r/CompulsiveSkinPicking

So i know that there's already been a lot of discussion around plugs that appear in healing wounds on here.

But i still wanted to share my experience and ask, if someone can relate to this.

i get these weird deep acne spots that i pick at and ofc the inflammation worsens after that.

But swear to god - there comes a point where theres a visible plug in these kind of spots, and the spot will sting, hurt and itch like crazy - until i remove the plug.

They will NOT heal or close until the fkin plug is out - and as soon as its out, it doesnt sting anymore, then inflammation is gone and heals up in a few days.

I've used hydrocolloids on spots like these and the spot will close - but i'll keep stinging when i touch it and the dark spot wont really fade cause now the plug is trapped under healed skin.

Anyone got the same problem? I think it might be cystic acne - either a keratin plug or hair follicle?

But these are like my worst enemy cause nothing helps besides getting the plug out which means i have to open them and sometimes reopen 'healed' skin where the plug was still inside.

So how tf am i supposed to not touch them when nothing apart from ripping the plug out will help?

Its not the same as wound healing plugs. Anyone can relate?

I didn’t know I had an actual self harm problem till last month. I’ve been doing it since I was around 10. I’m 21 now (also undiagnosed neurodivergent, but en route for it now, discovered last year).

It started as fixing imperfections and sensory stuff and became something that completely consumed my body and nervous system. I pick everywhere:
face, neck, shoulders, chest, stomach, sides, thighs, calves, back, arms, backside. Some areas are especially bad because I repeatedly went over the same skin for years.

There are places where the skin genuinely changed colour or texture permanently. Some spots became white and scarred because I damaged the skin barrier so badly over and over again. I have hyperpigmentation everywhere, scarring everywhere, open wounds half the time, bleeding, swelling, infection anxiety, shame, sensory obsession, compulsive checking, all of it.

I’ve never really worn the clothes I wanted to wear because of it. Never felt comfortable in my body. Never felt feminine or desirable. I avoid mirrors but also obsessively check mirrors. I isolate because of how ashamed I feel physically.

Sometimes I’m not even upset while doing it; it feels regulatory, sensory, compulsive, self-soothing and self-destructive at the same time. I’m doing it, but can’t stop myself. Other times I’m dissociated HARD.

And then afterwards I feel horror. Especially because I already struggle with:
• dissociation/depersonalisation
• possible AUDHD (Autism/ADHD)
• severe anxiety/depression
• chronic self-hatred
• poor interoception
• emotional abuse history
• isolation
• body image issues
• PCOS/HS/acne/eczema stuff

I genuinely think this disorder has shaped my entire identity and how I interact with people. I don’t let people touch me comfortably. I’m terrified of intimacy. I compare myself constantly to girls with clear skin/bodies that weren’t destroyed by years of compulsions and stress.

This feel like addiction + compulsion + dissociation + self harm + sensory regulation all mixed together.
I honestly don’t know what my body would look like if I’d been left alone emotionally growing up.
I think part of me was trying to erase myself for years.

If anyone else experiences excoriation disorder at this level, especially alongside dissociation/neurodivergence/trauma stuff, I’d genuinely really appreciate hearing from you because I feel deeply alone in it.

My face hurts, is covered in scabs, on top of raised and painful, some oozing and bleeding bumps, looking crusty and disgusting under make up.

I am on my way home from work and I want to cry, thinking about how I will probably mess up my face even more like basically every night.

I have always struggled with picking, but now I literally squeeze my skin hard. It is not even satisfying (like it used to be when kind of inocently popping some whiteheads and clogged pores).

I just make wound fluid go out, only to stay coverrd in sores and spent hours on make up and feeling absolutely disgusting and embarrassed all day.

I tried getting help, but it is not available in an easy way and I feel too exhausted and burned out in general with life and work.

I desperately need some tips to give my skin a break right now. I know once it is more healed, I will have way less of an urge to pick

Hello,

I am doing a research study entitled “Marked by Pattern: Contextual and Site-Specific Patterns in Trichotillomania and Excoriation Disorder.” The purpose of the study is to examine Trichotillomania and Excoriation Disorder, particularly how contextual variables, such as the environment or activities, impact pulling and picking sites and whether co-occurring relationships exist between specific body sites, in adults using quantitative scales.
Participation would require about 4-8 minutes of your time to complete an online survey. To qualify to participate, you must be 18 years old or older, fluent in English, residing in the United States, and currently experience hair-pulling or skin-picking behaviors.
If you are interested in participating, please use this link and you will be presented the federally required Consent Form via Qualtrics with more info.

