r/Dermatillomania

i dont use a mirror so i cant just cover those(i use tiktok camera as it zooms in) i have tried to keep the light out in my roon but i just end up pulling my blinds up

i pick at black heads,pimples,closed comedones, anything like that,i throw away my tools but i will just find something else (tweezers,clay sculptung tools,the end of a hair clip,the corner of plastic packaging)

nothing will get rid of my blackheads,acne scars,pimples,ect

its all over my body(back,arms,legs,chest,i even picked at my ingrowns on my pubic area)

anything will help

About 6 weeks ago I did two Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) specifically targeting my skin picking. I don't wnt to jinx it but so far I am seeing success and I want to share my experience.

A bit about me. I'm in my early 40s and I started picking the skin on my fingers when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I became aware of my picking when I was 8. I vividly remember sitting on the floor, hands stretched out behind me keeping me upright while my teacher read a book. I looked at my outstretched fingers and noticed they were bleeding. I instantly felt embarassed and ashamed. From that point on, I'd look at peoples fingers to see if they picked too. I would keep my hands crunched into fists to avoid showing people my fingers. No matter how hard I tried... I could. Not. Stop.

So flash forward 35 years and I am working with my therapist to deal with some complex PTSD stuff and notice that EMDR is working... so I think, "hey! Maybe this will work for my dermatillomania??" I discuss effectiveness with my therapist and as it turns out, it can definitelu help! So... we did it!

We started by going back to when I first noticed the picking... and tried to figure out when it actually started. Tbh, I really can't pin point an exact time, but it would make the most sense if it started when I became aware that my mom was too mentally ill to really care for me, and when my parents divorced. .

EMDR for prolonged neglect is different than EMDR for acute events. Basically, we needed to access a feeling rather than a moment in time. So, yeah... I accessed a feeling and visualized myself as a young girl and did the EMDR focusing on that feeling while also keeping in mind my picking.

I noticed immediately that I was not picking as much... I also noticed more easily when I WAS picking, because well... you all know how automatic and mindless the whole thing is. I'm now about 4 weeks from my last skin picking focused EMDR session and noticing a significant improvement. I am now working on healing the damaged skin which has become hypopigmented and looks a lot like scar tissue.

Instead of picking, I am obsessively oiling my fingers with a homemade jojoba oil mixture, putting cicaplast on at night under bandages, and giving myself multiple manicures a week. Unfortunately, I don't have before pictures and would love to post an "after" photo but I don't know how???

Feel free to ask me about my experience!

I’ve struggled with chronic skin picking for 8 years and have many dark hyperpigmentation/scars all over my legs/arms.
I will be maid of honor in my best friend’s black-tie wedding next month, and my dress has a high slit showing my most scarred leg/thigh. With it being black-tie and the bride/her friends being all actual goddesses, I want to feel just as beautiful & confident and not be haunted/worried about any visible scars in pictures/videos.

**I have committed to using super good skin products to rebuild skin barrier, brighten, smooth bumps & scar reducer cream and all that jazz — specifically: avene circa cream, bioderma oil cleanser, bio-oil and skin tape w silicone) these are my long term solutions **

In short I need advice on:

-Body makeup/foundation recommendations: Transfer-proof formulas with great coverage that won't ruin a formal gown. Budget is open - willing to spend $$ for a really good product.

-Self-tanner: Does a fake tan help even things out, or will it cling to and darken the scars?

-High-impact scar fading products: Any holy-grail brighteners/treatments (budget is open). What is your best routine that you’ve seen work wonders?

-Laser treatments: is it effective or not for scars of all age (new or old)? Couldn’t do this before wedding but curious of the results people have with laser treatments.

Also please drop your fav scar/skin rebuilding products too.
No gate-keeping here!!!!
Skin tape & long nails have been my biggest saviors.

✨HUGE Shoutout to this subreddit for showing me I’m truly not alone in this struggle. I was in denial for a long time and it got worse and worse. this group really helped wake me up and help lessen my picking sprees ✨

Please help. It’s bad. The scabs on the back of my neck are finally almost healed from me picking my skin too scabs formed. (29 F)

Does anyone struggle with picking dry skin of outer ear 👂 ? if so , have you found anything to help , apart from willpower 🤣🙏

Shit shit shit I really did too much this time it hurts and it’s oozing and bleeding and ugh it’s going to be worse tomorrow and harder to resist picking at later. I knew I shouldn’t and I couldn’t stop myself and now I feel so dumb and ashamed and it hurts so much.

