[moonlightdrive]

I'm so tired of picking my skin, but I can't stop. I've read tips to stop all over the web, but nothing works for me. I've tried taking the vitamin Inositol, but the powder substance makes me want to puke. I've tried telling my doctor about it, but I don't think he truly understands. He gave me a 2 week sample of Pristiq, but I haven't heard good things about that. I was hoping I could try Paxil, Zoloft, or Prozac. But, from what I've read online, those medications don't seem to help anyone with dermatillomania.

I pick my face, neck, shoulders, and back. I used to just pick my face, but it has gotten worse. One reason it has intensified is because I started taking Adderall, but I've always been a face picker. When I was little, I was a thumb sucker, my mom would put something nasty of my thumbs to try to get me to stop, but I'd still suck them, then I became a nail biter. The nail biting progressed into picking/biting the cuticles. The skin picking started towards the end of middle school. During middle school I had a little bit of acne, nothing serious, but when I'd get a whitehead, my mom would tell me I needed to pop it. I wish she never said that. She would always get on to me when I had whiteheads. So that's where the skin picking all began. Sometimes I wonder if I would have even started picking my skin if she wouldn't have been a perfectionist about it?

The skin picking has turned me into a ugly monster. I could be decent looking if I didn't pick and leave ugly scars. I'm tired of putting on tons of concealer and foundation before I leave my house. Plus summer is coming soon and I won't be able to wear tank tops or bathing suits until I can stop this skin picking, and let the damage I've done heal.

My picking is very bad today because my mom is in a horrible mood, and it's making me upset. She told me to "shut the **** up" in front of company because I asked her to come inside so the dogs would stop barking for her (4 little dogs, are VERY loud, especially when you have a headache). The thing is she gets angry when someone else makes the dogs bark.

Does anyone have some tips that helped them stop picking? I'm depressed because of how ugly I've made myself look. I don't know what to do...

[BlessedRhiannon]

I'm so sorry you're struggling with this. I've dealt with skin picking for so very long, and I know how hard it is to stop.

For me, the only thing that has really helped is actually talking about it with my therapist. Once I was able to talk about it with my therapist, and get over some of the shame and talk to someone who understood what I was going through and didn't judge me, then I was able to do other things to lessen the picking. I haven't stopped yet, but it's lessening. With my therapist's help, I've found that employing skills from DBT has helped the most in getting my skin picking under control. I fill out a diary card each week, and we talk about my triggers and how I handled them. I practice mindfulness whenever I feel the urge to pick. Being aware of my emotions and finding other ways to cope with them has also helped.

I have no words of advice but i wanted to let you know that i care and that i feel your pain deeply - ive been a severe skin picker for the past nine years, i know and relate to everything you've said and are going through. I wish too that something would help me stop - even just a little. Hope we both eventually find some form of solace. Sending hugs (if ok)

[bipolarmedstudent]

Originally Posted by moonlightdrive

I'm so tired of picking my skin, but I can't stop. I've read tips to stop all over the web, but nothing works for me. I've tried taking the vitamin Inositol, but the powder substance makes me want to puke. I've tried telling my doctor about it, but I don't think he truly understands. He gave me a 2 week sample of Pristiq, but I haven't heard good things about that. I was hoping I could try Paxil, Zoloft, or Prozac. But, from what I've read online, those medications don't seem to help anyone with dermatillomania.

I pick my face, neck, shoulders, and back. I used to just pick my face, but it has gotten worse. One reason it has intensified is because I started taking Adderall, but I've always been a face picker. When I was little, I was a thumb sucker, my mom would put something nasty of my thumbs to try to get me to stop, but I'd still suck them, then I became a nail biter. The nail biting progressed into picking/biting the cuticles. The skin picking started towards the end of middle school. During middle school I had a little bit of acne, nothing serious, but when I'd get a whitehead, my mom would tell me I needed to pop it. I wish she never said that. She would always get on to me when I had whiteheads. So that's where the skin picking all began. Sometimes I wonder if I would have even started picking my skin if she wouldn't have been a perfectionist about it?

The skin picking has turned me into a ugly monster. I could be decent looking if I didn't pick and leave ugly scars. I'm tired of putting on tons of concealer and foundation before I leave my house. Plus summer is coming soon and I won't be able to wear tank tops or bathing suits until I can stop this skin picking, and let the damage I've done heal.

