Compulsive Skin Picking (face, arms, legs, and body)

[JamesParty]

(THIS IS NOT AN ACNE PROBLEM!)
I have a really clean face and body, I just destroy every piece of it by doing this.

Well here, let me tell you my story. I'm 17 years old, the typical high school teen.I have the compulsion of looking in the mirror and standing there for hours looking at every pore on my face then picking. Then it over turned to my whole body, its gotten way worst since I begun doing this since 1 1/2 years ago. Its been putting me down a lot then turning into depression because I can't wear short sleeves or shorts in public without someone noticing i have multiple scabs, bumps, blemishes going everywhere and questioning me about it. I hate this because I thought it was nothing at first, but when I started noticing marks, scars, bumps and never healing scabs that were left after picking or messing with, its become embarrassing. I miss having a clear/clean body and face, but its like a urge to me. Its like an itch that has to be scratched, if you don't itch it, the urge will grow until so. So after I became aware of my problem, I took my time to see if other people had the same symptoms as me, and I actually found a bunch of people. Well I also found something called Compulsive Skin Picking. Which it is but if you search it up on Google, its more of a mental thing, not a hormone imbalance that a drug would take care of it. I recommend not to take any prescribed drugs for this problem, because I can already tell you NONE will work. Probably just a medication that would mess with your mind or make you depressed. Try these helpful hints that I'm going to be trying out also...

When tempted to pick, care for your skin by applying a moisturizing lotion instead.

Cover or remove mirrors if they act as a trigger and get rid of all implements such as tweezers and pins used for picking.

Consider the use of artificial nails to make picking more difficult, it may work for some.

Wear rubber fingertips or cotton gloves whenever possible if you feel the urge to pick.

Try replacing some of the sensory aspects of skin-picking with a more desirable alternative. For example, keep an object by you that you can manipulate (squeeze or pull) such as a soft rubber ball.
( I play with a rubber band around my wrist to occupy my hands when the urge comes.)

Keep your hands busy with something else such as a puzzle or knitting.

If you bite the inside of your cheeks try eating crunchy snacks when you feel the urge to bite.

Reward yourself for making progress with some kind of treat.

As you gain more confidence gradually begin to expose your hands, arms, face or legs to others starting with family and friends. You will no doubt benefit from their support but at the same time the negative consequences of engaging in your habit will be increased.

If all fails, get advice on skin care. If you have a skin complaint see a dermatologist.
(I went to a bunch of doctors and all they give you is acne cream or something along that lines. Most of the doctors won't understand until you explain every little detail of you problem that your having so they can get an idea of whats happening.)

[weirdone15]

I'm a smoker and always sexually frustrated. I've been picking since I was really young. I don't remember when but before I was 10 years old.I started smoking at 11 years old. I masterbated as young as 7 years old. I wonder what happened to me when I  was growing up. I can't remember anything before I was 7 and barely remember much as I have a really bad memory even after that age.. 27 years old and still have the same habits.

[darwoodhurst1]

I am on Effexor and Wellbutrin an I have heard that Wellbutrin can cause some irritability and possibly anxiety.  It is used to help keep those of us on the depression meds that kind of make you blah.

I am trying to stop Obsessive Scalp Picking. It started when I was about 7 or so years old.  Never have been able to curb it fully.  Trying again now, hopefully I can kick it this time.

[MQRN]

Hi, I am 28 and have picking at my face since I was 19. I have lived most of my 20's in this depression caused by skin picking. However, I would have 'relapses' where I could go up to a month or even 2 (the most) with 'clear' skin. But, this last year it has been nonstop, no good days in a whole year. Every day I try to start anew and tell myself today will be the day you will stop and now I have a large one on my face that is not healing...I am going on vacation in 2 days and I don't even want to go. I wish there was something I could do to get my life back...