I’m so tired of the way my skin looks and having wounds and scars. I’m making a post so I commit and hold myself to quitting this. I feel like if I tell someone other than just myself in my head “I’m going to stop” it might have more of a result. That’s usually how these things are for me.

If anyone has any tips for quitting skin picking I’d greatly appreciate it

I keep seeing habit apps for nail biting pop up and I'm curious if they do anything for you, do they help?

Did logging every bite feel useful? or were there any features that actually change anything for you (reminders, photos, streaks, whatever)?

I need some help, I genuinely cannot stop picking at my acne, but I also do it with completely ordinary skin bumps..

In "short", I don't even need to be looking in a mirror, if I feel a bump under my fingers, I'll automatically start scratching at it, sometimes without even realizing I'm doing it, and it happens all over my body, my face, neck, shoulders, back, thighs, legs, arms, basically everywhere.

Sometimes I end up using extremely harsh skincare products (and even hydroalcoholic gel ??) on my face to the point where my skin becomes really dry and starts peeling, because for some reason I'm much less likely to scratch when my skin is very dry or burning.

I also sometimes use a needle on any bump I can feel because it feels less destructive than scratching it I guess, but unfortunately I sometimes end up doing it until it bleeds.

A little unrelated, but I also wash my hands constantly before and after scratching throughout the day, so my hands have become extremely dry and irritated too...

I know this sounds extreme, but I've genuinely never managed to stop. I've been doing this for years and it's exhausting, it's really destroying what little self-esteem I have.

I'm also autistic (diagnosed), and I don't know whether that could be related to this behavior in some way, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Does anyone have any advice for breaking these habits..?

Hello, I was hoping I could get some advice about how to heal skin-picking wounds- down there, to be specific.

I am an 18-year-old female, and I have struggled with severe skin picking since I was nine. Around the age of 14, I began plucking hairs and digging holes into my private area (in addition to everywhere else).

I have struggled with this for a long time; however, I have found coping strategies, and I got medicated! Over the years, I've noticed it's much easier to heal the skin I've picked on any other area of my body- not my private area, though.

It's embarrassing to talk about because it looks very off-putting. I have so many scars and tunnelling, but that's not the biggest problem. I have large pus-filled bumps all over my vaginal area now that I have been picking less. I do not know how to go about draining or healing these spots.

I hope to have them heal in some months; I don't want to carry these bumps and scars deep into adulthood. I've never worn a bikini because of the skin down there; I fear the thought of intercourse because of how awful it looks.

I had been to a dermatologist before, and they did not know what to do.

I have decided to start using a hot compress, but I feel sort of clueless- it feels like I am the only one with this issue.

Any advice would be appreciated- I am desperate to try and fix this.

I am VERY rough with my picking till I bleed which I’m sure many relate too. Then it scabs over for days. Unfortunately my main picking area is my face so when it scabs I’m of course very insecure. Does anyone have any advice on ways/products that will help me heal the scabbing after picking fast?

been dealing with dermatillomania forever. cant really treat it as other stuff bother me more.
it manifests in every blemish or scratch must be bleeding so it feels better. pimple? if it doesnt bleed, its not popped. wound? not bleeding, not satisfied. bug bite? you get it by this point.

every time i get a new tattoo i scab, no matter what (my skin is just prone for that). i cant help with the urges to pick and scratch it, so i do it as gently as i can and scratch only around the area as much as i can to avoid damage while it heals. currently on day 6 of the healing process and it feels like torture to my brain and body.

how do you guys handle the two weeks of not allowed to touch the tattoo except for when you do the daily aftercare? any life hacks / tips would be greatly appreciated as im slowly losing my mind and patience. thanks!

DISCLAIMER!!! im NOT asking for medical advice, just some ways others have helped them limit their picking that might work for me <3

hi all! i’m new to this subreddit, so sorry if this is repetitive but i have a compulsive skin picking issue and hair pulling problem. It’s definitely ocd related but part of it is also a stim for my anxiety and panic disorder.
I know it looks different for everyone but mine is pretty bad and i will pick until i have open sores on my face. (I take the precautions and clean the areas, sanitize hands, etc.)
I’ve tried hydrocolloid patches and those only work if i put a bandaid over it so i can’t see the patch. Even then i cant stand the bumps on my skin, it drives me mental.
I’ve spoken to a counsellor and she told me to see a psychiatrist, but my insurance won’t cover an evaluation and allow me to keep seeing her, which i need counselling weekly or bi weekly.
i have an appointment with a dermatologist in november but i really need suggestions on how people curb their urges or even just limit the picking.

