Compulsive Skin Picking

Dermatillomania is the medical name for compulsive skin picking (CSP), a spectrum of observed compulsive behaviors called "impulsive control disorders" that usually include the picking of scabs or other targeted areas of the skin.

It is often thought to be a sub-condition of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and around a quarter of OCD sufferers will present with some form of skin picking.

Sufferers will typically scratch an area of their skin for some perceived short term gain, even if it is at their expense in the long term.

Is It A Habit?

For example, a person may enjoy scratching a small scab. Over time, the wound will not heal properly and the scab may even grow and a larger scab area will give increased pleasure to the sufferer. However, the longer the wound goes without healing and the larger it grows, the greater the chance of permanent scarring or even infection and gangrene.

The example above is a common one where the person with this condition experiences pleasure when scratching the skin and could be described as a bad habit. However, there are also other motivations for such compulsive picking of the skin.

Body Dysmorphic Order

Up to a quarter of people with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) show signs of CSP and may scratch the body in order to change some aspect of their outward appearance.

For example, an acne sufferer may dislike the appearance of pus-filled spots and therefore seek to squeeze them at the earliest opportunity which is illogical on two counts. First, this action frequently leads to bloody, open sores which look worse than the original spots and take longer to clear up. Secondly, this will lead to permanent scarring and disfigurement that can only be remedied with expensive laser treatment.

Self Harm

Some people may even feel compelled to self harm themselves. In this sense, we can draw similarities between this condition and others such as "cutting". The root cause of such cases is often due to some past emotional trauma and treatment should be directed with this in mind.

What Causes Dermatillomania?

Emotional trauma can cause this condition but this is only seen in a minority of cases. The remainder are usually some form of habit that is made worse in moments of stress. So why is it that some people have this condition and others do not?

One possible explanation is genetics. Some scientists believe that such obsession with the skin could be a legacy of times gone by when humans and our nearest ancestors possessed more body hair and a compulsion to scratch was beneficial and encouraged healthy grooming and removal of parasites.

But in more extreme cases it may simply be an anxiety related disorder (as OCD is) and treatment should therefore be directed along these lines using options such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and antidepressant drugs.

One of the biggest problems for sufferers trying to overcome this particular impulsive control disorder is the lack of medical research in this area as can be seen by the dearth of published studies available.

Cure Dermatillomania Stop Dermatillomania

So is there a cure for Dermatillomania - skin picking?

Yes there is and it doesn't have to involve drugs or lengthy counseling .

There is a way to cure your skin picking disorder without actually leaving the house. I know! you've probably heard it all before and still got the condition BUT! here's the difference...

It worked for my wife and it also worked for her mother (it's never easy to please a mother in law)

Another BUT! - I wouldn't have recommended this if I hadn't seen the results for myself - it's been 3 months now and my wife hasn't picked at one bit of skin

That's got to be worth a look...

Stop Dermatillomania For Good