picking at skin

[silver_elf]

It's a horrible horrible habit but like every single time I look in the mirror I start picking at my skin, at my imperfections and stuff, for hours sometimes. I hate it because it's making my skin all red and puffy and scabbed in some places. This is on my face and chest. I also spend hours plucking at ingrown hairs on my legs.
I'm pretty sure I have gotten to the point where it's an OCD behaviour.

Anyone else do this? Any advice on just leaving it alone?

[Marialise]

Yeah I do it too... not all the time, but when I'm really anxious I can spend an hour picking at my face. It makes your face so much worse too! One time I kept picking at this spot on my chin so much that it was all red and scabby and my teacher asked me what it was. "A zit," I told her. She said, "Whew, I thought it was cancer!" WTF???

Also I have this weird thing (I don't think you're old enough to have this but...) when I find ONE gray hair I pluck it and then spend at least an hour parting my hair in different spots, looking for another gray hair to pluck.

The picking feels really frantic whereas the "gray plucking" feels more like it puts me in a trance looking for more hairs. um... my advice on the picking. If you know you're feeling anxious take an anxiety pill or make sure you wash your face (or use one of those cleansing cloths) before AND after you pick bc if you don't any dirt, oil, etc from your skin or hands can get in your skin and make it worse. And I also slather zit cream on the areas after I wash again.

Side question... do you bite your nails too? I do... And its really weird. I'm 27 and I bite my nails... its kind of embarrassing...

[BCherry]

Pretty much 95% of the time I pass a mirror I start picking at my face. I have blemishes and my skin is horrible because of it, and thats the only way I abuse it. I clean and moisturize everyday but if I see something, I will pick at it non stop.. Yuck

[Veganforlife]

No way! I have always felt so disgusting for doing this. I actually don't pick my face, but I pick my head/scalp. It's gotten so bad that I have had bald spots the size of a dime hidden in my hair. My doctor opted not to put me on meds and suggested that I excersize more?
I get like a disgusting amount of pleasure doing it... sorry if I'm grossing you out..haha

[Becky]

i have been doing this for ages
i pick at the skin on feet, they are a complete mess. i do my fingers too but not as bad because pl tell me it looks bad
i get infections in my feet a lot because of it.
its an impulse disorder called Dermatillomania, similar to people tht pull their hair out. i think it runs in families. i dont know that for sure but my mum used to pull her hair n my dad picks his skin.
the face and chest are both common places for people to pick at.

[amazon2]

Pick pick pick all the time. Around my fingers the most. Hard to keep nails long. Always getting infected. My right arm is full of mini scabs from picking and I have spots on my thighs and legs where I am constantly picking at ingrown hairs or "imperfections". It's gotten pretty bad lately. Need to stop. Seem to go through phases.

[Amethyst]

I pick my face and lips all the time. ha, it makes my skin red and my lips all bleedy. In fact I'm sitting reading these posts picking at my lower lip and wiping away little drops of blood. It doesn't hurt, but I feel I can't stop until I get, like, the little piece of skin left on there....God, I'm such a freak. DX

[InMotion]

I used to do this a lot too! =/ I don't do it so much now, but I do still pick at my scalp. D: It's called dermotillomania. D:
I also used to have trichotillomania, which was pulling hairs out, which by the sounds of it, several of you do too!

[faith-laura]

I have a really odd and gross habit of picking at my toe nails, sometimes to the point of pulling my nails off. I do it when I'm anxious, stressed, etc. I used to do it alot when I was about 10-12 but stopped until recently... It's horrible because sometimes I just have no toenails on certain toes and it bleeds loads. I guess its a form of self harm, come to think of it...

[Luna]

I pick my fingers until they are bleeding. They look so horrible, and the worst thing is that I have thin blood (i think?) and the bleeding never seem to stop... An hour can go by, and my fingers are still red and bloody. It's so nasty and embarassing, especially if I'm around people.
I also pick my lips, that's even worse. Pick pick pick, until they are sore and bleeding and hurting for days. Doesn't make me look too pretty either.
I really gotta stop.