bit that's picked at but it's much better now. I pick at my feet as well but less so. You have my sympathy as it's much more than a habit, it's a compulsion.

However mine is much better now than in the past although I always have a few red bits and scabs around at least a couple of nails. These are the things I think have helped:

1. It is linked with mood and it's definitely far worse when my mood is low. CBT and mindfulness are great - not aimed at the picking but it definitely subsides when I'm looking out for myself and am careful of my mood.

1. The skin that's pciked at gets little dry tags and scabs which are then irresistable to pick at, which results in more and more picking etc in a vicious cycle. Urea cream is brilliant at moisturising these tags away - when they aren't there, the skin isn't as exciting to pick at and I don't do it as much. For feet you need 50% urea cream like Flexitol Heel Balm. I bought a cheap 5% urea hand cream on holiday once and my skin picking almost disappeared as my skin was so good. Eucerin do loads of urea containing creams - this would definitely work for legs. I've no idea about face but worth a try?

1. For me gloves etc wouldn't work at all, it would just drive me insane. It isn't a 'habit' you can 'break'. However being busy with your hands helps - I never just sit and watch TV for example, I'd be knitting or sewing or mumsnetting If I have to just sit in a meeting I'll start picking or biting the inside of my cheeks - I can hold off for short periods of time but any longer I need a simultaneous activity to stop me.

I am another person who has this.
My fingers are terrible looking and I always pick at scabs and spots, over and over again.
I don't have any make up advice but I do find that slathering the scabs in Sudocrem helps them go away more quickly (I sometimes wear a mask of it to bed!). It also makes it less satisfying to pick when I'm covered in it.
I'd love to break the finger skin picking habit so if anyone has any tips?

I have this also. I didn't even realise it was a condition until very recently. I pick the skin around my fingers too, often it bleeds but I still can't stop. No advice I'm afraid but like others I have noticed its a lot worse at certain stressful times.

Kundry I'm similar to you I think? I bite the inside of my cheek too!

These repetitive actions are a kind of stereotypy and they can help release calming substances in the brain.

There are definitely specialist teams that can help you alongside support groups and your GP will need to do his job well and find you one. Have you tried looking online for support networks?

There are CMHT's that have HCPs interested in this kind of problem (Trichotillomania is linked) so you should be able to access some decent help and coping strategies.

Good luck!

My sister does that, it only helps if you keep your skin moisturised and there are less dry patches for you to pick up. Think of the damage you are doing to your appearance.

My sister does that, it only helps if you keep your skin moisturised and there are less dry patches for you to pick up. Think of the damage you are doing to your appearance.

I do think of it babysophierose, that's why I'm on here?

I cut my nails short last night, but it didn't work, I'm a bit stressed today as I have visitors coming and the place is a bit messy. I did however realise I was picking and stopped.

I've seen the posts above about hair pulling. I don't do that, but I do 'lose' a lot of hair? everyone comments on the amount of hair in the bath, you could make a wig from it. I wonder if hair loss is a stress thing? Its not noticeable by looking at me though as my hair is thick.

Hair loss would have another reason, possibly hormonal (do you have a small baby, around 3 months old?) or linked to your diet (have you been low-carbing or eating gluten-free?).

I pick the skin around my fingers and my neck. It goes in waves - I went through a phase of really attacking the skin on my upper arms but now it's shifted to my neck. I still get acne so I find myself unconsciously picking looking for spots

The thing that helps with my fingers is to keep nail varnish on all the time. If my nails look better, I'm less likely to pick the skin around them. If I'm having a bad patch I try to only pick one finger which I then cover with a plaster to heal. Definitely agree that loads of hand cream helps as well.

I have a top tip to significantly reduce skin picking around finger nails:

Get a manicure kit and do your own manicure. All you need is:
Cuticle cream
Cuticle cutter
Cuticle trimmer
and a nail file.

See YouTube for tutorials on how to do your own manicure. It's easy. I've been doing it for over 20 years.

This works on several levels: The manicure itself is deeply satisfying because it scratches the same psychological itch as picking at your nails, you end up with beautiful hands rather than bloody ones, and you are less likely to pick when they are soft and nicely maintained

As for daily maintenance: Keep your nails short, the skin around them moisturised through the day, and repeat the whole ritual as soon as the nail polish starts getting chipped and/or skin around the nails grows a bit. Use dark/color nail polish for best effect.

I have a 6 year old.

I'm doing weight watchers but my hair has been like this for years. As I said its not noticeable when you look at me as my hair is so thick, I have so much of it, but this morning for example, clearing the plug there was enough hair to make a wig!

kundry yes habit probably isn't the right word! but doing things like wearing gloves forces you to take an extra step in your mind and can help break the pattern a bit. To help my legs I used to wear leggings etc that were hard to roll up or down so similar to gloves for hands.

Believe me, I know all about compulsion. I always have short nails anyway, but if I couldn't get at something with my nails I'd use a pin or something to dig around instead..... It's rubbish.

Wearing gloves only works when the gloves are on. You will take them off outside the home, or even inside when cooking & cleaning, for example. Then the impulse to pick will kick in.