Sincerely,
Shelby Richardson
Abilene Christian University
sgr23c@acu.edu
Primary Investigator

Hi, I’ve posted in here like once ever before but I just feel like there’s nothing I can do to help myself like I’m a lost cause I cannot wrap my head around why I do this to myself.

I graduate tomorrow and I’m going to have my hair and nails done, I found a dress I like, my friends and family are going traveling to see me. And on top of that, my skin started looking clear just yesterday, right in time for graduation.

Today when I got back to my place I went to fix my makeup and that turned into me grabbing tweezers and dissecting the pores on my nose and chin for an hour and a half. My face hurts, it’s red, raw, bleeding, and I really messed up. Why did I do that.

I have spent well over thousands of dollars on skincare, dermatologist visits, aesthetics treatments, everything. I care SO much about my appearance and yet I throw it all away for. no. reason. It’s the same result every time, I always regret it and I come back and do it again why???

Even while my face was bleeding and I was so angry and frustrated I went to go look more to see if I missed any like what the hell is wrong with me.

ALSO. I’ve been on fluvoxamine for about a month now and I was hoping that would help with the OCD side of it a bit and honestly I feel like nothing has changed. I am not joking when I tell you I have tried everything. This is ruining my life.

Idk. I’m just crying now.

I have been skin picking for idk since i was 7 or even younger. Its hard to stop but mostly of my childhood I was always indoor and recently I started taking public transportation and my biggest fear is catching an std without any means of sex( i dont thinkid wanna have sex anyways) im scared of catching something accidentally like someone sneezing and the spit falling on my fingertips as i mostly atleast tiny open wound on my fingers where i skin pick. Or I know this is really dumb. At some point I was so convinced that I have an std even without any symptoms. I just thought i was asymptomatic. I cant get tested rn because im still a minor. Everytime I share my food with someone I have this fear of infecting them. Everytime I go out and get home, I feel like im infecting the areas i walk with the clothes i went out in. Even my hair feels nasty to me after i get home. I put on bandaids on open wounds on my fingers but im still scared that I have microcuts that idk about. Idek if stds work the way I think they do nor am I like a clean freak all the time. But man I really hate the feeling

Hey ya’ll. New here, but I’ve been picking at my pores for years. I used to pick for hours at a time, and it definitely used to be a huge insecurity and source of shame for me when I was younger, but much less so as I’ve grown.

From what I understand, the compulsion to pick usually comes from feeling anxious or distressed and the dopamine reward from the compulsion helps relieve it.

For me though, it’s always felt more “fun” than calming. I have ADHD and often feel restless and bored due to the lower baseline of dopamine. I don’t tend to pick when I’m anxious or distressed but I do feel that picking is something that sends me into a state of hyper focus and excitement. Like when you’re playing a video game and you just can’t stop. Just one more. And one more. Oh it’s so fun, just one more.

Maybe the dopamine does regulate me in a sense, but I’ve never related to picking to quell my anxiety. And I definitely do deal with a lot of anxiety. It usually just starts with me seeing or feeling a bump and then not being able to stop myself from having a field day! I’m wondering how many others relate.

i pick at my skin all the time but i also pick my nose
at the moment it’s quite red and sore and i’m scared to go get it checked out
i’ve read picking can cause a hole in your septum and i’m so scared and spiralling
i’m scared of getting judged if i go to a medical profesional
will a pharmacist be able to help with redness in the nose?

I'm 29, soon to be 30. I developed acne when I was 9 and have picked at my face and body ever since.

The acne cleared up when I was about 13/14 but I still picked at pores and sebaceous filliments.

About 2 years ago I developed 3 under the skin spots on my left forearm and went to town. I remember this specifically because I was doing my college Christmas exams and was very stressed. (I also got laryngitis as a result lol).

Since then, my shoulders/forearms are covered in scabs and spots. I have so many clothes I can't wear because they're so bad. I've been under a LOT of stress lately and have been picking at my face too.

I can't hide those scabs, unfortunately. The concealer clings to them and ointments don't work.

I hate doing this to myself but it's also SO satisfying. When the spot bursts out onto the mirror or onto my face (from my arms). It's such a thrill honestly. So much so that I will squeeze bloody scabs just in case they rupture onto the mirror.

I hate watching pimple popping videos, weirdly enough. Seeing someone else's grosses me out but not my own.

I've tried cutting my nails extremely short but still manage to squeeze (unsatisfyingly).

I did try false nails and it worked but I'm wondering if acrylics are the next step. I'm trying to save to leave home but may need to invest in this.

Edit: my arms are so bad that when I was brought into hospital because my back went out, the paramedics thought I had measles :(