Chronic Skin Picking (or Pathological Skin Picking, or dermatillomania) is something I first really learned about from A&E's Obsessed (which I will review later). It's similar to hair pulling, or trich, which is another impulse control disorder. Except, y'know, with skin instead of hair. As I was watching an episode about a poor girl who compulsively picked at her skin, I began thinking-- I sometimes pick at my skin. I always thought it was normal. I knew it was bad, but what if-- what if what I thought was normal was actually this disorder? Or what if I didn't have it yet, but all it would take was one really horrible event in my life to trigger it?
Sitting there late at night, alone, of course I didn't think that this chick has a hole in her cheek and that therefore I likely did not have the same disorder. (I, myself, do not have a hole in my cheek.) I also remembered in the morning that I have actually had this conversation with many people who all admit to having picked at pimples, dead skin, cuticles, scabs, or some combination thereof. It seems like one of those pretty normal things that everyone does but nobody talks about until you get caught doing it. Surveys show that 60-80% admit to picking at their skin to some level, at some time. But only about 1% have it turn into an actual problem.
You may be thinking, "But Erica, this doesn't sound that horrible. Certainly not compared to the other stuff on your site."
But wait, my friend. Chronic Skin Picking has been described by some researchers as more of an addiction than an OCD thing. So the picking itself is rewarding. Then you need your next fix. Repeat enough times and you get wounds that can be life-threatening, and not just due to infection. There was one woman who had to go to the hospital to get stitches, and couldn't help but pick at them, therefore taking the stitches out. She then had to get more stitches... you know where this was going. There was another lady who picked a hole through the bridge of her nose that required surgery.
The worst, however, was the woman who picked at the skin of her neck so much that she exposed her carotid artery.
Think about that. Really think about what that would entail. She picked all the way through her skin, the layer of subcutaneous fat, and the muscle to expose one of the main arteries in one's body. I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like. Would it even still hurt after awhile?
So, next time you are tempted to pop that zit but know you shouldn't, or someone gives you a hard time about picking at dead skin, just remember: it could be so much worse.
Sources/Further reading: Wikipedia
Odlaug BL, Grant JE (September 2010). "Pathologic skin picking". Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 36 (5): 296–303 [look it up at your local library, or use an online journal database if you have access!]
Support & help for sufferers of Chronic Skin Picking.
Sitting there late at night, alone, of course I didn't think that this chick has a hole in her cheek and that therefore I likely did not have the same disorder. (I, myself, do not have a hole in my cheek.) I also remembered in the morning that I have actually had this conversation with many people who all admit to having picked at pimples, dead skin, cuticles, scabs, or some combination thereof. It seems like one of those pretty normal things that everyone does but nobody talks about until you get caught doing it. Surveys show that 60-80% admit to picking at their skin to some level, at some time. But only about 1% have it turn into an actual problem.
You may be thinking, "But Erica, this doesn't sound that horrible. Certainly not compared to the other stuff on your site."
But wait, my friend. Chronic Skin Picking has been described by some researchers as more of an addiction than an OCD thing. So the picking itself is rewarding. Then you need your next fix. Repeat enough times and you get wounds that can be life-threatening, and not just due to infection. There was one woman who had to go to the hospital to get stitches, and couldn't help but pick at them, therefore taking the stitches out. She then had to get more stitches... you know where this was going. There was another lady who picked a hole through the bridge of her nose that required surgery.
The worst, however, was the woman who picked at the skin of her neck so much that she exposed her carotid artery.
Think about that. Really think about what that would entail. She picked all the way through her skin, the layer of subcutaneous fat, and the muscle to expose one of the main arteries in one's body. I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like. Would it even still hurt after awhile?
So, next time you are tempted to pop that zit but know you shouldn't, or someone gives you a hard time about picking at dead skin, just remember: it could be so much worse.
Sources/Further reading: Wikipedia
Odlaug BL, Grant JE (September 2010). "Pathologic skin picking". Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 36 (5): 296–303 [look it up at your local library, or use an online journal database if you have access!]
Support & help for sufferers of Chronic Skin Picking.
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