[Xx_simi_xX6]

Hi yes hello my people!!! Okay so like other's I feel relieved to read these words of yours cuz I'm 16 & have the exact same problem. I'm not sure why but I am addicted to picking at my skin (mostly my face/forehead) and in a word… I might even say I enjoy the sensation it gives me when I know I've successfully picked at a bump/pimple. Though immediately afterwards I hate myself for doing so cuz I've come to know the consequences of these actions. I don't have acne & in fact I am told that I should be having perfect skin… now we know why I don't. I have ADD & am currently drinking 72ml of Conserta… I think this is what'a making it even worse cuz the pill enables me to focus on one task and to really zone in on what I'm doing. I also have depression and used to cut as well. I do not drink pills for my depression and therefore I need to find something to take it out on, unfortunately it's my face :/ my parents have tried a lot of things to make me stop but none of them really help.

When picking at your skin & you've successfully popped a pimple or breaked a bump the puss or yellowish water which escapes from it clings to your nails, fingers and also seeps into your unblocked pores and as a result you get more infected areas & it just all worsens. It's a cruel and never ending circle which is really hard to get out of.

Moving mirrors of covering them doesn't really help cu you know where they are so you'll just go back to them anyway(been there done that). Something which helps me is the fact that a have a fringe that hangs all the way over my eyebrows and covers half my face so I don't really see the blemishes when it's hanging over my face(it also helps to regularly wash your hair then cuz a dirty fringe carries oil and the oil can also cause blemishes). Unfortunately for me I'm in a school which requires us to wear uniforms and have neat hair so I have to pin my fringe back so everyday after school I get to look in the mirror and see all my blemishes and so the whole cycle starts over.

Help? Any recommended lotions I could try?

[32picker]

Wow im not alone !!!! Im 32 years old and have this horrendous obsession with picking and mainly my legs bear the brunt. It started like many of you when I was 13 I got very badly bullied at school and the self loathing kinda started from there.  The bouts have sometimes been wore than others but I can say its the only realise I find that eases my anxiety.  I just pray to god I could stop this OCD as its ruining my life.  I have had a few bad years and i've suffered depression and anxiety and the picking its at its worst.  I spend hours picking squeezing at generally nothing but the sores and scabs I create are horrific and for the last 2 years ive been unable to wear dress or skirt or more shamefully take my 3 year old daughter swimming ever.....!!!! Im so ashamed and need help.....What can I do?????

[BellaAnnie2014]

I keep picking my arms and chest and it looks like they are getting infected
what should I put on them, they are red and sore.  I remember i did this
before on my face and caused a bacteria infection and the dr told me to quit picking at it I could get Mersa. I can't seem to stop...

[ithoughtitwasjustme]

Wow. I am absolutely amazed reading thru these stories!  I swear you have been following me and beat me here to tell my story! I have known forever that I have had OCD.. i also have bipolar & severe anxiety (to put it mildly). My mental health dr told me thats what caused me to start drugs 20yrs ago (before I was diagnosed and she said I was self medicating) but thats when I first started the picking.  Im off the drugs now.. been 10 yrs. But he picking obsession stayed.  Dr says it is part of the OCD. Longest ime in front of the mirror?  4 hrs.  My arms are totally scared completely.  I am forever trying to find anything to pop on my back. Im constantly running my fingers over my face seeing id I missed anything from the last check 2 min before.  My and poor ears suffer the most. I hate summer. Can't wear short sleeves when it looks like uve tied up with cheeze on your arms in a mouse cage. My family dnt believe I am still clean. I only have the severe relapse on picking when I get really stressed so I can look fine for months then boom. Im a hot mess whwn they see me at a family gathering and the questions begin.  I think people at work are used to it. I catch them staring sometimes but if they dnt ask I jusy ignore them. Only my closet friends know the truth. Cause really I am obsessed with finding zits or blackheads (or what I think could become one soon or someday) but also am always on the hunt for any corse hair that may be growing on my arms, neck, chin. Anywhere. If I find one.. its gonna be a bad if it wont come out easy and it rare they do. Because I will dig till I get it out creating horrible sores.  I am an extreame case. Im a nervous wreck. And I just thought he picking was another part of my one of a kind gifts that keep my doctor in practice.  Im really glad I came accross this page!! I may not know any of you but I no I am not alone.. thanks to all of you for sharing! !!!!!!!

