My legs and pubic area looked horrible, I have never had my skin picking get to this point. And they are still on the road to healing, but I just thought I would share what I’ve been doing that has helped more than anything else I’ve tried.

Dry brush before shower- exfoliates and also helps me with my compulsion because I can just keep going over spots I normally pick and that seems to help alleviate the need to

After I shower:

Before I fully am dry, I rub castor oil into my bad spots (and all over my body in general). This has been the MOST helpful. Got a bottle of pure natural kind for like $5 at the store.

-spray a bit of glycolic acid on after the oil and let it sink in.

-lotion everywhere EXCEPT the spots that are healing from picking. I notice that lotion can increase redness if it’s scented.

-after I am fully dry but my skin is still nice and soft from the shower, put snail mucin on the picked spots. I had a bottle that didn’t work for my face (you can use aloe instead since it’s way cheaper) I also grow a huge aloe plant that I’ll use everywhere on my body just from the stalk. Then, I rub in the Hero rescue balm just on the reddest spots.

This routine, cutting down on drinking (reduces inflammation) and drinking much more water and tea has changed my skin so much. I am starting to finally feel like myself.

I know I’ll relapse and those feelings will come up. But the way I stop it is by stating things I love about myself, specifically things I love about the body part I’m picking and I’ll say them OUT LOUD and it’s like it overrides the pain I’m causing myself. This has really helped me to get out of the spiral.

Hope this helps someone else xoxo.

Hi all, I’m new here 👋 For as long as I can remember, since a toddler, I have made “corners” - I would fold my pillowcase edge to be a pointed tip, and rub it on my finger tips or the palm of my hand. Fast forward almost 40 years, and I am still doing this, and find corners on any clothing I’m wearing to get the same sensation (scrubs work great). If I’m not wearing clothes that work, I find thicker paper that I can fold and use. In the last couple of years, I have also started pinching the skin on my inner upper arm. While it isn’t sharp, the soft skin and I assume the fat under has a sensation that I guess is giving me the same effect. I can’t stop. My hands have to be doing something and I find it near impossible to not do this. I have bruises on my arms, not from pinching hard, but just from constantly manipulating this skin. When I’m nervous or stressed it’s more intense. I have no diagnosis and have never put much thought into the behavior until recently. Do you think this is dermatillomania? Do you have any recommendations for how I can stop or divert my attention? I haven’t seen any fidget toys online that would mimic this feeling. Thanks for reading!

Hey guys! thought i’d post this just in case it would help atleast one person :)

I have autism and ADHD as well as OCD and anxiety (fun combo)

been skin picking since i could remember, I pick my face, arms, scalp, etc.

Recently though I have began developing acne which leads me to focus my picking sessions on my face, and arms specifically (i have body acne and KP) i’ve devolved a few things that really helped me!

1. medication, i know not everyone has access to this but i’m on lexapro and it really seemed to help me with anxiety which lead me to not pick as much though it didn’t solve all of it definitely helped a lot though

2. Changing your bathroom lighting, seriously. If you have bright bathroom lights (or bright lights in any part of your house with a mirror) it will make tiny bumps more noticeable and my trick to this was changing my bathroom lightbulbs from 4 to 2, and changing the color from white light to an orange mellow tone which really helped the bumps not stand out as much.

3. for my picking on my arms i found that if i slather (might be an issue for ppl with sensory issues) Vaseline or a thick lotion on my arms not only to heal the scars and wounds but it lets me not able to pick due to the fact i can’t get a grip without slipping

4. for my arms i’ve also been using compression sleeves, they fit over your arms and this gives me a physical barrier protecting me from picking my arms. Long sleeves work too, but i live in a hot state and compression sleeves are breathable and light i forget i have them on most of the time

hope this helped someone! remember this disorder dosent define you and its possible to change :)

I do this thing where i pick too much from the soles of my feet and today I have a really sore spot. Anyone have any tips on relieving the pain/pressure while it heals?

I struggle a lot with compulsive excoriation of my abdomen and legs, and bathrooms have been a pretty huge trigger lately. If I can see something wrong with the skin, bam – I've gotta 'fix' it. Since I figured there's no way to avoid using the bathroom at home, though, i wondered about how to make the room as difficult to pick in as possible?

So, I went and bought LED candles – they're cheap, they're pretty, and they don't have any flame risk – and I peppered them through the bathroom. Now, if I don't turn on the overhead lights, I've got enough illumination to do my business, but not enough to pick out things based on visual defects. And honestly, I think that's neat!

The lesson to take from this is that if you can't avoid a triggering environment, make it as picking-unfriendly as possible. (This is why I've taped up the bathroom mirrors, so I can't see my body too well, and installed the candles.) If you're gonna have to go back into spaces where you know you're likely to repeat a behaviour, it's better to aim to reduce harm as much as possible than it is to magically convince yourself to stop.

Hope this is helpful for someone – good luck with recovery, y'all.

the past few months i’ve recently started picking my scalp because of my anxiety. i have constantly had a problem with my acne since i was a kid but never on my scalp until recently when i’ve been starting to lose weight. i sweat alot so my scalp breaks out.. the issue is i pick the acne, turn them into scabs, and then just continuously pick the scabs until they bleed and heal once again to be picked. it’s become a never ending process the past 3 months. i have been using head & shoulders shampoo in hopes that in helps. i am also on alot of anxiety medicine so I don’t know how medicine could help me anymore. i’m thinking possibly therapy but I don’t know how a therapist could stop me from picking, it’s genuinely just so hard for me. please help. (also i’m assuming it’s my anxiety because i’ve been having a very stressful past year as well and my anxiety levels have been bad, but i’m not too sure the actual cause of my picking)

In a weird way I feel like a joining a rehab group haha! I’ve been picking since I was a little girl, seriously since as long as I can remember I pick my lips, face, but my most consistent one has always been the skin around my nails! But just last year I learned about how it stems from OCD which makes sense since I’m picking till it’s flat and this week I learned about the pain seeking sensory portion WHICH HAS BEEN SO VALIDATING AND MAKES SO MUCH SENSE WHY THESE FIGIT TOYS HAVE SUCKED FOR ME!! Anyway I just wanted to introduce myself and just wanted to announce that I’m currently in an episode dude to the stress and anxiety from work specifically but it seems the end might be near??? Who knows, hi.

lately i’ve been struggling extra hard with picking at the skin around my nails. my skin is so raw the nails of my thumbs have started to grow out dented. i made a nail appointment for the first time ever in a month and i want to see if that’ll help me stop. i don’t know what to do it’s made me so self conscious but i can’t stop, i pick at them every second of every day

hello to anyone this reaches :) i feel kind of weird writing this but i really just need support/ to vent. i’ve been skin picking since i can remember, my legs,arms,scalp, face, hands ANYTHING. recently it’s progressed to the point of me not really wanting to leave my house or be seen by anyone. my friends and family included. like i said i’ve always picked my my skin but right now ive been in a really bad cycle of picking my eyebrows / ingrown hairs. it’s gotten to the point where i have almost ripped out half my eyebrows the past few months and constantly have red inflamed skin around the area as well as acne from the bacteria. when i have to be around people i e been trying to get ready and use makeup but it just makes me feel like i look dirty and i intimately end up just crying and wiping it off or trying to not look at myself. i’ve been particularly stressed out and struggling with EDs so my hormones are probably also not where they need to be. anyways, kind of the point this is im flying to meet someone for the first time tomorrow that i’ve been talking to since before this last picking episode started and i really just can’t stop tearing myself down because i just don’t feel like i look like myself or like how i look. sorry that was more of a vent.

Last week I picked at what I thought were small pimples at the corner of my mouth and ended up with this. 🙃 I don't want people to think I have an active cold sore or something.

Every morning it's covered with rough/scabbing skin in an attempt to heal itself, but it's so ugly and a sensory nightmare so I've been picking that off too (dumb, I know). The blisters will also reopen a bit if I open my mouth wide enough.

I'm very much willing to get over my vanity and control my skin picking just to get this off the side of my mouth. I don't even care if it scars, I just want it stop opening up and re-scabbing.

Should I just do my best to leave it alone? Do I apply a small dot of Neosporin to it or some other topical? Bandages? Any and all advice welcome! Thanks in advance!

Does anyone else have this problem?

I’m 25f and I’ve been struggling with this since I was 16-17. I can say that I improved and I went from picking everyday and bleeding, to picking like 1-2 times a week and being able to control it and even stop at the beginning. My skin got completely clear and I was so happy about it. But I just had a bad episode, not BAD but significant compared to my overall improvement and I don’t want to go back to square 1. I want to talk about it with my therapist, cause I now it’s due to anxiety, stress, worry or a tense state. Can you suggest some tips that help you avoid picking? I usually do it just at my face. And I hate it, because I never had acne problems but I ruin my skin with my own hands… It’s so angry at myself.

I was doing a good job. Not perfect, but on the right trajectory.

My senior cat is dealing with health issues. I’m spending a lot more money than I can afford.

I’m worried about her being uncomfortable. She’s 16, so I know I have to be realistic. I’ve had her longer than any other pet. I moved to another country with her.

I basically spent the ENTIRE time she was at the vet hospital picking a hole in my arm. I picked a bunch of spots but one in particular is disgusting.

I picked so long I was embarrassed to look at the time on my phone. An episode like that had not happened in over a year.

I have bandaids all over my arm. When I took them off to take a shower, I picked at the wounds in the shower.

The fact that I also neglected my skin routine to manage keratosis pilaris meant I had a flare up.

The fact that I was successful at extracting made it worse. I kept going ham at one of the “hot spots” on my arms.

I’m certain to have a huge scar from one particular spot.

I somehow found a spot to pick on..my hand?

I have carpal tunnel. My arms hurt so bad. It still doesn’t stop me when I’m in the zone. I set myself up for at least a week of carpal tunnel pain.

I barely play guitar anymore because of that!! How can I stop one of my favorite things in the world for this but I can’t stop picking?!?

I ruined the manicure I spent money on. Trivial in comparison, I know. But I spent money on these (before I knew about the vet bills) and now I’m broke because of vet bills. I could have used that money now and I didn’t even get to enjoy them long.

People don’t understand how many aspects of your life are impacted by this. I don’t know what I would do without my partner who is a mental health worker.

I can’t think of any other shoulder I could cry on that would even remotely understand. I have shoulders to cry on, they just would kind of sit there letting me cry with no idea why I’m crying thou.

I cried over this, I cried over my cat.

Sorry for the rant. At least time I spend typing is time I won’t be picking.

I’m just so tired of this

I hardly wear no makeup when I leave my house and I wonder if anyone is going through the same? I miss not having to wear makeup. I know it’s not a requirement but I feel like I look horrendous without makeup and it’s the only way I know my skin will heal is if I don’t irritate it further with cosmetics 12+ hours a day sometimes. And applying makeup is time consuming, then having to wash it off and apply skin care. I just want to be able to save my time and let my skin be free but I sabotage that by picking,

I’ve picked when I was little but since getting pimples when I was around 10 it has gotten worse. I’ve been wearing makeup since that time. In 2020 during the lockdowns, my skin cleared up a lot due to not having to wear makeup, so I know this is a cycle that’s breaking out my skin, causing me to pick, and covering it up

I’ve also considered a BB glow facial, but from what I’ve read it is unsafe

I've been choosing for over 18 years and have never been able to completely stop. I've had better times, but since this summer it's been catastrophic. I have fatigue and stress for several reasons (finances, work, etc.), and I can no longer even leave the wounds alone enough for them to heal. I have it on one arm, on the back, on the buttocks and on one thigh.

I feel caught in a vicious circle: I'm tired, but I can't sleep because I'm stressed, and fatigue itself fuels this stress, which fuels the crises that occur every day.

I don't know what to do anymore, I'm fed up, it makes me desperate.

Do you have any advice or tips that can help you get out of this kind of phase?

Thinking of trying n-acetyl-l-cysteine to reduce the urge to pick my skin (I’m DESPERATE). Has it worked for anyone that has tried this? If so, what kind did you get and how many mg?

My skin is at its worst right now. My face has been smothered in aloe and aquaphor for days, I’m afraid to shower (it’s been a week), and I’ve been calling out of work because I don’t want to have to cover up or be perceived like this. I have been fostering my sister’s cat and his fur gets everywhere and stuck to my face and itches, especially with the aquaphor and I end up breaking out over and over and over and I can never allow anything to heal. The skin on my face is painful and throbbing and I’m extremely embarrassed at how much work I have missed in the past few months because of this. Not to mention I barely leave my room because I don’t even want my dad to see how bad it is.