Hello!

I’ve read about many products for helping blemishes after skin picking but I’m not sure what order/stage to use each in.

Could anybody be help out? I just wrecked my chest and back again and really want to help clear it. I’ve read about Nexacare Tegaderm, hydrocolloid, bio oil, exfoliating etc but don’t know when to use each (or other recs if you have them please share!!) Please indicate each stage and what you use:

1. Fresh wound stage: open wound - bandage?? A cream? Moisutrizer?

2. Healing/scabbing phase

3. Post scab/ hyperpigmentation

4. Scar

Thank you for all your help!!

So I was thinking of getting a remote controlled shock collar for myself. Reason being is that I have dermatillomania. It's got really bad recently, I have sores all over my face which is giving me staph infections. I got tonsillitis which I believe came from that and also a stye which is hurting my eye. I'm taking antibiotics to treat the tonsillitis right now. Ive had a lot of scars from a young age due to repeatedly picking wounds. I've tried a lot of methods to stop picking at my skin but none seem to work. I'm starting to wonder whether I should wear a shock collar and hand the remote to someone I'm hanging out with at the time and explain to them that they should shock me if they see me picking at my skin. I have questions though. Is it safe? I wasn't planning on wearing it around my neck because I know that can be risky but is it safe to have on around your arm or leg. Is there anything else I could try beforehand to try and stop my skin picking. Any advice would be great, I feel really stupid for asking and even considering a shock collar but I need to change my behaviour for my safety this time

I came back to work from my 2-week vacation this week. I knew that I would have to prepare for a big presentation for this coming Tuesday.

It’s a big presentation for me since I’m only a term employee at my job and this presentation will showcase my work to people from other organizations. It’s a good opportunity for networking.

Overall, I did pretty well at not picking my skin over my vacation other than on a couple of days.

This week, I relapsed in a bad way. My face hasn’t been a focus of my picking in such a long time. Instead, it’s been in really weird but non-visible areas to others, like tweezing my armpit hair, nipple hair, etc. But Thursday night, I picked at my face severely. I was in the washroom, standing hunched over and picking at really non-noticeable pimples and tiny clogged pores for 3 hours. I now have open scabs all over my face and I have one right below my lip that is so sore.

I now have the added stress of:
- not picking further
- hoping things heal enough by Tuesday morning to have my makeup cover it, and
- knowing that I’ll be self-conscious watching if people’s eyes glance at my scabs.

Anyways, all this to say I feel like this is a pattern I have when important life events, especially those that include socializing with others, lead me to have these severe picking episodes, more often than not on my face.

I don’t know if it’s self-sabotage or if it’s the intense pressure I put on myself to make sure I look/conduct myself as perfect as possible for these events that makes my brain do the same exact opposite.

It’s so so frustrating and exhausting.

Does anyone else experience the same thing?

been dealing with dermatillomania for years and i thought i had it mostly figured out. i know my triggers, i know my patterns, i have strategies. but lately it's been getting worse and i couldn't figure out why. i was picking so much more than usual. like every time i sat down to work or watch something my hands would just go to my scalp and i wouldn't even notice until my scalp was sore.

finally realized it was because my scalp was itchy and flaky. i thought it was just dry skin from winter. but it was constant. and the itch was the thing triggering the picking. like my brain was like hey there's something wrong here go fix it and my hands interpreted that as pick.

i tried moisturizing and oils but nothing helped. my mom actually gave me this anti dandruff shampoo and conditioner to try and honestly my scalp feels so much better. less itch, less flaking, less redness. which means i'm picking less too.

i know it sounds obvious. of course if your scalp is irritated you'll pick at it. but i honestly didn't make the connection until i fixed the problem and the picking went down.

the thing that frustrates me is how long it took me to figure this out. i spent weeks wondering why i was picking more when the answer was right there. it's like my brain just didn't connect the physical sensation to the behavior. anyway. just wanted to share in case anyone else is dealing with the same thing. sometimes the trigger is something you're not even thinking about.

Just kidding, I'm a fucking idiot and it hurts.

Hey so i have been picking my legs for many years now. Recently around 3 to 4 months back i have stopped picking so vigorously . I am on medication and i take paroxetine. But i really dont see the marks fade on my legs. And this is demotivating me to stop picking. Please someone kindly help as to how i can fade those marks. I too want to wear dresses like all my friends😔