Here are some tips: wear gloves (best way to train yourself to notice urges), practice good hygiene (less things to pick), eat healthy, avoid mirrors (stand several feet away when applying makeup, etc. - harder to see spots to pick), exercise (helps boost positivity), GET SLEEP (being tired is a major trigger), shower by candlelight (relaxing / harder to see spots to pick), set timers in picking locations (bathrooms, etc.), stay busy, learn to notice urges / compulsions, DON'T LOSE HOPE!
I'm 54 years old and have been doing this for the better part of most of my life!! It is such a relief to find I'm not alone and/or it's not just some in my family!!!
Sometimes it feels you just wanna go hide and disappear to the point where no one can find you, because of the shame. You know it's wrong and try to stop but... It's hard and you just can't stop. You become addicted. You regret doing it but there's no going back. You're ashamed to even go to school, you cry. You do it to forget you do it but doing it makes you remember so you do it more, trying to forget. But there's no end...
I'm sorry you go through this with your skin picking. Since filming this documentary, I've gone into recovery. It's not perfect but it's not all-encompassing like it once was. If you're interested in learning more about my recovery and watching the full documentary, please visit Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
Oh my god... This is soo eye opening to me.. I finally identify with something.. Someone who is also going through the same thing... I'm 37 and never seek help thinking it was only Me.. 😔
Firstly, let me just say that you are beautiful. And BRAVE! I can't imagine how difficult making this documentary must have been for you. Thank you. Thank you for being braver than me. Thank you for letting me know that I'm not alone. Thank you for saying out loud what I can barely whisper to myself.
Awww, you're making me blush!!! Thank you so much! If you'd like to watch the full documentary, it's now available on Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
I'm just now finding out that I'm not the only one with this problem, and that's a great relief. I just wish I could make all of these scars just go away! I wish I could stop touching my back and face! I wish it didn't feel the urge to do this
I've been doing this since I was 8. Around the time when I started to get acne. I'm almost 17 now and I've been doing it ever since, on and off when I get stressed out or nervous. I wear a jacket every day to hide my arms and shoulders, I always wear my hair down to hide the sides of my face and my chest. I've only recently stopped feeling the need to wear makeup everyday to hide my scars on my face, but I've been seeing a dermatologist, and getting help with my acne.
I have picked since I was about 10, and am just now at 34 finding out there's a name for it, a reason behind it and *gasp!* others do it too! The feeling that we are not alone in this journey is a great one. Thank you for this, Angie. Good luck in this.
I just want to say thanks for your courage to use your story to bring this to light. I know that I'm not the only one who didn't know that skin picking was an actual disorder for a long time. (I just learned a few months ago!) I think this will help a lot of people. So I just want to say, thanks. :)
I had never heard of dermatillomania until I watched show called "Obsessed". there was an episode with a woman than had it. I saw the word flash across the screen. I honestly was freaking out. Like I was the one being filmed compulsively picking on national tv. Everything I had tried to hide about myself was confronting me head-on. I watched the whole episode, digging anxiously at my own skin while bawling my eyes out.
I have been doing this since like 2001 I can't stop my arms back and legs are covered in old scars that I finally let heal but if I get any new scars I just can't stop picking it makes me feel ashamed and self conscious I hope one day to stop.
I can't wait to view this documentary. I grew up in Vermont--the land of mosquitoes. Before I can even remember I scratched and picked and have arms and legs with scars that many assume are from cigarette burns. I could never leave anything alone. Come my teens, my large pores and mild/moderate acne became craters that would last for weeks. I will be 29 later this month and am still a face picker, not as bad as I was years ago but I still have picking sessions that are so bad that I won't
I've got General Anxiety Disorder and also struggled with Dermatollimania on my head all my life. My cousin has ADHD and I noticed that he had 'fidget toys' that he could chew or scratch at. I've found them very useful - many are available online that are discrete meaning you can using them at work or in class to fight of the urge to scratch and they are very hardy and safe to bite too. Please stay strong all you suffers of Trichotillomania and Dermatollimania
hi, i believe that i have dermatillomania and i want to have a diagnose, so my parents and others could take it seriously, and so i could admit it to myself- so i could finally admit that that is a big deal, it's not just a thingy. but i don't know who do i need to visit to get the diagnose? dermatologist, some private doctor, psychiatrist or someone else? i want this to be treated as a desease and i want to fix it, to cure it. i want to make it stop 'cause it's taking control over my life.
I couldn't watch the part when you were picking your legs, it brought tears into my eyes, that IS me, right there in action- I have made up my mind straight up to stop this disease, It's been a week that i haven't picked, but i can't look at my legs or chest now- do the scars ever fade? my self esteem is really low, and I can't tell anyone about my condition.