My picking is very bad today because my mom is in a horrible mood, and it's making me upset. She told me to "shut the **** up" in front of company because I asked her to come inside so the dogs would stop barking for her (4 little dogs, are VERY loud, especially when you have a headache). The thing is she gets angry when someone else makes the dogs bark.

Does anyone have some tips that helped them stop picking? I'm depressed because of how ugly I've made myself look. I don't know what to do...

Do you pick in private only or also in public?

Do you pick in front of a mirror? Do you pick blemishes you can *see* or blemishes you can *feel*? (i.e. do you LOOK for things to pick, or do you FEEL for things to pick?)

Do you pick when you are bored and relaxed, or when you are stressed and anxious?

[moonlightdrive]

Originally Posted by BlessedRhiannon

I'm so sorry you're struggling with this. I've dealt with skin picking for so very long, and I know how hard it is to stop.

For me, the only thing that has really helped is actually talking about it with my therapist. Once I was able to talk about it with my therapist, and get over some of the shame and talk to someone who understood what I was going through and didn't judge me, then I was able to do other things to lessen the picking. I haven't stopped yet, but it's lessening. With my therapist's help, I've found that employing skills from DBT has helped the most in getting my skin picking under control. I fill out a diary card each week, and we talk about my triggers and how I handled them. I practice mindfulness whenever I feel the urge to pick. Being aware of my emotions and finding other ways to cope with them has also helped.

Thank you so much for replying. I will definitely look into getting a therapist. I was kind of skeptical about a therapist being able to help stop my picking. But from what I keep reading around the web, it seems like having a therapist is the most successful way people have stopped or slowed down their picking.

Originally Posted by bb2023

I have no words of advice but i wanted to let you know that i care and that i feel your pain deeply - ive been a severe skin picker for the past nine years, i know and relate to everything you've said and are going through. I wish too that something would help me stop - even just a little. Hope we both eventually find some form of solace. Sending hugs (if ok)

Aw, thank you so much for sharing. I just want to cry when I look at the damage I've done. But I just can't resist the urge. Right now, I have my neck in a mess. As I was writing this, I had to stop and feel over my neck. I wish I could leave my house without putting a pound of makeup on every day, or be able to wear tank tops, and feel confident. I truly hope we both can overcome this urge to pick. Sending hugs to you

[moonlightdrive]

Originally Posted by bipolarmedstudent

Do you pick in private only or also in public?

Do you pick in front of a mirror? Do you pick blemishes you can *see* or blemishes you can *feel*? (i.e. do you LOOK for things to pick, or do you FEEL for things to pick?)

Do you pick when you are bored and relaxed, or when you are stressed and anxious?

I pick in private. My family knows I pick, but if they happen to walk by the bathroom while I'm picking, I stop because I am so ashamed.

Yes I pick in front of the mirror, but I also pick while sitting at the computer, or while I'm getting dressed. I usually pick my shoulders/chest/and neck while I'm on the computer. I pick my face while looking in the mirror. But sometimes I'll rub my hand on my face, and feel for a bump, and go to the mirror to pick at it. So I look and feel for places to pick. It seems like I feel for places to pick on my back the most. I will just constantly feel all over my back trying to find the slightest bump to pick.

I do pick when I'm bored, and when I'm stressed it really intensifies.

[bipolarmedstudent]

Originally Posted by moonlightdrive

I pick in private. My family knows I pick, but if they happen to walk by the bathroom while I'm picking, I stop because I am so ashamed.

Yes I pick in front of the mirror, but I also pick while sitting at the computer, or while I'm getting dressed. I usually pick my shoulders/chest/and neck while I'm on the computer. I pick my face while looking in the mirror. But sometimes I'll rub my hand on my face, and feel for a bump, and go to the mirror to pick at it. So I look and feel for places to pick. It seems like I feel for places to pick on my back the most. I will just constantly feel all over my back trying to find the slightest bump to pick.

I do pick when I'm bored, and when I'm stressed it really intensifies.

Well, one thing you can do is get rid of your mirror (especially if you have one of those magnifying ones).

In terms of meds, what works for me is the atypical antipsychotics, especially Abilify. Helped a lot with hair-pulling. Might help you with skin-picking.

