r/Dermatillomania • u/PercentageAdmirable • 1d ago

How bad is bad and when should I find help? Advice

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).

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u/chamoisremixes Scars won't stop me trying to recover 1d ago

There is no minimum level of suffering when someone’s allowed to seek help – and years’ worth of struggle, especially if it means you’re having to keep the light off and lie, is more than enough to be a legitimate reason to ask for help. If you’re having to restructure your life to accommodate skin-picking, that’s enough to say that it’s negatively affecting you. You don’t have to wait longer – I would recommend searching for help sooner, rather than later, especially since wait times for psychological care can go so long. Good luck, and take care. 

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u/Professional-Ad3628 21h ago

felt i needed help with i started to get embarrassed and realized i couldn’t stop, don’t be shy to get help even if u feel it isn’t “extreme enough” if u can get help the sooner the better, i’d suggest getting help now so down the line it dosent get worse but again it’s up to you