Skin Picking

Yeah, I'm a skin picker too. I pick the skin on my fingers. I don't mean the hang nails. I mean the pads of my fingers all the way down to the knuckle and sometimes down to the wedge in between. It started out with dry and cracked fingertips, and then I got this sensation, a type of anxiety release or something from doing it and it just got further and further down my fingers. Now, my fingers won't heal. They get dry over and over again and tough skinned and I hate the feeling so I pick to get the feel of fresh skin underneath except it's not fresh skin...it's raw skin. Then I'm bandaging up my fingers, hands, whatever and making excuses to people...you know..."burned my fingers" or stuff. Sometimes I'm bleeding all over the place from it. I looked it up online and sure enough, there is a name for it. "Dermatillamania", a type of OCD. There is a show on cable that features OCD and it actually featured skin pickers, just like you. She was stuck in the mirror for hours doing her skin picking. Didn't get to finish the episode or I'd tell you what to do. Also, what is the slow cycling kind of bipolar? I didn't know there was a difference.

You are NOT alone! I have recieved help and encouragement beyond my wildest dreams through phone meetings of Skin Pickers Anonymous. I started picking my skin at six and I'm 30 years old and I pick everywhere on my body. I pick anywhere I can reach, sometimes for hours, and I pull my hair from my legs, chest, stomach, pubic area, and anywhere else I see "imperfections" I also pick my scalp and have had several very bad infections. I tried EVERYTHING to stop and over the years it's only gotten worse. I've tried cog behavior therapy, habit reversal therapy, talk therapy, blockers, abstinence, group therapy, online programs (not free) and every SSRI on the market. However, I recently found a 12 step group for skin pickers and now have HOPE and people I can reach out to for support. I have experienced repreive from my picking as I never have before! Today, I'm not facing this devistating illness alone and I no longer have to "figure it out." It's a HUGE relief and I have seen MIRACLES of healing and recovery. Please call in if you need support. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. SKIN PICKERS ANONYMOUS PHONE MEETING - Sundays at 7PM EST.

(I'm SO sorry I had to take the phone # out but we discourage the use of real personal info on the boards to discourage spam. Perhaps there's a website? -- serafena)

Post Edited By Moderator (serafena) : 8/10/2009 4:36:02 PM (GMT-6)

Yes I agree...you need to talk to a therapist about this and get to the bottom of what you are still keeping inside. I myself was a hair puller. Ever since I was a ****, until adulthood. I can tell when I am stressed because I start to twirl my hair. Well I fixed that and chopped off all of my hair :)

Hi spinnaker,

Welcome to the bipolar board. Think anxiety more than bipolar. It's a way to release tension. Take her to a new therapist. She's got more to work through than the picking. The picking is a symptom of larger issues, not the issue itself, if that makes sense.

serafena

I'm a quick cycler, and I am a crazy picker. Things on or in skin that "shouldn't" be there freak me out. Like I just don't want to pop or pick my skin. I'm ready to chase down my husband if I see a little hint of anything! When my baby was a newborn, she had pretty bad cradle cap, and I had to restrain myself from tearing her scalp apart to get it all off. I even fixate on facial piercings because those metal loops do not belong hanging out of that lip!

I was also a cutter and a hair-puller, so I think (for me) it's related to more of an anxiety issue. But I do get very frustrated and actually have to look away from people sometimes if they have a "thing" on them that my brain doesn't like. I'm kinda weird.