So I went to the dermatologist last month for a full body scan (lots of moles) and as she was checking my scalp, she found my most frequently picked spot. She was SO compassionate, like I have always been terrified of judgement for this problem, and she said “oh that’s so hard to stop! You’re not alone, it’s very common” she asked me if I wanted her to inject the spot to flatten the bump and stop the itch, I was like, you can do that?? And she said it’s her first recommendation for skin picking that involves raised bumps. Had no idea, so I wanted to share with you all in case there are people like me, who are afraid of getting scolded by the dermatologist like I was.

Anyways, a month later and it’s completely flat! I didn’t even stop touching the bump after, because it’s a really difficult thing to just stop. But there is nothing there, it’s like a miracle.

I’m not a big poster. I lurk, but I just joined as I feel compelled to post in case this helps someone else.

A little background. I’m a woman in my mid-30s. I’ve been picking every day of my life since I-don’t-know-when. There are photos of me as a child with scabs. I’ve been in therapy since I was a teen. Tried SSRIs and SNRIs. I have ALL the fidget toys. Nothing has helped. It doesn’t matter if I’m sad, happy, angry, on anti-depressants, or anything else. It’s really hard.

Picking has seriously diminished my quality of life. You guys know what I’m talking about. My picking is trigger based, so bug bites, acne, irritation, inflammation, and it’s all over. Mine is obvious enough that I can’t hide or escape from it, and I have a lot of internalized shame about it.

Therapists typically tell me it’s anxiety or OCD related. But that never felt accurate to me. I live in my head too much, but I don’t worry about the future. I don’t think things will happen if I do or don’t pick. I just pick because I have to. It has never felt like a choice I had control over. I’ve personally researched this disorder extensively trying to find solutions, but there just wasn’t one for me.

I was recently considered for and prescribed a medication (an NDRI I think) for ADHD. I was scared it might trigger a super focused pick session and make things worse. But…the opposite happened: on this medication I can choose not to pick. If I catch myself going to do it, or looking, or scratching an itch I CAN STOP. I don’t know if it will last. But I’ve had 7 days of relief and there are not even words to describe how that feels.

I know it won’t help everyone. And I only started thinking that I might seriously have adhd a year or so ago because I’m not a classic case. Women are different than men. Women are different from other women. For those of you struggling like me, dig around a bit and talk to your doctor and see if this might potentially be you.

It’s not perfect. My control slips some at night when the meds have worn off. But it’s also helpful because now I KNOW there is relief coming. Before, what was the point in not picking? I would pick it eventually because there was no reprieve, so I might as well pick it now.

I don’t know if this will last. The people who may have successfully stopped picking may not be here any longer to confirm it worked and stayed working for them. There might only be people who it didn’t work for. If you received an ADHD diagnosis as an adult, I’d love to hear your experience of how picking may have been impacted by your diagnosis and/or pharmaceutical intervention.

This isn’t a magic solution for all of course. Maybe this only helps one person here, but that would be enough.

Solidarity, my siblings.

EDIT: I was initially posting to try to encourage undiagnosed people to consider adhd and the lack of impulse control associated, but see there are also lots of you who figured it out a lot faster than me. If you’re already diagnosed, but your meds haven’t helped (or have made it worse, which was honestly my fear), I can see it would be helpful to know exactly what medication I was given, so: dexmethylphenidate. Doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. In fact, it definitely won’t work for everyone as our brains are all different (I think for the first time in my life I understand just HOW different they can be). But, there you have it.

I’ve been a picker since I can remember. For a long time I just thought I was gross. Turns out I have adhd and anxiety and picking is my stim of choice.

As a side note: my mother also picked her whole life! I didn’t get to ask her about it before she passed, but it’s interesting.

ANYWAY! I’m going on my honeymoon in February and I’m super self conscious of all my open wounds. They’re all over my bum and the back of my legs. My husband is used to it, but I want to be able to wear a swimsuit without hyper focusing on how “gross” they look.

So I’ve been talking to my therapist about it and how I feel like I have zero control over it. Even when I’m wearing pants, as soon as I feel a scab I impulsively pick it even while thinking “omg stop don’t do it!!”

She suggested bandages, but I knew it would also bother me to be covered in raised bandages until I heal. Not to mention having to change them after a shower. Then it hit me!! Saniderm! The plastic covering used for tattoo healing. The material is so thin and sticky that it really feels like a second skin and instantly discourages me from messing with scabs. It lasts through a few showers and so far this has been a game changer.

I got pre cut strips with rounded corners so they’re less likely to lift. I made sure to use antibacterial spray before placement to keep germs out. I’ll switch them out every 3-5 days as needed.

I was worried about the saniderm pulling off the scabs when I change the dressing, but using coconut oil to loosen the stickiness works really well.

I’ll keep you all posted on how the healing goes! I know this won’t fix the root issue of picking and why I do it, but healing as much as I can will limit my picking and hopefully help me in controlling it eventually without any aids.

Diagnosed with OCD since childhood. I have scars everywhere on my body due to skin picking. I cannot get myself to stop no matter how many techniques I try. It prevents me from studying or engaging in any activity requiring mental effort as I easily lose focus and dissociate.

I tried wearing extra clothing on areas I would pick, never worked. I’ve tried distracting myself with hobbies, exercise and fidget toys, never worked. I tried many medications and combinations such as Clomipramine, Abilify, Rexulti, Lamotrigine, Memantine, Zoloft, Escitalopram, Risperidone and Fluvoxamine and a GLP-1 med (Ozempic) most if not all at therapeutic doses, never worked. In addition I’ve done CBT and ERP, never worked.

I’m so helpless and don’t even know what to do anymore. I’ve feel like I’ve exhausted so much effort all for nothing. Please, can someone recommend any ideas on what to do next?

Recently, my single-handed finger picking and biting has gotten out of control. I can do it while playing a game or on my phone. I need something else to either replace it, or a way to cover my fingertips. Lately ive been covering them daily in bandaids, but they often get wet with hand washing, so i take them off too frequently. Does moisturizing help as well just so theres less dead skin to pick? Im really desperate. Thank you!!

hi,

so believe it or not i work in dermatology as an MA lol (i was really self conscious about my skin picking at first but i think overtime ive realized that no one really cares) but my colleague had told me that her provider will recommend n acetyl cysteine (OTC supplement) for her patients with skin picking problems and they have success with decreasing.

has anyone had experience with this? i’m still too embarrassed to ask my provider but i have tried being more open about it and i realize that it is a very common thing. but i am currently on accutane so my skin is clearing but then i will relapse and spend hours picking at a hair follicle or a dilated pore and ruin my progress and i am just so tired.

I am 17 female. I dont really know where else to post this. This all started last year when I got my braces done. I developed a lots of ticks sort of things(not sure what else to call them, cause I never really saw a doctor). It started with ear pulling in order to crack it, I felt horrible if I couldn't crack all the cartilages in my ear. Everyday my ear are in pain due to this(not extremely severe) . Mostly my right side was affected and I would need to repeatedly pull/slap my right side of the face to be comfortable. Infact its so awkward being in social situations these days because randomly one side of my face/body would start feeling very uncomfortable and I would have to do sometihing with it (eg slapping face, ear pulling, sideburn hair pulling, nose rubbing, eye rubbing, eye pulling, cracking hands, neck and jaw cracking etc). Its just so uncomfortable. My parents call me crazy but I really dont know what to do. Sometimes it becomes so extreme I wanna take a kne and cut through my sk and st**b my eyes(I blurred it cause I dont want my post to be deleted). While sides change it is mostly my right side that feels comfortable. If I would have to explain in very simple terms how I feel , whenever it starts it just feels thatside of my face is drooping and also feels very tight.Today a whole lot of my sideburns was rooted out by me. Interestingly I didnt feel any pain but rather felt pretty good and I still want to do it. But I read about trichotillomania and it scares me to pull my hair from my scalp causs it would hurt so I dont think i would ever do that. I really want to know whether my symptoms are of trichotillomania or something else. Ps I first posted this is r/trichotillomania but a kind person commented I should also post this here. I didn't even know dermotrichomania was a thing before today. Just a little info in my country mental health sectors are still not very advance . I dont even know what type of doctor I should consult and my parents dont really care.

Iv been reading a lot through these threads of a supplement called NAC, and i was wondering if anyone has been taking this supplement long enough with some knowledge to tell me if it’s actually worth ordering some and using?

Nothing else seems to work from what iv been trying and iv recently gotten my hands on some Adapalene and i’m using suedocream to discourage myself from touching my face.

I’m probably at my all time worse with my skin, yet i seem to be the least stressed or affected by outside factors. I’m really not sure why i’m struggling to much, but i really would appreciate some help. 💞

My dermatologist recommended I use two different CeraVe products, and I did because I was losing literally hours a day dissociating while picking. But now that I’m in a healthier place mentally, I was able to take the time to find dupes - Pacifica for CeraVe gentle foaming ceramide, and INKEYList for CeraVe 4% benzoyl. Made a video about this where I also talk about my dermatillomania.

If anyone ever needs help finding a cruelty-free/vegan dupe for a recommended skin-care product, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it and am happy to help! ❤️

Sending everyone love & strength.

https://youtu.be/UMhfMCS5Zv0?si=YPP-sedI2c8GX6uX

I (29f) have been picking and pulling mostly my legs for as long as I can remember. I have been on Lexapro now on Sertraline and started NAC a month ago currently at 2400 per day. I stopped drinking, smoking weed, and nicotine six months ago after having problems with these substances for 15 years that ended at an all time low that gave me the power to quit it all. My picking has gotten worse though, with nothing to distract or numb me. I take vyvanse on week days and just went down to 20 from 30 to try to minimize the effect of the stimulant on my picking (stimulants definitely don’t help with picking for me!). I have tried a lot of different things for the picking and regularly go to therapy with a psychologist trained in bfrb management. I think for me it’s an addiction, a stim, and a way for me to completely dissociate. I asked my psychiatrist if there was anything I could take to help because I’m ruining my legs and I feel so unmotivated and apathetic about it most of the time. She decided to try guanfacine 1mg at night and I started two days ago. Picking is down quite a bit but that may be placebo, or because I took the initiative so I’m being more diligent orrrr because I finished some stressful things at work and now my husband is around because it’s the weekend. I am writing this because I was looking to see if anyone had experience with this med for trich/derm and since I didn’t see much I thought I could contribute so anyone else out there like me would see this when they search. If you have experience with guanfacine for bfrbs please comment, if you want me to give an update in a week please comment about that so I am reminded :) thanks for reading!

Update: after 1 week on guanfacine I can say that while a short period, it did not have an effect on my picking and if anything, by the third day picking was worse than the previous week. I also had a mild headache from when I started it until now, nausea after taking the med and exhaustion almost 24/7. I did sleep really well and woke up at 6:00 am every day with less difficulty than usual, but felt exhausted anyway even though I couldn’t easily fall back asleep. I didn’t find an improvement in my adhd symptoms, but I was at a very low dose for that so idk. I just talked to my psychiatrist and we are going to try me on memantine 10 mg and give up on the guanfacine. I have been on NAC for 5 weeks and will continue until 12 weeks to see if it starts to benefit. I realize that it may be hard to tell if it’s the memantine or the NAC if my symptoms improve, but at this point as long as things are getting better, and the side effects aren’t bad, I will be thrilled. Anyone have success with memantine?

Tdlr: guanfacine gave me crappy side effects and didn’t help immediately, psych didn’t know about memantine but willing to try :)

If so did it help with your skin picking and how soon did you see a difference?

I (23f) have been a skin picker my whole life and I’m only now starting to put any thought or effort into my skincare etc.; basically how I plan on treating the issues I cause. Recently I’ve been picking my arm, the back of my neck and upper back, inside my ears, and especially on my scalp. This has obviously caused wounds, scabs, scars, and bald spots all of which I am Very Self Conscious about. I always ask for some nice toiletry type items like shampoo, face wash, moisturizer and lotion, etc etc etc. Soooo what are talks favorite brands and more importantly what are the most effective products that you’ve used before? What’s your skin like and how did they work for you? Just because I’m not buying these myself doesn’t mean I have an infinite budget so if you have any ideas that are a bit more affordable please drop those in your comment as well!! Tysm :))

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1784181403/pullypad-original-free-shipping-picky

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1799477045/magnet-putty-picky-pad-feelin-ferrite?ref=share_v4_lx

sad to say i have created a couple of..well holes in my face and i’m not sure if i should dry them out = pimp patch or put antibiotic ointment instead? i feel like the more moisture the better they heal/are able to be concealed but ppl always say pimple patches. idk if implied but they are infected as well, not “too concerning” tho yk

might go to dr. tmr for meds but they make me sick and fucked my throat up so idk

I’m 25 and the scaring on my face is becoming more noticeable. also the redness is unreal??? What products have helped? What hasn’t? Any advice welcome!!

Has anyone had any experience with Fluoconide? My dermatologist prescribed it to help soothe my scalp and hopefully diminish picking as that’s my main problem area. He said it can cause hair dryness, and I already struggle with dry, thick, frizzy, wavy hair. How do you care for your hair while using this medication?

Hello I’ve been picking my scalp for a while now and been trying to stop it but nothing seems to work. I’m currently putting ointments and wearing hats but I still get the urge to pick my scalp. I also bought a scalp massage/comb thing so I don’t use my fingers to pick. But I’ve been noticing that I’m using the scalp massager to pick or put pressure on my scalp so that really doesn’t help either.

It usually gets worse when I get stressed. I won’t stop picking on my scalp until it bleeds.

I’m working up the courage to seek help medically but I don’t know where to start. Do I go to a therapist, psychiatrist, or dermatologist first? I haven’t tried therapy nor visited a psychiatrist so this is all new to me.

Please let me know which doctor I should see first and if you have any methods that would help my scalp picking. Thank you!

I have been struggling with dermatillomania for what feels like forever. My skin, particularly my face, is absolutely ravaged by my picking, and it physically hurts and burns everyday, 24/7. Its physically so painful, but also my mental health is suffering too, as I never want to leave the house anymore due to the way my face looks. My boy has seen how hard this has been for me, and recently found a small skincare company called Carter+Jane. He spotted they have some products specifically for helping with skin picking and ordered them for me. They finally came and I tried them tonight for the first time. When I tried their PickFix oil in particular, I started crying. The burning and stinging stopped, and my skin felt less flakey. I have been in pain for months because I can’t stop picking and let my skin heal, and the inflammation isn’t as bad. I can’t wait to continue using these products, and if y’all want, I’ll keep you updated! But, I just can’t believe I’m not in pain right now.

I finally connected that if I drink hot coffee it dries out my lips. And dry lips for me is a minefield for picking. I’ve had this reaction so many times for forever and I thought it was the caffeine but I’ve been drinking almost exclusively decaf and still have this happen, so I did more research and I think it’s either the acidity of the coffee against my lips, the heat, or the tannins. Either way—I’m going to try stopping drinking any hot coffee, and possibly hot tea. It doesn’t happen nearly as much with cold coffee and possibly because of the straw or just the temperature, not sure.

I’ll try to report back on results. I’ve had some success with this in the past but not nearly as categorical as I am going to be now.

Also writing this post in case this helps anyone, too.

Edit: I’ve been drinking exclusively cold coffee and/or out of a straw for the past few days and it’s helped so much. I’ve barely picked. I think hot coffee is a huge trigger for me. I’m not sure about other hot drinks because I don’t drink much tea so I can’t speak on those.

has anyone tried Fluvoxamine or any other medications to manage picking? I have struggled for almost 10 years with this and thought I conquered with accutane but it's coming back. I want to try a med now.

Has anyone used any non petroleum based items to help heal picked skin? I have been looking around for options and seems a bit overwhelming.

How bad of an idea is being on accutane while struggling with skin picking? I've had treatment resistant acne for a while and while I know that my picking probably contributed to the acne getting worse, I have high hopes that maybe with accutane I could get rid of both my skin picking and my acne. Have any of you gone on accutane?

I kept my skin picking out of the conversation with the dermatologist completely, I was already questioned and had to go through a lengthy process due to my mental health issues and I didn't want for this to also get in the way. I feel like accutane might be my only shot at getting some control back. There's also more of an incentive for me to actually stop picking while taking accutane, because now I can see an end to this. I always kind of thought to myself "Well, nothing has worked, I'm not going to actually show my arms to anyone anyways, might as well" and it's been awful trying to get myself to stop

I'm going to try my best to not pick my skin but realistically it'll still happen. I just hope that this won't make the entire treatment useless, that I'm not going to be stuck with my skin like this forever.

I'm looking to hear experiences from people with dermatillomania who have used N-acetyl-cysteine. What brand did you use, and what was your experience? Did your desire to pick decrease? In what way? Did you have any side effects? What dosage did you take, and at what time(s) of day? I'd appreciate as much detail as possible. I'm very skeptical of supplements, but I've heard good things about NAC, and I know there's some research backing, so I'm thinking about giving it a try. Thank you in advance for your help!

Does anyone with adhd struggle to find the executive functioning and attention span to create, implement, and maintain a treatment/recovery plan for their skin picking? I have been seeing a therapist for skin picking for about a year and have done pretty well until recent weeks where I've relapsed a bit. I know what works but I'm struggling with consistency long term and to get past the demand avoidance. I am not technically diagnosed with adhd (getting evaluated next week) but anyone with adhd find any success with medication aiding in their skin picking recovery process? Or any other tips or insight to share? Feeling pretty bummed.

Hi, I’m looking for products that can help fade scars. Specifically for my torso and back? My main concern is my stomach. Currently, I just use cocoa moisturizing lotion. I don’t know if sunscreen will help in addition? Also, if there’s anything else I can do to help my scars, what would it be? Thanks.