[GennMC]

I have so much pimple marks and scabs on my face and it's really ugly.. It embarrassed me when the lights are too bright and I can't go under sunlight because i'm afraid someone would notice how horrible my face is.. Reading your stories helps me a lot.. and it changes how i look at myself now.. thanks a lot guys!! :)

[hanka_sss]

Guys, I am so happy to have found this community. Thank you so much for sharing your stories. I think I have been picking my face compulsively ever since I was maybe 15, and I am 28 now. Strangely enough, it is only now, today, that I have decided to google this issue as a disorder and check if anyone else has this type of matter going on. It is just so crazy to me now as I am writing this to you that throughout all that time (13 years!) I was somehow convinced that I am alone with this issue, that what I do is disgusting, and to shameful to share or even look up. There was so much shame linked to that. I find it quite surprising myself that even though I have also been compulsively eating (binge eating disorder) ever since I was a teenager, this disorder has been so much easier for me to admit to others. I mean, there are friends, not many, but there are a few, to whom I have opened up about the fact that I have been eating compulsively, whereas there is no one whom I would tell about picking my face like this EVER. I mean, my parents and brother knew, because I did leave with them at the time when it all started, but they themselves where completely in the dark about how serious it was and just criticized me harshly for doing what I had been doing. (Needless to say, that was of not much help, I felt even worse and even more like a weird stranger). But other than them, no one ever knew, I would share this with no one ever. How crazy is that, right?

There was somehow, right until this moment so much conviction in me that this is just *way* too disgusting to share, and something so weird (because just like some of you mention, I am also not quite sure *why* I do it), something that I am likely the only person on the planet busy with.. that I just would not share this with anyone ever before.

My compulsion comes and goes, there are times when I don't do this at all, and others when the urge takes me over (like just right before I have found this forum).. But I remember even once when I was living with my boyfriend at the time, and of course my face would be just all red, even violet, and devastated after a super long visit in the bathroom and even then, even when it must have been straight obvious what I have been doing, I had never shared or talked to him about that. Even I would share my bed with him, but I would still be too ashamed to talk about what I had just done.. Hmm, I guess what I am saying, is *thank you* so much for posting here, you may not know what a relief it is for me to now, after all this time find out that there are people just  like me out there, who struggle and often fail, and that I am somehow not alone with this. I guess, if not with tackling the OCD itself, seeing your posts helps me at least  deal with the shame aspect of it. And that's big to me already.

As far as the picking is concerned, what I find strangely interesting about it is that - similarly to compulsive eating - you are both the one who does the damage and the one who is the victim. At least that's how it is in my case. That's kind of peculiar, would you agree? I mean, the fact that we must have some sort of 'split mind' in that moment of urge, where there are 'two' of us, two 'Is', to 'me', the one who punishes and one who is being punished.. I'm entirely sure how to express that, but that's just largely how it feels in my case.

Just like in many of your stories, I see that the urge to pick comes from some sort of subconscious place, the level of the mind when it is really something you absolutely *have to* do, some sort of survival or coping mechanism. If I was to compare this matter to compulsive eating (which is not active in my case at the moment) then I'd say that the urge usually comes when there are many thoughts, anxieties about other things going on in my head. In a way that's probably what's so seductive about picking, compulsive eating or any other addiction for that matter; is that it gives you 'time out' from your problems, that it is a moment that you are totally out there, hypnotized, as many of you guys here put it, that in those hours, minutes etc. nothing else matters, none of our (or at least mine) problems seem to exist.. That's a powerful temptation to resist. Only it does not solve the things that were bothering us in the first place and also the shame and guilt about the action itself, once what was there to be done, is done, seem just unbearable.

If I were to point one thing that I learned from your brave and honest posts guys is that picking seems to be just a cover up for something else that's going on inside us, inside our minds, and that's just a way we (or at least myself) express those bothering thoughts and emotions for lack of a better way to deal with those.