I dealt with dermatillomania since I was a very young child, up until about two years ago. I'm 33 now, so a long time. I can safely say now that I have broken free of it. I have been working on coping skills and stuff like that for years to deal with bipolar, I think it spilled over and helped me with the picking. Also mindfulness. Really paying attention to the urge and forcing myself to do something else, being aware of what I was feeling and why. It was a long process but I did get there eventually. I still have the urges, but I have learned how to recognize them and how to deal with them more appropriately.

I hope you can find something that helps you, have you ever tried mindful meditation? I'd check it out if you haven't. I know it's such a hard thing to stop and very misunderstood.

[amaviena]

Luvox helps me.

[moonlightdrive]

Originally Posted by Anika

I dealt with dermatillomania since I was a very young child, up until about two years ago. I'm 33 now, so a long time. I can safely say now that I have broken free of it. I have been working on coping skills and stuff like that for years to deal with bipolar, I think it spilled over and helped me with the picking. Also mindfulness. Really paying attention to the urge and forcing myself to do something else, being aware of what I was feeling and why. It was a long process but I did get there eventually. I still have the urges, but I have learned how to recognize them and how to deal with them more appropriately.

I hope you can find something that helps you, have you ever tried mindful meditation? I'd check it out if you haven't. I know it's such a hard thing to stop and very misunderstood.

Thanks so much for your reply , and I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to reply. Your reply gives me hope that I can stop picking one day. I have researched a little bit about mindful meditation in the past, but I haven't tried it. I am really interested in it though, and I would love to try it one day.

Originally Posted by amaviena

Luvox helps me.

I'll have to look into that! Thank you!

[alexie707]

Hey everyone my name is alex and im a 20 year old college student and i have been dealing with the hell that is ocd nd more specifically dermatillomania ever since i starting having acne. I know all to well about the constant battle of destroying and waiting for my skin to heal and frankly im desperate for help. Im goi ng to be attending school soon for the second time( at the first university i attended i picked at my skin) im worried anpraying i can get this habit/d isorder under control or at least get some advice or tips

[BlessedRhiannon]

Since this thread got bumped up again, I thought I'd update my previous comment. Working with a therapist did help....what helped me even more was getting on antianxiety medication. It is the ONLY thing that helped me really get it under control. I can't say that I've completely stopped picking at my skin, but it really has become a non-issue. If I start to pick, I notice it and can stop. The urge to pick is minimal, and it's not such a huge part of my life anymore.

[gabrielaval]

Hi to everyone, I love reading you is like I am reading my own thoughts.
At the same time it is amazinlgy sad

This is me too MOONLIGHTDRIVE

I pick in private. My family knows I pick, but if they happen to walk by the bathroom while I'm picking, I stop because I am so ashamed.

Yes I pick in front of the mirror, but I also pick while sitting at the computer, or while I'm getting dressed. I usually pick my shoulders/chest/and neck while I'm on the computer. I pick my face while looking in the mirror. But sometimes I'll rub my hand on my face, and feel for a bump, and go to the mirror to pick at it. So I look and feel for places to pick. It seems like I feel for places to pick on my back the most. I will just constantly feel all over my back trying to find the slightest bump to pick.

I do pick when I'm bored, and when I'm stressed it really intensifies.

Is it ever going to stop????????

[Grey Matter]

I pick when I am bored (usually my neck) and when I am anxious (my scalp). It really is such a strong compulsion, and sometimes you don't even realize you're doing it until you snap out of it or someone asks you what it is you're doing.

I do think it can get to a point of being controlled. I've learned it's really about finding ways to make your compulsion direct towards something else. Instead of picking (sometimes I am not free of it) I have gotten into strumming a guitar, even though it sounds awful musically e_e for me it's a need to keep my hands as busy as possible.

[gabrielaval]

Teen Idle, I have my hands busy all the time.. it just happens is a compulsion I can´t control.
If I don't pick for one day, or next day the third one is even worst.
I am seeing my physichiatrist on Monday and on Thursday I am trying magnets therapy.... I just don't know

[fiddler32]

Practicing mindfulness helped me with my skin picking (I still pick, but not every single day). Books by Jon Kabat-Zinn are the best out there in my opinion. A good one to start with is: Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment--and Your Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn.