[WelshGirl93]

Hello,
For some reason only now I thought I'd research this and couldn't believe all that I found.
I'll try and start from the beginning.
I am a very happy person with a good life full of friends, family and love. But I am also an extremely anxious and worried person if I get carried away, I wonder if that has anything to do with this...
I pick my skin, mostly my face and scalp. Not so I suffer with big cuts and scars, just constant picking. I also eat my skin too (I know it's gross but I can't stop) I literally cannot sit still and I do this throughout my whole day, subconsciously and consciously, I must do it for 8+ hours a day. I enjoy picking and eating. I also scrape my fingernails around the inside of my ears to take the dead skin off. And I bite the skin around my fingernails. But I don't bite my nails. I sometimes bite so much my fingers bleed. I always have a cut somewhere around my fingernails.
I have a very active mind and find it difficult to fall asleep as my mind travels and I end up feeling overwhelmed with thoughts, many that upset me too.
I am constantly thinking about things not worth thinking about, and then my picking gets worse as I stress.
I am also a perfectionist, when I do something it must be done perfectly, but I am not overly neat and tidy, mess doesn't really bother me.

I'm sorry I know this is a lot of information but I hope that someone will be able to give me some I formation as I'm sick of it. My boyfriend tries to stop me by holding my hands but it drives me mad, the need to pick my scalp&skin is so strong I have to do it no matter where I am or who I'm with.

Please help me

[phfeadhuva]

hey WelshGirl93

I'm also a compulsive skin-picker ... not only my face but my back, shoulders, arms, chest, tights...I'm very ashamed to go out because of this.
I do most of what you do, though I usually restrain myself from eating.

Try the elastic band trick. Put one on your wrists and pinch it whenever you feel the urge. Have you tried stress balls?

I am also a perfectionist in my artwork even though my room isn't always in order.. That is really strange, isn't it ?

[asp1079]

You are brave for sharing your compulsions and skin picking problems... it is not always easy to admit this disorder since it is so embarrassing and many people do not understand.

I have anxiety issues also, and without even realizing it sometimes I'll start skin picking. I had a lot of skin issues on my back and arms from a thyroid condition 3 months ago and compulsively picked that. Now I am depressed and dysmorphic about the hyperpigmentation a lot of that caused. I never used to skin pick, only when I started getting GAD and then, a rash. So it was more like I was focusing on the skin problems and hurting myself [also past issues with SI so maybe that plays into it?] than what was going on inside my head.

Skin picking sucks but you can bring yourself to do it less and less. The fact that I actually saw the ugly scars of my picking was luckily enough for me to do it less although sometimes I cave and allow myself a session to pick at my arms. It's Ok to slip up once in a while since that makes me way less prone to doing it like 7-10 times a week as I used to. Now I only do it once or two times max a week, sometimes not at all for a week which is a big accomplishment.

I agree with Phfead, try the rubber band trick. Since I also have deal with SI issues and I hold a piece of ice on the area I want to harm to remind me not to, also to cause another less harmful sensation. Good luck. XOXXO