I've been in recovery since 2015, after appearing on "The Doctors". The scars do fade; on my skin they are hypo-pigmented along with indentations, but I love them!!! If you're interested in reading my recovery still (with The Drs video) and seeing the documentary Scars of Shame for free, visit the Skin Picking Support website. 💜
I have been picking my skin since I was 11. I am 24 today. I don't like to talk about it, and I don't even like writing here about it. Actually this might be the first time I don't delete it and actually hit "post". I am trying so hard to get into a certain school, and I am almost there. What if everybody knew that I spend hours picking whatever I can find until my fingers are sore. I used to pick my face and stay inside. Now I've learned to pick my arms and back, and cover up.
Ive been doing this since i was about 6, but i didnt have acne. I had very very dry lips, and i used to pick the skin off of them until they bled, disgusting i know, and my lips looked horrible. Then when i started puberty and getting more spots i started picking at my face. They start out as tiny little spots or blackheads and then progress into huge scabs, and then eventually a scar. The thing is even with the scars i manage to pick a little layer of skin off them.
I have this same disorder, and it threw me for a loop that this picking, this... impulse actually had a proper name and definition. It is so hard to quit. I haven't been able to for years. I hope for both our sakes that you and I can get through this, let our skin heal without tampering.
As an update, I went into recovery in 2015 after getting proper help! The full documentary and my recovery story are available at Skin Picking Support's website. :) 💜
@anonymity86 is there an online group support where people can share thoughts and worries there? or maybe talk to an online expert, or someone who successfully overcome this condition and can offer help to others?
So I just picked at my face for awhile, and the typical post-picking feelings are occuring. Guilt, over-whelming shame, suicidal, not knowing how I'm going to get through school tomorrow, and ugly. This video made me cry (harder than I already was) just knowing I'm not the only one who puts themselves through this.
I'm glad you know you're not alone in this, Allison. There is help for this disorder; I received it from a top expert in 2015! If you're interested in learning more and seeing Scars of Shame in full, please visit the Skin Picking Support website. 💜
it pains me to see so many of you experience the same thing...my heart goes out to you beautiful people. What seems to help?? My daughter is 8 with this disorder... doctors say anxiety/ocd?? Seems like there's just no help..or hope..
I live in britain....and for years ive picked and picked at my face....causing bleeding scabs...it gets to the point were my fingers ache from picking so much for so long....I have scars and scabs and I pick at it all....I know I'm causing damage but I dont realise I'm doing it or how long I do it for until there's blood under my nails and my fingers are aching.....I spend so much money on products trying to solve the damage I've caused....but this I'm finally realising is pointless as how would anything work if I continue to pick and pick...I went doctors once as I had a huge scabby chin....and they said it was imbitigo....not sure if ive spelt that right and so my doctor sent me away with oral anti biotics....that didn't work as I continued to pick...went back the docs and was given more antibiotics and an antibiotic cream....but I still picked and picked. .....that was over two yrs ago....in this time I've scarred my face to the point of hiding in my house being extremely anti social....I've now been bk docs and been told I have depression and given medication. ...but I still can not stop picking. ..I pick til my face feels like its on fire! I don't know were to go from here. ...is this even recognised as a condition in britain...???? Will I ever get real help....I barely leave the house...I won't go out unless I have too.....if I do I wear extremely thick camaflarge make up which looks stupid but its worse without it.....I do not let anybody see me ever without make up....and if I have no make up on and somebody knocks at my door....I hide...pretend I'm not in til they go away!!! I can't live like this anymore....im 34....have no job....no social life....and I have a 6 yr old daughter now and its effecting her every day life too because of me....which leaves me feeling guilty about her being stuck in all the time because I don't want to leave the house....I take her to school an pick her up....but I hate doing it...but I know I have to take her to school no matter how I feel....then I get home...pick all day make my face red and sore....then I panic knowing ive made it ten times worse to go and pick her up from school! Its destroying my life and effecting my daughters but I just can not stop....I need help.....but not sure were to get in from....I've been doing this so long now. ...I didn't even know what it was called or that it could even be an actual condition......but I feel some sense of relief it is....and I'm not the only person who has it or does it....and some hope I can actually stop .....but is this a actual recognised condition in my country....will a doctor even know what it is......or will I be sent away with more pills and creams.....please please help me....I'm lost and lonely and if I'm not picking then I'm crying trying to resist the urge too.....only time I'm not picking is when I'm sleeping.....but I don't sleep well at all....I pick til I pass out...why can't I stop.....I'm ugly and have lost all confidence. ....and I do not want my child suffering because of me any more! Please help x
@shelbyp24 Your story is heartbreaking. It makes me realize that I am very fortunate to have supportive parents and really, a supportive network of extended family and friends. You have it bang on: "This is a humiliating, debilitating affliction".
@xXRosaOscuraXx Thank you for taking the time for this comment! I appreciate your feedback and want to also let people know that having this isn't "wrong" or "bad". It affects our lives tremendously but it doesn't have to destroy our lives. We have something that is a bit different than what other people have, but we don't have to let it define us. :)
Wow. I also have a tendency to pick the hell of my my skin, constantly using a small magnifying mirror to look for pimples, blackheads, stray hairs, etc. I am 40 now and I have a fair amount of scarring along my cheeks and jaw, my back, buttocks and in my scalp especially I am always picking. I do have the self control not to do it in public or at work but interestingly my husband also is a chronic picker though he mainly picks dry skin off the soles of his feet and eats it!
i related to all of this but the eating his dead feet skin really got to me i coudlnt imagine that im so afraid of parasites and stuff ughhhh im triggered!
i have this embarrassing disorder, i pick my scalp. I guess that I think as long as the scabbing areas are hidden in my hair, that no one will no that i pick my skin. I occasionally pick other areas as well but mostly just stick to the scalp, thinking it will be hidden by my hair. I've done it for as long as i can remember and i don't know why. for some reason, doing this is a distraction to me from anxiety, and i almost feel "better" or something. You're not alone :)
Thanks! I have this and the hair pulling (I pull my eyelashes and stray eyebrows). I never knew that the skin picking had a name. Nice to know I'm not alone. Just wish I could stop!! I hate my red, scabbed and scarred skin!!!!! I worry about my kids picking up this habit!! The other day my 6 year old asked me how I got some many bug bites on my arms and legs. It killed me! I was honest with her though and told her that mommy just can't stop and that it's not good for my skin or mind.
(cont'd) leave the house. My parents used to criticize me heavily, stating that I looked like a cancer or AIDS patient, or a drug addict. They always felt that their criticisms would somehow get me to stop picking. Unfortunately, nothing they have done has worked. In fact, their criticisms only serve to make me more of a recluse when the picking is particularly bad. I consider myself to be a rather intelligent person--and dermatillomania seems like such a silly, simple compulsion to break.
the remedy that pretty works for me is to use a lotion that I feel really uncomfortable on my hands and fingertips, so once I put it on (with its applicator) it discourages me from scratching in that area (my face and my back)!
I can't stop picking my lips. They have never been unragged. When they're ragged, I pick at the ragged edges. I also pick my cuticles. I have small scabs on either sides of my thumbnails always. The only thing that helps is acrylic nails. I can't get a good grip on the skin, and I pick as much as normal, but it's less effective. I can still use my teeth though, I pull at imperfections on my lower lip with my teeth, and don't realize I'm doing it till I bleed.
omg I didn't even know until now that this disease/obsession had a name! I have it! .. I realized I was not the only one when I watched the movie Black Swan!
Even though I am a fellow dermatillomaniac that also sometimes uses sharp objects to damage my skin, I couldn't watch the parts where it showed her picking. How fucking insane of me.
ive had this for years never knew what it was called. I don't pick the skin on my legs tho but my feet and hands i do. For many years I would take my nails and scrap the surface of my skin until the skin peels off and sometimes eat it. I would peel dead skin off my feed and even chew on it (right ater a shower btw) everyday I pick at all my fingers so mch so the tips look like the skins falling off.
I believe I have it, but I am not sure. I pick at my skin, but never use sharp objects just my nails. I pick everywhere constantly and all I want to do is hide myself and never wear any tanks. :'(
@wongac13 same here :( it's like before I realise it, the damage's already done...I hate it so much, I don't know why I do this... I do it on my arms, my legs and sometimes my back, but mainly legs and arms...I fucking hate it...I am only glad that I am able to control myself before summer, because I know I'll have to show my skin, so that kinda makes me stop...but why the hell can't I end it for GOOD!!? I think I pick at "cold months" more, because I know I can hide it... ;( I HAD ENOUGH!
@anonymity86 is there an online group support where people can share thoughts and worries there? or maybe talk to an online expert, or someone who successfully overcome this condition and can offer help & hope to others?
Sorry for the late response! I have launched Skin Picking Support, which provides monthly online support group meetings on Facebook. In 2015, I went into recovery after appearing on "The Doctors"! To learn more about my recovery (including the video), and see Scars of Shame for free, please visit Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
I feel like I'm going insane because of this! I've been doing this for 5 years now and I haven't managed to survive more than 3 days without even nervously scratching my face. My family are desperate and think that I can stop doing this with the power of my will. I can, generally, control myself in almost everything but I feel this is totally out of my control. Is there 'Forever marked' e-book?
@SugarSigur We tend to dissociate ourselves with what we do, not realizing what it looks like (or what it is) because we can justify picking at one scab as normal, maybe two scabs... how about three or four...
(cont'd) Unfortunately it is exactly the opposite. I hope that everyone affected finds a solution/cure sooner than later. This is a humiliating, debilitating affliction.
yes irratiionally i feel im doing something better like removing a possible parasite like DEMODEX MITES .. im constantly skin picking and afraid i have some kind of undiagnosed skin issue... it alwasys changes .. either mites or bites from biting gnats.. or mold causing fungal acne... air not clean enough from certain powder in the air that we used to kill massive amount of carpet beetles found under our bed and their larvas are hairy and can cause itchy pink goosebump like patchs of skin if allergic to the tiny larvas or even their fibrous hairs in the air ).... that whole beetle thing is what caused this to become so severe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my life is awful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have to bag up every single item... even dirty clothes... every room has bags... my kids, my poor kids.. they already have an anxious mommy but i was doing good!!! now i have ziploc n garbage bags all over the place... shoes, clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes...any thing fabric cause so deathly afraid the beetles and tiny eggs or larvas wil come back and ruin everything again... i had finally had lots of home decor and rooms done up!!! after lots of saving up goign to diff store, clearance items, and some goodwil... went and stayed at my dads for awhile cause issues like toxic marriage plus house sitting and wantig to be close to my dad cuz his bad heart. (he ended up dying from final heart attack and respiratory distress in march 2020!! i i missed all the calls and texts... i slept through it!!! i didnt even knwo he was having trouble.. he didnt wanan worry me at first when went to hopsital ... i did see him 4 days priior when he took me to my dr appot and my kids came so we all got to chat, he got to vent, we got to laugh, etc.... but im back home and have no where to go despite my toxic relationship... i cant drive due to fear, no DL and im 3o! my dads house got beetles at same time so i been afraid to go there where my stepmom and aunt still live since my dad passed... i think they came from my that house and all teh clothes n stuff my stepmom would bring from north east state where they are common and i live in south where not so common..... but yeah so i have high stress during corona, after losing my dad who was the only light and uplifting person in my life who understood me !!! my son is a close 2nd even though only 5 but very empathetic and sensitive and upliftig to me!!!!!! my mini me!!! My daughter acts more like her apathetic robotic dad n makes me sooooo sad, i dont want her to end up like that!!! she is only 7!!! so i feel guilt for feeling stuck not jsut me but my kids too with this husband who is nice like fake nice complimenting me so much then a day later so evil putting me down, calling me the worst names and when i stop giving reactions he does worse shit now like acting like would hit me but stops n saying he wants to so bad ... that he needs to just go...but never does... narcissistic lying ass too....tries to intimidate me into submission and fear ...ANYWAYS I FEEL ALL OF THIS HAS CAUSED MY SKIN PROBLES, PICKING, WORSENING ANXIETY N OCD... ALSO AFFECTS ME THAT I COULD NEVER HAVE HELP FROM MY MOM WHO NEVER UNDERSTANDS N ONLY CRITICIZES OR JUDGES , CALLING ME A HYPOCHONDRIAC AT AGE 13 WHEN SAID THOUGHT IHAD DEPRESSION AFTER READING A BOOKELET AT DR APPT AND HAD ALL THE SIGNS... SHE SAID I JUST WANTED SOMETHING TO BE WRONG WITH ME.... SO I DONT TALK TO HER DUE TO THIS AND SHE DOESNT ASK ABOUT ME OR MY KIDS ANYAWYS...... IM SO EMBARASSED BY MY SKIN!!! UGHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOOK LIKE A FREAKING METH HEAD AND I DONT WANT OTHERS TO THINK THAT ABOUT ME!!!!! EVEN WHEN MY HUSBAND GOT ME TO DO IT WITH HIM BEFORE I GOT PREG AND CLEAN, I DIDNT EVEN PICK MY SKIN OR HAVE BAD SKIN EVER!!!!!!!!! I DID pick my scabs from cutting scars but never did i look or feel for raised spots and dig them out with my sharp nails and feel so successful each time but then lots of time passes and i realize how bad my skin looks right after it was looking better ):
It's so relieving to know I'm not the only one.
Fallen Angel. me too 😞
Here are some tips: wear gloves (best way to train yourself to notice urges), practice good hygiene (less things to pick), eat healthy, avoid mirrors (stand several feet away when applying makeup, etc. - harder to see spots to pick), exercise (helps boost positivity), GET SLEEP (being tired is a major trigger), shower by candlelight (relaxing / harder to see spots to pick), set timers in picking locations (bathrooms, etc.), stay busy, learn to notice urges / compulsions, DON'T LOSE HOPE!
I'm 54 years old and have been doing this for the better part of most of my life!! It is such a relief to find I'm not alone and/or it's not just some in my family!!!
Sometimes it feels you just wanna go hide and disappear to the point where no one can find you, because of the shame. You know it's wrong and try to stop but... It's hard and you just can't stop. You become addicted. You regret doing it but there's no going back. You're ashamed to even go to school, you cry. You do it to forget you do it but doing it makes you remember so you do it more, trying to forget. But there's no end...
I'm sorry you go through this with your skin picking.
Since filming this documentary, I've gone into recovery. It's not perfect but it's not all-encompassing like it once was. If you're interested in learning more about my recovery and watching the full documentary, please visit Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
Im here crying my eyes out. It depresses me everyday, my family just tell me to stop and leave it alone. I try but i cant! Help - please help
Oh my god... This is soo eye opening to me.. I finally identify with something.. Someone who is also going through the same thing... I'm 37 and never seek help thinking it was only Me.. 😔
Firstly, let me just say that you are beautiful. And BRAVE! I can't imagine how difficult making this documentary must have been for you. Thank you. Thank you for being braver than me. Thank you for letting me know that I'm not alone. Thank you for saying out loud what I can barely whisper to myself.
Awww, you're making me blush!!! Thank you so much! If you'd like to watch the full documentary, it's now available on Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
I'm just now finding out that I'm not the only one with this problem, and that's a great relief. I just wish I could make all of these scars just go away! I wish I could stop touching my back and face! I wish it didn't feel the urge to do this
I've been doing this since I was 8. Around the time when I started to get acne. I'm almost 17 now and I've been doing it ever since, on and off when I get stressed out or nervous. I wear a jacket every day to hide my arms and shoulders, I always wear my hair down to hide the sides of my face and my chest. I've only recently stopped feeling the need to wear makeup everyday to hide my scars on my face, but I've been seeing a dermatologist, and getting help with my acne.
I have picked since I was about 10, and am just now at 34 finding out there's a name for it, a reason behind it and *gasp!* others do it too! The feeling that we are not alone in this journey is a great one. Thank you for this, Angie. Good luck in this.
I'm happy you no longer feel alone! If you'd like to watch the full documentary, it's now available on Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
I just want to say thanks for your courage to use your story to bring this to light. I know that I'm not the only one who didn't know that skin picking was an actual disorder for a long time. (I just learned a few months ago!) I think this will help a lot of people. So I just want to say, thanks. :)
Thank you for your sweet comment! If you'd like to watch the full documentary, it's now available on Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
I had never heard of dermatillomania until I watched show called "Obsessed". there was an episode with a woman than had it. I saw the word flash across the screen. I honestly was freaking out. Like I was the one being filmed compulsively picking on national tv. Everything I had tried to hide about myself was confronting me head-on. I watched the whole episode, digging anxiously at my own skin while bawling my eyes out.
Omg this was so hard to watch because that is my story completely. Wow...
I have been doing this since like 2001 I can't stop my arms back and legs are covered in old scars that I finally let heal but if I get any new scars I just can't stop picking it makes me feel ashamed and self conscious I hope one day to stop.
I can't wait to view this documentary.
I grew up in Vermont--the land of mosquitoes. Before I can even remember I scratched and picked and have arms and legs with scars that many assume are from cigarette burns. I could never leave anything alone. Come my teens, my large pores and mild/moderate acne became craters that would last for weeks. I will be 29 later this month and am still a face picker, not as bad as I was years ago but I still have picking sessions that are so bad that I won't
Thank you for sharing your story. If you're still interested in seeing the documentary, it's available at Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
I've got General Anxiety Disorder and also struggled with Dermatollimania on my head all my life. My cousin has ADHD and I noticed that he had 'fidget toys' that he could chew or scratch at. I've found them very useful - many are available online that are discrete meaning you can using them at work or in class to fight of the urge to scratch and they are very hardy and safe to bite too. Please stay strong all you suffers of Trichotillomania and Dermatollimania
Kudos for being so brave. I would love to watch this documentary.
Thank you! It's now available for free at the Skin Picking Support website. 💜
hi, i believe that i have dermatillomania and i want to have a diagnose, so my parents and others could take it seriously, and so i could admit it to myself- so i could finally admit that that is a big deal, it's not just a thingy. but i don't know who do i need to visit to get the diagnose? dermatologist, some private doctor, psychiatrist or someone else? i want this to be treated as a desease and i want to fix it, to cure it. i want to make it stop 'cause it's taking control over my life.
I couldn't watch the part when you were picking your legs, it brought tears into my eyes, that IS me, right there in action- I have made up my mind straight up to stop this disease, It's been a week that i haven't picked, but i can't look at my legs or chest now- do the scars ever fade? my self esteem is really low, and I can't tell anyone about my condition.
I've been in recovery since 2015, after appearing on "The Doctors". The scars do fade; on my skin they are hypo-pigmented along with indentations, but I love them!!!
If you're interested in reading my recovery still (with The Drs video) and seeing the documentary Scars of Shame for free, visit the Skin Picking Support website. 💜
I have been picking my skin since I was 11. I am 24 today. I don't like to talk about it, and I don't even like writing here about it. Actually this might be the first time I don't delete it and actually hit "post". I am trying so hard to get into a certain school, and I am almost there. What if everybody knew that I spend hours picking whatever I can find until my fingers are sore. I used to pick my face and stay inside. Now I've learned to pick my arms and back, and cover up.
Oh this hit me …
I’m glad I’m not alone :(
500 views already! This is great! Finally the world of Dermatillomania is being recognized! :)
Ive been doing this since i was about 6, but i didnt have acne. I had very very dry lips, and i used to pick the skin off of them until they bled, disgusting i know, and my lips looked horrible. Then when i started puberty and getting more spots i started picking at my face. They start out as tiny little spots or blackheads and then progress into huge scabs, and then eventually a scar. The thing is even with the scars i manage to pick a little layer of skin off them.
I have this same disorder, and it threw me for a loop that this picking, this... impulse actually had a proper name and definition. It is so hard to quit. I haven't been able to for years. I hope for both our sakes that you and I can get through this, let our skin heal without tampering.
As an update, I went into recovery in 2015 after getting proper help! The full documentary and my recovery story are available at Skin Picking Support's website. :) 💜
I have this. I pick at my scalp.
Angie this is inspirartional, i cant wait to see the finished product hun, your so amazing, keep up the amazing work :) and your so beautiful
Thanks so much!!! You can now watch it on Skin Picking Support's website for free! 💜
@anonymity86 is there an online group support where people can share thoughts and worries there? or maybe talk to an online expert, or someone who successfully overcome this condition and can offer help to others?
So I just picked at my face for awhile, and the typical post-picking feelings are occuring. Guilt, over-whelming shame, suicidal, not knowing how I'm going to get through school tomorrow, and ugly. This video made me cry (harder than I already was) just knowing I'm not the only one who puts themselves through this.
I'm glad you know you're not alone in this, Allison. There is help for this disorder; I received it from a top expert in 2015! If you're interested in learning more and seeing Scars of Shame in full, please visit the Skin Picking Support website. 💜
going to read you book..
i have the same story
i should do something too
thank you!
Thank you for spreading awareness. :) I can't wait to see the documentary.
It's now available for free on Skin Picking Support's website! 💜
You are not alone. I have this problem. I am 20 and i had this problem since I was 12.
No body belives me and its too painful for me
it pains me to see so many of you experience the same thing...my heart goes out to you beautiful people. What seems to help?? My daughter is 8 with this disorder... doctors say anxiety/ocd?? Seems like there's just no help..or hope..
I live in britain....and for years ive picked and picked at my face....causing bleeding scabs...it gets to the point were my fingers ache from picking so much for so long....I have scars and scabs and I pick at it all....I know I'm causing damage but I dont realise I'm doing it or how long I do it for until there's blood under my nails and my fingers are aching.....I spend so much money on products trying to solve the damage I've caused....but this I'm finally realising is pointless as how would anything work if I continue to pick and pick...I went doctors once as I had a huge scabby chin....and they said it was imbitigo....not sure if ive spelt that right and so my doctor sent me away with oral anti biotics....that didn't work as I continued to pick...went back the docs and was given more antibiotics and an antibiotic cream....but I still picked and picked. .....that was over two yrs ago....in this time I've scarred my face to the point of hiding in my house being extremely anti social....I've now been bk docs and been told I have depression and given medication. ...but I still can not stop picking. ..I pick til my face feels like its on fire!
I don't know were to go from here. ...is this even recognised as a condition in britain...???? Will I ever get real help....I barely leave the house...I won't go out unless I have too.....if I do I wear extremely thick camaflarge make up which looks stupid but its worse without it.....I do not let anybody see me ever without make up....and if I have no make up on and somebody knocks at my door....I hide...pretend I'm not in til they go away!!! I can't live like this anymore....im 34....have no job....no social life....and I have a 6 yr old daughter now and its effecting her every day life too because of me....which leaves me feeling guilty about her being stuck in all the time because I don't want to leave the house....I take her to school an pick her up....but I hate doing it...but I know I have to take her to school no matter how I feel....then I get home...pick all day make my face red and sore....then I panic knowing ive made it ten times worse to go and pick her up from school! Its destroying my life and effecting my daughters but I just can not stop....I need help.....but not sure were to get in from....I've been doing this so long now. ...I didn't even know what it was called or that it could even be an actual condition......but I feel some sense of relief it is....and I'm not the only person who has it or does it....and some hope I can actually stop .....but is this a actual recognised condition in my country....will a doctor even know what it is......or will I be sent away with more pills and creams.....please please help me....I'm lost and lonely and if I'm not picking then I'm crying trying to resist the urge too.....only time I'm not picking is when I'm sleeping.....but I don't sleep well at all....I pick til I pass out...why can't I stop.....I'm ugly and have lost all confidence. ....and I do not want my child suffering because of me any more!
Please help x
@shelbyp24
Your story is heartbreaking. It makes me realize that I am very fortunate to have supportive parents and really, a supportive network of extended family and friends.
You have it bang on: "This is a humiliating, debilitating affliction".
@xXRosaOscuraXx
Thank you for taking the time for this comment! I appreciate your feedback and want to also let people know that having this isn't "wrong" or "bad". It affects our lives tremendously but it doesn't have to destroy our lives. We have something that is a bit different than what other people have, but we don't have to let it define us. :)
Wow. I also have a tendency to pick the hell of my my skin, constantly using a small magnifying mirror to look for pimples, blackheads, stray hairs, etc. I am 40 now and I have a fair amount of scarring along my cheeks and jaw, my back, buttocks and in my scalp especially I am always picking. I do have the self control not to do it in public or at work but interestingly my husband also is a chronic picker though he mainly picks dry skin off the soles of his feet and eats it!
i related to all of this but the eating his dead feet skin really got to me i coudlnt imagine that im so afraid of parasites and stuff ughhhh im triggered!
i have this embarrassing disorder, i pick my scalp. I guess that I think as long as the scabbing areas are hidden in my hair, that no one will no that i pick my skin. I occasionally pick other areas as well but mostly just stick to the scalp, thinking it will be hidden by my hair. I've done it for as long as i can remember and i don't know why. for some reason, doing this is a distraction to me from anxiety, and i almost feel "better" or something. You're not alone :)
@Kristiniskool
It's amazing... I didn't expect this kind of response! :)
Thanks! I have this and the hair pulling (I pull my eyelashes and stray eyebrows). I never knew that the skin picking had a name. Nice to know I'm not alone. Just wish I could stop!! I hate my red, scabbed and scarred skin!!!!! I worry about my kids picking up this habit!! The other day my 6 year old asked me how I got some many bug bites on my arms and legs. It killed me! I was honest with her though and told her that mommy just can't stop and that it's not good for my skin or mind.
(cont'd) leave the house. My parents used to criticize me heavily, stating that I looked like a cancer or AIDS patient, or a drug addict. They always felt that their criticisms would somehow get me to stop picking. Unfortunately, nothing they have done has worked. In fact, their criticisms only serve to make me more of a recluse when the picking is particularly bad.
I consider myself to be a rather intelligent person--and dermatillomania seems like such a silly, simple compulsion to break.
Story of my live, I really hate this and I do exactly the same thing.She is beautiful!
the remedy that pretty works for me is to use a lotion that I feel really uncomfortable on my hands and fingertips, so once I put it on (with its applicator) it discourages me from scratching in that area (my face and my back)!
I can't stop picking my lips. They have never been unragged. When they're ragged, I pick at the ragged edges. I also pick my cuticles. I have small scabs on either sides of my thumbnails always. The only thing that helps is acrylic nails. I can't get a good grip on the skin, and I pick as much as normal, but it's less effective. I can still use my teeth though, I pull at imperfections on my lower lip with my teeth, and don't realize I'm doing it till I bleed.
omg I didn't even know until now that this disease/obsession had a name! I have it! ..
I realized I was not the only one when I watched the movie Black Swan!
Even though I am a fellow dermatillomaniac that also sometimes uses sharp objects to damage my skin, I couldn't watch the parts where it showed her picking. How fucking insane of me.
I understand everything you're talking about! It really is terrible and it's ruining my life, too!
ive had this for years never knew what it was called. I don't pick the skin on my legs tho but my feet and hands i do. For many years I would take my nails and scrap the surface of my skin until the skin peels off and sometimes eat it. I would peel dead skin off my feed and even chew on it (right ater a shower btw) everyday I pick at all my fingers so mch so the tips look like the skins falling off.
I believe I have it, but I am not sure. I pick at my skin, but never use sharp objects just my nails. I pick everywhere constantly and all I want to do is hide myself and never wear any tanks. :'(
@wongac13 same here :( it's like before I realise it, the damage's already done...I hate it so much, I don't know why I do this...
I do it on my arms, my legs and sometimes my back, but mainly legs and arms...I fucking hate it...I am only glad that I am able to control myself before summer, because I know I'll have to show my skin, so that kinda makes me stop...but why the hell can't I end it for GOOD!!? I think I pick at "cold months" more, because I know I can hide it... ;( I HAD ENOUGH!
@anonymity86 is there an online group support where people can share thoughts and worries there? or maybe talk to an online expert, or someone who successfully overcome this condition and can offer help & hope to others?
Sorry for the late response! I have launched Skin Picking Support, which provides monthly online support group meetings on Facebook. In 2015, I went into recovery after appearing on "The Doctors"! To learn more about my recovery (including the video), and see Scars of Shame for free, please visit Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
does anyone know where i can watch the full documentary?
I feel like I'm going insane because of this! I've been doing this for 5 years now and I haven't managed to survive more than 3 days without even nervously scratching my face. My family are desperate and think that I can stop doing this with the power of my will. I can, generally, control myself in almost everything but I feel this is totally out of my control.
Is there 'Forever marked' e-book?
There is an ebook! You can find it, along with full documentary for free, on Skin Picking Support's website. 💜
This is me , its soo bad. I can turn a mosquito bit to a scar bigger than my thumb just because I keep picking at it .
@SugarSigur
We tend to dissociate ourselves with what we do, not realizing what it looks like (or what it is) because we can justify picking at one scab as normal, maybe two scabs... how about three or four...
Angie your my hero that I would love to become myself. Your so gorgeous. You have no idea.
Gosh, you're so sweet! It means so much to me! 💜
If you'd like to see the full documentary, it's now available at Skin Picking Support's website.
moving
When is the documentary being released?
It's now available for free on Skin Picking Support's website! 💜
(cont'd) Unfortunately it is exactly the opposite. I hope that everyone affected finds a solution/cure sooner than later. This is a humiliating, debilitating affliction.
Do you know where I can watch the full documentary? thx
It's now available at the Skin Picking Support website for free! 💜
I always promise this is the last time, te billions times over
yes irratiionally i feel im doing something better like removing a possible parasite like DEMODEX MITES .. im constantly skin picking and afraid i have some kind of undiagnosed skin issue... it alwasys changes .. either mites or bites from biting gnats.. or mold causing fungal acne... air not clean enough from certain powder in the air that we used to kill massive amount of carpet beetles found under our bed and their larvas are hairy and can cause itchy pink goosebump like patchs of skin if allergic to the tiny larvas or even their fibrous hairs in the air ).... that whole beetle thing is what caused this to become so severe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my life is awful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have to bag up every single item... even dirty clothes... every room has bags... my kids, my poor kids.. they already have an anxious mommy but i was doing good!!! now i have ziploc n garbage bags all over the place... shoes, clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes...any thing fabric cause so deathly afraid the beetles and tiny eggs or larvas wil come back and ruin everything again... i had finally had lots of home decor and rooms done up!!! after lots of saving up goign to diff store, clearance items, and some goodwil... went and stayed at my dads for awhile cause issues like toxic marriage plus house sitting and wantig to be close to my dad cuz his bad heart. (he ended up dying from final heart attack and respiratory distress in march 2020!! i i missed all the calls and texts... i slept through it!!! i didnt even knwo he was having trouble.. he didnt wanan worry me at first when went to hopsital ... i did see him 4 days priior when he took me to my dr appot and my kids came so we all got to chat, he got to vent, we got to laugh, etc.... but im back home and have no where to go despite my toxic relationship... i cant drive due to fear, no DL and im 3o! my dads house got beetles at same time so i been afraid to go there where my stepmom and aunt still live since my dad passed... i think they came from my that house and all teh clothes n stuff my stepmom would bring from north east state where they are common and i live in south where not so common..... but yeah so i have high stress during corona, after losing my dad who was the only light and uplifting person in my life who understood me !!! my son is a close 2nd even though only 5 but very empathetic and sensitive and upliftig to me!!!!!! my mini me!!! My daughter acts more like her apathetic robotic dad n makes me sooooo sad, i dont want her to end up like that!!! she is only 7!!! so i feel guilt for feeling stuck not jsut me but my kids too with this husband who is nice like fake nice complimenting me so much then a day later so evil putting me down, calling me the worst names and when i stop giving reactions he does worse shit now like acting like would hit me but stops n saying he wants to so bad ... that he needs to just go...but never does... narcissistic lying ass too....tries to intimidate me into submission and fear ...ANYWAYS I FEEL ALL OF THIS HAS CAUSED MY SKIN PROBLES, PICKING, WORSENING ANXIETY N OCD... ALSO AFFECTS ME THAT I COULD NEVER HAVE HELP FROM MY MOM WHO NEVER UNDERSTANDS N ONLY CRITICIZES OR JUDGES , CALLING ME A HYPOCHONDRIAC AT AGE 13 WHEN SAID THOUGHT IHAD DEPRESSION AFTER READING A BOOKELET AT DR APPT AND HAD ALL THE SIGNS... SHE SAID I JUST WANTED SOMETHING TO BE WRONG WITH ME.... SO I DONT TALK TO HER DUE TO THIS AND SHE DOESNT ASK ABOUT ME OR MY KIDS ANYAWYS...... IM SO EMBARASSED BY MY SKIN!!! UGHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOOK LIKE A FREAKING METH HEAD AND I DONT WANT OTHERS TO THINK THAT ABOUT ME!!!!! EVEN WHEN MY HUSBAND GOT ME TO DO IT WITH HIM BEFORE I GOT PREG AND CLEAN, I DIDNT EVEN PICK MY SKIN OR HAVE BAD SKIN EVER!!!!!!!!! I DID pick my scabs from cutting scars but never did i look or feel for raised spots and dig them out with my sharp nails and feel so successful each time but then lots of time passes and i realize how bad my skin looks right after it was looking better ):
And it's Erica not Eric...
@Vocalist1993 i'm just like you!! :O !