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Beauty and Anti-Aging

Skin- Picking Disorder (Excoriation)

7 de febrero de 2022

4 min de lectura

Excoriation, commonly referred to as a skin picking disorder, affects between 1.4% and 5.4% of adults in the United States each year. The cause may be associated with boredom, stress, or the pure habit of picking at the skin around your nails or constantly picking scabs. Below you will learn more about excoriation and ways to treat this condition.

What is excoriation?

Excoriation is the chronic picking of sores, scabs, or the skin around your fingernails. This picking has the potential to lead to new sores, scabbing, and even excessive scarring. This mental health condition is commonly associated with an obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD.

You may find yourself spending only a few minutes a day to several hours throughout the day picking at your skin or scabs.

Do I have a skin picking disorder?

Not all people who pick at their skin or even scabs have excoriation. This skin picking disorder comes with a noticeable amount of signs such as:

The inability to stop picking
Noticeable scars from the picking disorder
Skin picking getting in the way of your day-to-day life

Who suffers from skin picking disorders?

The International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation reports approximately 1 in 20 people suffer from skin picking disorders such as excoriation. While excoriation affects both men and women, it is most commonly seen in females.

Does everyone who picks their skin have a skin picking disorder?

No, not everyone who picks their skin suffers from a skin picking disorder. A skin picking disorder is a chronic disorder that requires a diagnosis from a medical professional. A licensed medical professional will evaluate the extent of picking, how it affects your daily life as well as your social life, and will ask you questions regarding how you feel obsessive-compulsive picking has affected your day-to-day tasks.

What causes excoriation?

Skin picking disorders, such as excoriation, can occur at any time throughout one's life. This disorder may begin in childhood or adulthood for a number of reasons. Excoriation is thought to be attributed with genetic predispositions as well as:

Mental health conditions

It is thought that mental health conditions such as chronic stress or obsessive-compulsive disorder are attributing factors to skin picking disorders.

Injury

When a person suffers from an injury such as a scrape or cut, a scab commonly forms. The formation of this scab leads to itching skin surrounding it causing one to begin scratching or picking the scab. When this occurs, the old scab is torn away from the skin and eventually, a new scab is formed in its place. This vicious cycle continues for the one suffering from obsessive picking.

Skin picking disorders such as excoriation are not thought to be caused by substance abuse, a medical condition, or any dermatological condition.

Signs and symptoms of skin picking disorders

Consistent skin picking resulting in new or worsening lesions
Multiple attempts to stop picking with no success
Stress caused by chronic picking

Break the cycle of skin picking disorders

While it may seem nearly impossible to quit the habit of skin picking, help is possible. There are many treatment options available to those suffering from excoriation.

Learn what triggers your skin picking disorder

Whether your skin picking disorder is the cause of sheer boredom or itching from an existing injury, it is important that you learn what triggers you to begin picking in an attempt to avoid further damage.

Medical treatment

Medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, antidepressants, or N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is an antioxidant supplement, are designed to reduce obsessive thoughts such as those leading to skin picking disorders.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps teach one to change the thoughts that lead to obsessive, chronic skin picking disorders. It is designed to help teach a person suffering ways to avoid triggers and to stop picking at the affected skin.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, a special type of cognitive-behavioral therapy has been designed specifically to treat skin picking disorders. This special CBT is a type of psychotherapy that includes more stimulus control techniques and habit reversal training. It is imperative that you seek out a licensed professional that is trained in this specific cognitive behavioral therapy as it differs from standard cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

Chronic skin picking disorders can cause quite a negative impact on one’s social life and mental well-being. If you feel you may be suffering from a skin-picking disorder such as excoriation or dermatillomania, it is imperative that you seek out medical attention for immediate help.

Foundations and Societies

International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation

Picking Me Foundation NFP

The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Peace of Mind Foundation, Inc

Do You Have a Skin-Picking Disorder or Know Someone That Does?

With the Healthread app, you can share questions and tips about skin picking. Feel free to share your experience with skin picking in the comments or on our new Healthread app today. We also invite you to let us know what health areas you'd like to learn more about in the future.

Sources

Información general, no consejo médico

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