But here's an idea. Maybe instead of harsh, we can all just be gentle with ourselves.. I know, this may sound naive especially since this is such a serious issue for all of us posting here, but hear me out, please. One of the things that really seems to have helped me let go of my compulsive eating thing is.. I ALLOWED IT. I MEAN IT. I JUST COMPLETELY ALLOWED IT. Of course first for years I had been trying to stop, but then at some point I think I just accepted it as a part of me, part of who I am, I just stopped thinking that it would be bad to have an attack and good not to have one. I just GAVE MYSELF A TOTAL PERMISSION TO DO IT. I imagine this may just sound like giving up and not asking for help, but to me in fact it was quite the opposite. I had been doing therapy at the time (not for this issue in particular, but generally about my stress level, relationship with my mother etc.), I have been for quite some time practicing meditation, I exercise frequently and do also a lot of small fun creative things, which I notice have been helpful also. And so I just said to myself: 'Look, there are things you control and things you don't control. How about you do all the things that help you and that you are able to control, keep meditating, exercising, dancing etc. And if the thing you cannot control - compulsive eating - happens, then it happens. End of story. Your job is to do the things you can do. And not to stop doing things you have no control over'. And with that approach, somehow, with time, the compulsion just LEFT ME. I somehow thought maybe you guys would find this angle useful in some way.

I think really a big part of our problem/case etc (or at least my personal case) may be that we're so ashamed of what we do, ashamed that others would find out, ashamed that we cannot control ourselves, convinced that we do something we shouldn't be doing. But what if we skip all that. What if we allow ourselves completely to do what we do, and just focus our energy on all the other activities that do get us better, like exercise, meditation, therapy, or even coming out about it to friends. In a way it is crazy that we expect ourselves to be able to stop it, if we ourselves don't have control over it in the first place, isn't it? If we did have the power to stop it, if we had this kind of control, then we wouldn't have started it in the first place, right? I mean, we just put additional pressure on ourselves by 'trying to stop'. I think what I'll try to do now, just like previously with eating, is just to *allow* it to be instead.

This turned out to be a super long post, but I just felt compelled to share some of my thoughts with you guys. Who knows, maybe they resonate and help. For me it was really wonderful to read your stories today, so consoling, just lovely. So big thanks for that.

Lots of love and good luck loving yourselves with the beautiful pimples, anxieties, obsessions and disorders that we have; just as we are,

hanka_sss

[Kierrag127]

I have scars on my legs from picking at scabs and now they look like dark spots all over my arms and legs what do I do?

[vbusy]

Im soo glad im not the only one !!!! Just want to find more info.

[stephyyyyy422]

i dont do drugs either its when im nervous or thinking, i am recovering little by little i will pick at face body, where there are ravor bumps from shaving i pick
do i need medication?
S

[JGF25]

Hi Bri....do you pick in public or do you have that measure of control?  

[bri33]

Wow I mean, reading all these comments make me feel a lot better knowing that I'm not the only one out there with a picking problem. I am 14 years old and I started picking my arms when I was about 6 years old. It used to be so fun to pick my arms because I had nothing else better to do. I still pick my arms, legs, face, and ect. I've always just wanted a clear body almost all my life, so I can be seen in public without people noticing my arms and legs. I have to wear longsleves in the summer and jeans, so I get the feeling people notice somethings wrong with me. Im going into high school soon and I keep on telling myself I'm not going to pick! But some how, I always end up after taking a shower with red bumps on my arms, legs and face. I get depressed because of it, and I envy girls who can wear shortsleves and cute cloths, when Im stuck with winter shirts. My mom isnt really a help with things, she HELPS me pick my body. She's really the one that got me started with all of this. I would be wearing short sleves, if people didnt ask me about the scars and scabs. :/ I've tried so hard now not to pick and just when my arms start to clear up again, I screw them up. I know how I can help myself from picking but it seems to never work. Also, the thought of having scars on my arms after Im though with picking, (and my legs and body) hurts. Doctors dont understand, nor does anyone in my family... they know I only wear longsleves and never shorts or shortsleves, but they dont know what Im hiding. The only people who know about my picking problem is my mom, my sister, and a friend of mine that well, isnt my best friend. I wish I could tell my two best friends and not have to hide after that but I cant, I always have to have some excuse when I go swimming and wear boy cloths or when I wear a jacket on a hot sunny day. It makes me depressed and all Ive ever really wanted for myself was to get better and not have this stupid picking problem. Thank you all for sharing your stories so it could give me the chance to maybe start new... godbless everyone.

