[seesaw]

Okay, so forgive my spelling, but is obsessive compulsive skin picking considered self harm?

My body actually hurts right now from the open wounds I have from skin picking. I never realized the compulsion could cause sores these bad.

I have been almost 2 years free of self-harm (cutting and burning). I have always been a little compulsive about picking at acne. But the month I have picked my face and my scars so bad that they have reopened, and my whole nose is a very bad, possibly infected, scab. I can't even cover it with make-up for work, so all my coworkers see it.

I will try and post a picture so you can see. It's really bad. And it's not even acne related anymore. If I feel any kind of piece of loose skin or sand or dust on my face or anywhere else, I start to scratch at my skin until there's a break, and then I start to pick until, well, I don't know at what point I stop, I just do...often after causing a big sore.

Is this self harm or is it compulsion? It feels different than when I self harmed, but it also feels familiar.

Thanks,
Seesaw

I struggle with this (I tend to go for the skin around my fingers the most and they look just awful).

I don't consider it self-harm personally. It stems from anxiety and habit, there is no intent to hurt myself even though I do go too far sometimes and end up bleeding.

I think that for your picking to count as self-harm, there has to be that intent to cause yourself pain in order to relieve emotional pain. Dermatillomania does not qualify as self-harm.

So you need to ask yourself whether there is intent to harm yourself and that's why you're doing it, or if it's a compulsion that just happens to be harmful sometimes.

[seesaw]

Hmmm, I feel like it's more like compulsion.

Originally Posted by seesaw

Hmmm, I feel like it's more like compulsion.

If you ever find a way to stop picking your skin, please let me know your strategy. My fingers and face would thank you.

[cogladaid]

I agree with the above. If you feel like you have to do it, it's a compulsion. Self harm would count if you intentionally do it to cause pain to relieve stress.

[TishaBuv]

I would call it 'nerves', not SH

[moonlitwish]

I do it often without even realizing I'm doing it until I'm bleeding. A hair brushes my face, I scratch the itch, find a bump and scrape it off too. I try to keep myself from doing it by exfoliating daily. Less bumps=less picking for me. My right cheek is horribly scarred right now from a bad case of milia over the winter. And of course once the cyst is out, then there's the scab that I pick off....I feel you. I stopped cutting but actually have more scars from the unconscious picking.

[seesaw]

Originally Posted by moonlitwish

I do it often without even realizing I'm doing it until I'm bleeding. A hair brushes my face, I scratch the itch, find a bump and scrape it off too. I try to keep myself from doing it by exfoliating daily. Less bumps=less picking for me. My right cheek is horribly scarred right now from a bad case of milia over the winter. And of course once the cyst is out, then there's the scab that I pick off....I feel you. I stopped cutting but actually have more scars from the unconscious picking.

That's it exactly, with the hair brushing your face, scratch the itch, and all of a sudden I'm bleeding.

[passionfruit3]

Is it detrolmainia if you are obsessed with pulling hair like on your stomach and under your chin and then some days you aren't you are completely fine.but when it happens you can't stop.sorry just reading this made me want to pull at my chin

[cogladaid]

Originally Posted by passionfruit3

Is it detrolmainia if you are obsessed with pulling hair like on your stomach and under your chin and then some days you aren't you are completely fine.but when it happens you can't stop.sorry just reading this made me want to pull at my chin

Dermatillomania is compulsive sick picking. Trichotillomania is compulsive hair pulling.

Sometimes you only get the urge when you are stressed so yes it's normal to be normal in between phases.

[Tbhimscared]

I would consider it to be more of a compulsion. I mostly target freckles/black heads I can squeeze/ the skin around my nails and on my knuckles and wrists (not as bad). I wish I could stop so I would have nice nails but it seems pretty impossible at this point since I've done it for over 8 years now

[Blaire]

I don't think dermatillomania is self harm. Some people might use it that way if they want to inflict pain, but I think the kind of mindless picking we're talking about here is a soothing strategy for anxiety.