Is it just me or does anybody else here find it satisfying to pull hairs out of your arms and/or legs? It's oddly satisfying seeing the hair come out and the folicule. This is what I do mainly for my picking and I was wondering if anyone had any tips to overcome it

Hey friends,

I am new to this group but wanted to see if anyone else struggles with picking keratosis pilaris bumps on your arms/legs.

I unfortunately had a 1 hour picking session primarily on my arms and am feeling so down about it. I'm scarred that the purple and red scars will never go away.

Has anyone had any experience with fading these type of marks on your skin?

i am very lucky to have a support group who will see me picking and let me know that i gotta stop. What tends to happen is my addictive picking brain will get mad at my lovely friends bc they are "stopping me" from picking. anyway

Hi,
My husband has been picking his skin on his face for 4 years now. It started because he had an autoimmune disease and it took the doctors over 6 months to diagnose it correctly. As a way to take matters into his own hands, he started picking at the skin on his face and now his autoimmune condition is under control but he will not stop picking. The worse part is he does not think he has a skin picking condition, he thinks he is picking to help with the autoimmune condition. We have seen multiple rheumotologists, done the most advanced testing and seen so many dermotologists who all say the same thing: He is under remission for his autoimmune condition and that this is a seperate skin picking condition now that he needs to seek counseling for. He refuses to listen to any of them. Claims the doctors don't know what they are talking about and continuously picks at his skin. He spends hours a day picking at his skin and then gets high because the sores on his face are so painful. We have not had a functioning marriage for 4 years now and I am feeling like my patience is coming to an end.
- Is there anything you all can suggest here?
- Is there anyone that is going through something similar who I can connect him with so that he can at least start to understand that he has a skin picking condition and this is not his autoimmue disease?

Thank you so much

I need some advice on what i should do instead of pop my whiteheads on my face. I want to so badly but I know I shouldn't. Does the urge pass? It's not going away

I've been struggling with acne a face picking for over 15 years and finally, at 36, I'm starting to try and face it head on. Picking has fueled years of depression and isolation and expensive skin care/treatments! I'm about to get engaged and my skin picking is taking a toll on my partner now too because I often don't want to leave the house because of my skin. Has anyone found ways their partners can feel supportive without feeling like they need to be the "picking police"?

I'm a 69 female and have been picking the skin under my toes since I was 9. In 8th grade it progressed to my fingers. That started because my Mom would get mad at me for chewing my nails. So I grew my nails and chewed my cuticles. Starting in the 7 lth grade it progressed to picking my legs.. We lived in Miami and I would wear knee socks to cover my sores. My Mom never noticed or asked me why. I also started pulling out my haid. This continued through high school. All of this. In College I had stopped picking my legs but I started picking my heels. Talk about pain.It was awful. During my 20s the hair pulling and feet picking continued. In my 30s and 40s the hair pulling continued along with picking my scalp. To the point my hair was red from blood. Also. I continued picking my fingers and toes. Today at 69, I have stopped everything but picking my fingers and toes. I can't always wear sandals because of the bleeding. I know this how I cope. It soothes me in a strange way but I wish I could stop. I guess I will die this way.

I found something to help! It's called Little Ouchies, you can find them on Amazon or on their website if you look up their name. They are fidgets that are a bit spiky to help with dermatillomania and/or Trichotillomania, or just neurodivergent minds! :)

I have this vicious circle I've recently fallen into. I break out badly. The acne is red and painful, so I put concealer on it. Then at some point picking it seems less painful and unpleasant than having it on my face. So I do. Then it becomes inflamed and more red. Then I put concealer on it. Then I break out again from I'm assuming the concealer.

What do I do? I feel pretty helpless here. My self esteem is pretty low without concealer. Everyone I know seems to have literally the most flawless skin ever and no matter what I always notice it.

Any input is valued!

Hi everyone, so glad to find this community. Does anyone have treatments or advice to stop picking at their acne? I have had skin excoriation disorder forever and acne as well. It is so rough. Please let me know if there's anything I can do. Thanks!

It's that time again - finally got myself to stop picking (this is a win at least it did not go on longer). What were tiny pores on my face an hour ago are red and inflamed blotches from picking. I've been doing well to avoid this recently by only using a dim lamp in my bathroom so I can't see my pores in the mirror - but every time I go to pluck my eyebrows it turns into picking! I'm going to try to have my friend on FaceTime with me in the future when I pluck my eyebrows so someone is holding me accountable to prevent it turning into picking.

As I know that I could very likely pick my face again in the future, I want to explore options to help heal the damage my picking ensues. Currently I am trying gently washing my face, applying moisturizer (with ceramides and hyaluronic acid) and sunscreen. Will update with how this works.

I am curious if anyone has tips on ways to help the skin heal and/or minimize damage after picking?

Am I the only one who picks my scalp?

Nervous. And new to this community. I have been struggling since I was a kid, but only now realizing (in my adult life) that it is a issue that is hurting myself overall life! Anyway thanks for reading and I am excited!

Glad I found you all. I've been picking for too many years to count. I pick at my knee without even knowing that I am doing it. It has so many scars and is so embarrassing. I do it constantly. I pick until I bleed. My family yells at me and tells me to stop. I can't st8. It is my stress relief

Hi all,

I just found this place, and I'm grateful to have found a community of people who might understand.

I've been dealing with this for over 20 years, and I am in the midst of what is probably one of the very worst bouts I've ever experienced.

I have a TON of information related to this - trauma history, treatments I've tried, medical appointments, etc - and it's far, far too much to go into here. And even though I've learned a lot over the years, I still haven't managed to get this under control.

I found this site through a Google search for information on a skin condition I'm experiencing; it was an archived forum thread on the old site titled "Stretchy white plugs". This is what I've been dealing with, and it's been impossible to solve. I've been to SO MANY dermatologists, but none have helped. In fact, because I was determined to be honest and transparent about my dermatillomania, I have been almost entirely dismissed by derms over the years, and I deeply regret ever mentioning having an excoriation disorder because none of them will listen to me now. I have sat in an examination room with derms in TEARS, begging for help, and each one of them has essentially ignored the information I've provided and focused solely on the picking. I know it's a problem, but there's something else going on inside my skin and I can't seem to get any medical professionals to take me seriously.

So now, I think I am *DONE* with dermatologists, as it's become clear that I will find no help there. In the meantime, I have all but annihilated the skin on my face, and the amount of shame I carry related to this is too heavy to handle anymore. I can't leave my house without wearing a bandana to cover my forehead, and often a face mask to hide my chin, because it looks EXTREMELY alarming. And the pain & the itch is unbearable. My face hurts so, so much.

The thing is, I'm certain I can get the picking under control if I could just get the underlying skin problems sorted out, but I'm at a loss; I've tried so many things - topicals, oral medications, OTC remedies and ointments and gels and serums and lotions and salves and oils and astringents and and and and... 😞 I have spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars over the years, and nothing has helped; in fact, much of it has made things worse.

I know stress and trauma are the primary triggers for this, and a little over a year ago I went through a terribly bad breakup, which caused an enormous amount of stress and triggered an explosion of plugs and cysts all over my face. And ever since then I've been attacking my skin, and I don't know if I can ever get it back to a healthy state ever again.

I've been in therapy, which was enormously helpful, but my financial situation has changed and I was no longer able to afford it. And I would have liked to be able to enroll in this program here, but there's no way I'm able to - I simply do not have the money.

And I dont have anywhere else to turn. I don't know what to do anymore.

I know this post was long and rambly, so if you made it to the end, I want to say thank you for listening. 🙏

Is anyone a lip Biter here?

It is my biggest fight with my mom and boyfriend. I am so lost and don't know what to do. I need to get it to stop but thinking that makes it worse. Has anyone had any luck curbing this habit? I went to a dermatologist that my mom sent me to today and i felt so awkward and ungrateful. I know they're trying to help. How do i think about it without thinking about it so much i pick? I need it to stop desperately

Warning for descriptions of picking. I've been dealing with this issue for at least 5 years and made it progressively worse over that time. It started with overcleaning my ears, usually with cotton swabs, to the point they would get irritated and crusty, then I pick at the crust. The skin inside the ears seems different from other skin, when the crust is picked off it oozes a clear odorless fluid that dries into crust. Often there's enough fluid that I feel the need to use more cotton swabs to dry the ears, and if I pick before bed I'll wake up with my ears still wet. Ultimately I don't know how to break the cycle because I feel I have minimal control over my urges and don't really understand the nature of the damage/what my skin is doing when it "weeps" like that. Don't know what kind of doctor to see for it or whether to prioritize treating the wounds or changing my habits.

Join us for a free online Q&A this Friday. Ask your questions during the live session, or send through your questions here (in the comments) or send us an email to support@skinpick.com and Laura will answer them during the session.

Date: Friday, 20th March
Time: 12pm EST
Join: www.skinpick.com/webinar

Can't make it? Don't worry, we will be recording the event- register for the event and we'll send you a copy of the recording.

Living with skin picking can sometimes feel very isolating. Many of us have spent years thinking we were the only one going through it.

For some of us, this community may be the first place we’ve ever spoken about our skin picking. Others may have only shared it with one or two trusted people.

Opening up, even in small ways, can help soften the shame and secrecy that often surrounds this experience.

If you feel comfortable, you’re welcome to share something here in the thread. It could be:

• something that has been difficult lately
• a small win you’ve had
• a strategy that helps you
• or simply how you’re doing today

And if you’d rather just read for now, that’s completely okay too.

We’re really glad you’re here.