[Ksterr89]

After a really ****** week at work, I did what I always do: went into my room, took off my shirt and picked the hell out of my arms, back and chest. Then I went online and started typing "picking bumps" into Google. What a surprise/relief to see all the results come up. I had thought it was just my dad & I who suffered from this. He's the one who got me started on this as a kid, asking me to pop pimples on his back. Then as an elementary schooler, I noticed these weird bumps, and started picking to get rid of them. Then it became a pleasure thing. I remember at one point having this raging deep infection on my upper arm, and just picking at the scab so the pus would come out.

I pick most when I'm tired/ angry/ stressed out. My mom tried to help me, but did not understand at all. She dragged me to this social worker in high school. Long story short, I'm still doing it. In retrospect, I was not ready/ willing to stop.

Today I realized that I am really angry at both my parents: my dad for starting me on this and my mom for saying **** when I was young, like "they're all staring at your arms," and "If you keep this up, no boy is going to want to go out with you." Thanks a lot! I've never shown my breasts to anyone (I'm 23 now). I wonder what they'd say, "Oh ****, did you get mauled or something?" Haven't worn sleeveless in years. I can look at old school photographs, and be like, ah yes, there's that scar, I remember the scab, and the little hole that it left when I had squeezed all the pus out. People say I'm pretty, and I just think, if you only knew what was going on under all this clothing you'd be saying something different.

Maybe I'll go back to a therapist or something. It was good to find this community, and see that others suffer through the same thing. I wonder if there are conventions where I could meet other pickers. It would be amazing to see others who look like me.

[Cleo5695]

I also have the same problem of picking/plucking/ anywhere... mostly my scalp, nose, pubic area and arms.
A few years ago I had an ingrown pubic hair that hurt so badly and had my boyfriend pluck it out. He's done it for me for years.
But this time my labia swelled and hardend so badly that I ended up in the hospital for 1 week on Vancomycin IV and then I had to have it incised because the Vanco wasn't really making any difference.
My pcp said to use hot compresses and this should help the inflamed hair eventually come out on its own.
Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
The common thread I find with all of us is: Depression, Anxiety and Bipolar.

[mrswooding]

iv been picking my arms and face for years (15) and sometimes i look like i have really bad chicken pox iv picked soo bad. couple of tips, dont expose your skin to hot/warm water after picking (it makes it look worse) lag your skin in cream (if its greasy you wont be able to pick, i use nappy creams with antiseptic formulars to help the skin heal quicker and epierm emollient) i have also found that having fake nails helps because i literaly can not pick then. for your face, use a mild exfoliating face wash twice a day with an antibacterial moisteriser in the morning and a skin healing (anti ageing) cream at night. keep your skin covered in tight clothing that you cannot role up until your skin has healed and try not to look in the mirror. hope this helps? im getting married in 3 weeks so im trying really hard atm as i want to be able to expose my arms and feel good about my self and this all seems to be working X

[JGF25]

Hi there.  Have you ever sought treatment for this disorder?  It has a specific name, dermatillomania, and it really is a habit and as with any habit it can be broken.  Also, that anxiety you feel when you don't pick, there are many ways to combat that as well including cognitive behavioral therapy and/or medication.  It is never too late to seek help.  This is nothing to be embarassed about.  Many people have this disorder as you now know.  My own OCD problems are habits as well, it is just that you can't visually see what I do to myself.  Please seek treatment because it really is not too late and you are so worth it.

Take care.  

[Alaraly]

So glad to know I'm not the only one. I thought I was. I'm 29 and have been picking for many years. Started with my face, then my legs, then chest and so on. I look for every pour that may have something in it! I even pick at the stubbles on my legs. I found the hair closer to my ankles pop out of the pour in a way that intieses me. I can't stop once I start and spend countless hours doing so. Low cut shirts show the top of my breast were I've made many dark spots. I can't weare shorts or skirts because of the dark scars and new red marks. I have 4 boys and I'm very busy but my anxiety kills my self image. I have a beautiful body and I should show it off but I am embarrassed. I have tried so many things to occupie my hand but nothing worked. If I don't pick something I see on my body I go into a panic attack. My kids are now noticing this behavior. I used to hide it but can't any more. I'm ashamed, embarrassed, and lost. Not to mention sweating myself to deth because I have to wear pants all the time. I'd love to be the other moms in their cute cool outfits sitting at the soccer and baseball games, or to go swimming. Thank you for sharing. I don't feel so alone any more!

