Why Do I Pick My Skin?

Do you recurrently engage in skin picking resulting in skin lesions?

Do you spend a lot of time in picking?

Do you repeatedly try to decrease or stop skin picking?

Are you having scars and infections from frequent picking?

Does the skin picking cause significant distress or impairment in important areas of functioning (e.g., social, occupational)?

Based on your answer, it is unlikely that you have a skin-picking problem. Many people pick at their skin once in a while, and it’s not unlikely for a normal person to pick at pimples or maybe even healthy skin. Skin picking is not a serious problem until it causes significant distress. Besides, other health conditions may cause skin picking such as drug use, mental retardation, body dysmorphic disorder (skin picking to improve a perceived flaw in appearance), or skin picking to harm oneself in nonsuicidal self-injury.

While it is unlikely that you have a severe problem with picking your skin, you are showing some signs related to it. Picking at your skin once in a while is not uncommon. But if picking becomes chronic, it is a serious problem. Continuous picking can develop into a mental health disorder called skin-picking disorder, or excoriation. Picking is for these people an impulse, and they have a hard time controlling it. Even if you suspect that you may be dealing with skin-picking disorder, you need to talk to your doctor about your symptoms. He may want to rule out other conditions before making a diagnosis of skin-picking disorder.

Unfortunately, you are displaying symptoms typically seen among individuals who have a skin-picking problem. Seeking medical attention is essential in this case. Your doctor may want to find out the cause of your skin picking. If, according your doctor, you indeed meet the diagnostic criteria for skin-picking disorder, he will tell you what is needed to function better. Treatment may be required. Sometimes, skin-picking co-occurs with illnesses like obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, or other conditions. Through therapy, you will identify the triggers that cause the skin-picking. With help from a therapist you will learn to control these triggers and stop picking your skin.