r/CompulsiveSkinPicking

I’ve had a pretty rough 5 months worth of face picking and I just started applying less self-destructive ways to deal with my anxiety, it’s been about 3 weeks since I last picked, I hope to keep the momentum going!!!

Made this because I got back into my skin picking habits. It’s really bad since I bleed A LOOOTT. But I can’t stop. I think it’s thinning my hair 😢

Hi all… so about a week and half ago I noticed this on my back shoulder. I picked it and felt relief and couldn’t stop, it was a “hole” what it felt like, like at least little surface crater around it to best to describe it. I stupidly kept giving into compulsion.

Anyhow… I’ve been stopping. Yesterday was my last pick.

For past week it would always turn into dark scab. Including this AM.

I cleaned it and put some Manuska honey on it and put bandage on it this AM. When I went to replace the bandage… it seems to have turn this color ? Should I be concerned ??? I’m convinced I have sepsis or staph or flesh eating infection. Idk my OCD is going nuts.

Just how do I take care of this? When I move my shoulder I can feel it, when I tap it lightly it’s sore and I feel it. It also itches a little

I need to get gel nails to stop picking because that really helped me

Fingers hurting all the time

These pictures are from sores I’ve created on my breasts… I also get them on my arms, legs, and hips and have similar wounds pretty much everywhere. I have always squeezed and picked at the little flesh colored bumps on my body, and they always come out with a single hair or a cluster of hairs. Sometimes I get hyper focused and it gets way out of control like this. My husband thinks I’m delusional when I tell him there are tiny almost invisible hairs under my skin that are deeply rooted and very hard to get out even with tweezers. Anyone else have experience with this or advice?

Hi, I've been picking my thumbs since as long as I can remember, at least 17 years. It happens during periods of stress and anxiety; but I've managed to pause several times, however I always end up relapsing due to the fact that the calluses on my thumbs grow like crazy and it becomes too easy to start peeling them away.

• Is there any remedy to turning these picked areas back to "normal" skin? It feels akin to having foot calluses on my hands. I have to file them down or they become really thick and then my thumbs will split and its very painful. So I'd really love to know if this is achievable, and how!

Pictures of the current state of my thumbs, which is quite good for me!!

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not my proudest moment. actually, it’s almost certainly my worst skin picking moment but whatever. i thought this was a cyst and i wanted to remove the sac, only once i started it Just Kept Coming. I think there’s still some in there but im not certain bc i forced myself to stop looking and go shower in hope of perhaps not dying of infection 🥰. anyway, looking at the gunk now, I almost think it’s a lipoma? idk.

now, when i say ‘should i go to the doctor’ i know that the obvious answer is yes, but i really don’t want to.

this bad boy was in my armpit, so i literally don’t give af about scarring, and that’s the main reason i see for ppl to get stitches, but idk if this one is too big to heal on its own, so i figured i would come to the experts 🫡.

also tbh i am concerned about the fact that i didnt get all of it but im just not thinking about it lest i go get the tweezers again.

all advice is appreciated!

(2nd pic is what i woke up to this morning after half-picking what i thought was an ingrown hair the other day & then vowing to ignore it (i failed, as you can perhaps see))

hi, i am a compulsive skin picker when it comes to my face and its so horribly embarrassing and awful. but a lot of the time ill feel the texture and start picking and it turns into these gross red spots that do have pus but they dont look like pimples and idk what the term for these are even called so idk how to treat them if idk what it is. what are these and whats the trick for healing them? and is it just from picking or is it a form of acne? can never find anything like it online

I find getting my nails done helps prevent this- of which I have an appt today! :)

Hi everyone,

I joint this sub to find advice for my skin picking struggle. I used to pick/bite on my finger skin.

What really helped me in the last weeks are mini roll-ons which I filled with jojoba oil. I keep them on several places around me (desk, couch, bag etc.). Bought them for 15€ for 10 pieces and put oil in myself (2 ml each).

The effect on the skin is beautiful and it really keeps me away from picking so far. Much recommended!

Just wanted to share something that has finally helped with stopping my picking! I've struggled with skin picking on and off through most of my life, although it's been particularly bad the last couple years. I've tried a bunch of different strategies and bought multiple items that turned out to be useless for me.

It might be a bit too early to say because I just started using them today, but I got these cotton finger cots/covers and I think they'll be a game changer for me. I've been wearing them on some combination of my thumb, index and middle fingers, since those are usually the fingers I use to pick with, so it still leaves my other fingers/hand free so it's not too hot. They're breathable and thin so it doesn't get in the way of using my hands for different activities (other than typing on the phone, but I can either slowly type using an uncovered finger or temporarily remove the cover and replace it right after I'm done). I can still knit even! They are a little bit tight for me, so I've been removing them for a couple min every hour or so, but I think if I cut off some of the fabric, it can be looser.

I started using hydrocolloid patches (the pimple sized ones) recently and they've been pretty useful in keeping me from picking at existing spots. But the problem is that my subconscious is too crafty and keeps finding new places to pick at, so wearing the finger covers stops me from picking anything at all. I'm currently at home 99% of the time, so I'm planning on wearing them all the time (I'd be too self conscious to wear them in public, and my picking is milder when I'm around others anyway since it's hard to hide).

I don't know if I can link them or not, but they look like the ones in the picture and you can find them by looking up "cotton finger cot" on Amazon. Don't get the silicone or latex ones, because they get sweaty and uncomfortable fast.

Anyway, just wanted to recommend trying these out so they can help you like they're helping me! I know what it's like to not be able to stop no matter how hard you try, so hugs to all of you ❤️❤️