[aaronketchum]

Yep. My problem exactly. I honestly thought I was the only one too.

Basically, picking any little bumps I see, etc. I get red sores everywhere I picked but just tell myself that ill look better in the morning. Then I wake up, and it's not completely healed and im afraid to go out in public and be seen

I picked my arms the worst. They get very red, and they are bumpy. I don't know how to cure it, or how to relievve the redness, except that when I rub the skin, the redness goes away for a while, I'm guess that the picking had ruptured tiny veins that allow blood flow, so the blood just gathers up wherever I once picked at them.

I'm so mad at myself, and im scared to go short sleeved now. Im trying many creams on my arms and nothing seems to be working.

If anyone knows of a good cream or natural remedy for my problem, please comment on this chat.

Thankyou, and god bless all of you who are going through this problem

P.S. I have stopped picking completely because of my arm problem. It finally got to my head. Honestly, I want to pick every second of the day when I'm at home. Especially when I'm in the bathroo in front of the mirror, seeing any kind of blemish. I'm on the road to recovery, I just hope to god that I haven't permanently made my arms red and bumpy foreverrrrr :(

[aaronketchum]

Yep. My problem exactly. I honestly thought I was the only one too.

Basically, picking any little bumps I see, etc. I get red sores everywhere I picked but just tell myself that ill look better in the morning. Then I wake up, and it's not completely healed and im afraid to go out in public and be seen

I picked my arms the worst. They get very red, and they are bumpy. I don't know how to cure it, or how to relievve the redness, except that when I rub the skin, the redness goes away for a while, I'm guess that the picking had ruptured tiny veins that allow blood flow, so the blood just gathers up wherever I once picked at them.

I'm so mad at myself, and im scared to go short sleeved now. Im trying many creams on my arms and nothing seems to be working.

If anyone knows of a good cream or natural remedy for my problem, please comment on this chat.

Thankyou, and god bless all of you who are going through this problem

P.S. I have stopped picking completely because of my arm problem. It finally got to my head. Honestly, I want to pick every second of the day when I'm at home. Especially when I'm in the bathroo in front of the mirror, seeing any kind of blemish. I'm on the road to recovery, I just hope to god that I haven't permanently made my arms red and bumpy foreverrrrr :(

[lilbird85]

This describes me exactly! I really thought I was the only one out there. I feel weird and everyone I run across tries to associate it with drugs! It's awful! I've always picked but now at 26 it is really really  worse with association to the same problems. I realize there is more to learn out there and it's not just me. One thing that does help though is finding something to keep my hands busy and to stay out of the bathroom of course. Try scrapbooks, writing, or cleaning, these seem to help me and keep things off my mind :)

[mommaof2angels]

I just got done sitting infront of my mirror by the window so i have day light to pick my face...there is only one spot on my face that i pick and it has been there for months and months, because i just cant leave it alone..it scabs up in the morning and when i need to get ready and put make up on i have to pick the scab off so i can put my foundation over it cause it looks worse with the scab on, then when i get home, i end up going upstairs and picking the scab off of it and going after these white things, and im pretty sure they are my pores, my satisfaction is that i pull out these pores and see how big each one is and then i put them on my little mirror...i know that sounds extremely bizzar...but that is what i do and i think i have a major infection because it feels like i have an abscess around the area, i dont think its just scar tissue...i found neosporin with a pain relief in it, and it really helps, but im trying my hardest to let it heal, but everytime something gets me upset or triggers me, i go after my face, even though something might not even be wrong, i still find myself infront of the mirror...i need some advice, i try to keep my hands busy with something else but i know that i have it on my face...and once im done i will leave it alone for the rest of the night, it usually wont be touched till morning, and all i do is take the scab off...i dont go after the pores, cuz i cant be late in the mornings for where i go...but i have had this problem for years, and i cant make it go away...it really ***** and i hate people staring at me or asking me what happened to my face...

[JGF25]

What you want to do is seek out the help of a psychologist.  Tell you mom to take a look at the following web site

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatillomania

This is a real disorder with a real name and it can be treated with the proper help.  Have a sit down with your mom, look at the site, and then make plans to see a child psychologist.  Make sure they have experience with Dermatillomania and the ways it can be treated.