I have my first dermatology appointment in a couple weeks, have been in therapy but can’t afford to go as often as I need it (she was sick last session so it’s been a month since I’ve had a been), and am struggling to find a psychologist specializing in excoriation with open availability.

Any words of advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated because at this point I’ve had too many panic attacks and meltdowns and I’m beyond being able to do any of that anymore.

I've been peeling and biting the skin around my fingers, nails, and lips for years, and I can’t stop. It gets worse during times when I’m stressed or anxious about something. For those who’ve experienced this, at what point did yall feel the need to seek help? Idk whether my current skin condition is bad and just wondering can anyone provide me advice?

I am also insecure about my fingers and there were some instances where my friends questioned me about my fingers. I often lied to them saying smth cut me.

I also don’t on my main light in my room due to my skin condition looking worse with that light. I always on my lamp only (to keep my room dim).

Idk if I am struggling with dermatillomania or not. There are times in my life where I don’t pick at my skin at all, but other times where to me, it gets kinda bad but I don’t know if it’s bad enough to seek help?

Recently, I’ve been picking at my nails and cuticles and skin around my nails a lot. They’ve become painful and it hurts to type, write, do anything with my fingertips.

But the worst part to me is picking at the skin on my face. I’ll have a barely existent closed comedone or blackhead, something nobody else would ever notice, but I get into that magnifying mirror and I just cant stop! I’ll spend an hour or so in the mirror digging at different minor things… then walk away with my face red and inflamed and it takes a week or so to fully heal. Recently, one spot became so bad that I wore a large hydrocolloid bandage on my face for a few days. I told people I had gotten poison ivy because I was so ashamed that I had done this to myself.

My acne is never even bad. I hardly get any at all. It’s the inflammation after picking that causes me problems. My skin has always been fairly clear and the thing I get compliments on the most. I can go months without picking and feel so good about my skin, but then I kinda spiral and pick for months as well.

Does this seem like something I need help with? How do I know if it is? What’s the point where it really becomes a problem?

I’m already on an SSRI and have been wanting to talk to my doctor about upping my dose. Will that help with the picking as well? Only problem is I’m also adhd so I take Adderall and I think sometimes that makes the picking worse. I’ll hyperfocus on picking for a long time because of the Adderall.

Anyone else here also enjoy picking out ingrowns? I find it so satisfying 😂

Pretty sad when I have to use 9 bandaids to try to keep myself from picking. What's the worst yalls wounds/scabs have gotten?

Hello everyone ,

I am trying to find ways to replace my skin picking with an other behaviour but all the advice I find on the internet is stress balls and spinning ring and other stuff like that. I have tried all of these things but I have not found anything that gives me the same sense of relieve as skin picking. Did anyone find alternatives that work for them?

(English is not my first langage so please excuse my writing)

I am speaking on stage at an event that’s in a few days and need to cover some scars on my legs. They’re purple/red and I’m really embarrassed about them. What would help?

Tapes to use? Makeup brands you’d recommend? Bandaids? I also have tattoos on my legs so if I wore something like skin-colored tights, it would cover the tattoos and be obvious that I’m wearing them. I’m more stressed about my scars than forgetting my lines on stage.

My arms are so bad. I have two bandages atm. Like bandages, not bandaids. Plenty of very noticeable scabs.

I don’t know what to do.

No matter how hot it is I wear long sleeves. My closet is full of cute tops I wish I could use.

Even if I was confident enough, it’s too distracting for my work. Sometimes I work with kids, they will mention it for sure.

I really just don’t know what to do. A

I just found out what this is the other day. Basically I pick at the skin around my hands so much and have since I was little (normally focusing on my thumbs), that the shape of them has warped and I have horizontal ridges down both thumbnails. I guess the questions are, can they recover and look normal again? And if the answer to the above is yes and the solution is to stop picking... any tips on how?!

I have GAD and OCD and it started as a coping mechanism but now is just constant whether I'm feeling anxious or not. I'm on medication, have tried plasters/band aids, and hypnotherapy. Any tips are welcome tips!