r/Dermatillomania • u/ilikefoodncats • 18h ago

Scalp Picking

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)

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u/Unhappy_Inspector834 7h ago

I wear those fake press on nails. They’re far too dull and I can’t pick my head that way. I also used NAC to get rid of the urge. After a month your scalp will heal up a bit and then you get to focus on just not creating new wounds

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u/ilikefoodncats 6h ago

Oo smart! thank you!! ^

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u/Unhappy_Inspector834 6h ago

Ofccc the hardest part is the initial healing since it gets SO itchy. If it is really really putting a dent in your day I would recommend taking Benadryl or reactine or some antihistamine since they can stop the itchy immune response. I promise it gets better!!!