Other Dermatillomania

[fuzzypenguin]

I have it and I hate it. For those unfamiliar of the term, it's excessive skin picking. My upper arms, chest, and face get it the worse. Yes, people do it. But this is like excessive, overbearing, and I can't stop. Every week, I probably spend an hour to two hours doing it. Certain things will trigger the urge to do it more often than others. Apart from seeing my therapist and talking through it with her, does anyone have any suggestions or tips.

 

[joeylittle]

Have you tried wearing lightweight gloves, or something like finger cots?

Things like this come in varying thicknesses and materials, you can just search for "finger protectors"

And this is a very strange suggestion - I've read in a few places that some people get relief from watching close up videos of derma work, generally pimple popping and extraction. This article: http://www.medicaldaily.com/science...ts-and-blackheads-are-so-popular-right-333454 has some useful stuff at the bottom about why.

 

[Weemie]

the thing about wearing gloves and finger protectors is that derma is a bfrb- a body-focused repetitive behavior. it's a form of compulsion, and it's behavioral. i have derma too, and i spend about one to two hours per day ripping the shit out of my skin, making myself bleed, tearing apart my lips, cuticles, fingernails, cuts, scrapes, etc. when i put gloves on, i take them off. when i use finger protectors, i take them off. when i try to willpower myself not to do it, i do it anyway. it's behavioral, you know?

it's like having a closed bottle of pills around an addict and telling them to just “not open” them. i'm an addict, too, and i can tell you both are almost impossible. it's disgusting and horrible, when i do it, i'm covered in blood, there's blood on my clothes, i pick at work and in public. it's a mess, but i just go into a trance. i've tried so many things to stop it, but in the end it always comes down to me vs picking. open that pill bottle, y'know? get it over with, you know you want to. maybe that's just me, and i just have no willpower.

fun tip, tho? putting a bandaid on your skin and leaving it on for a while to stick, and then ripping it off simulates the feeling, for me, without the damage. i haven't really tried to invest in the method, though, because again, i just prefer picking. behavior shit. bleh.

 

[fuzzypenguin]

Watching the videos won't help. I get grossed out from others, but mine I don't. I see where that article was coming from. Thanks for sharing!

 

[fuzzypenguin]

Lightraze - hang in there! I do it when I'm anxious, stressed or depressed, which is very often. There may be a day or two when I don't but it's always the worse before I shower and after I shower, which is daily. I know we can both stop one day, but it won't be an easy process, especially if it's like a trance and we don't realize it.

 

[Deleted member 29920]

I have this too but I refer to it as excoriation. Been doing it for twenty years since I was 11. I only do it to my back and face. I am often in a trance like state when I do it. I hate it.

 

[Candleflames]

I have suffered from both dermatillomania and trichotillomania. I tried many tips and tricks to help alleviate symptoms or mimic the relief I would get from picking and pulling. It was a vicious cycle of self punishment, self loathing, and a flurry damage. Nothing really worked. I tried gloves and getting my nails done all pretty. I tried covering up my whole body. The negative feeling led to self harm. I truly hated myself.

Then I tried talking to a therapist and she was awful. I just felt worse and my symptoms got worse. It took a long time for me to want to trust another therapist but eventually with almost no hair and sores all over I got desperate and looked for some answers. That's when I found this site: http://www.trich.org/ and found a new better T. Talking helped a little but not enough and meds helped a little more but still not enough so that T recomended I do an intensive course of CBT with a specialist. That helped more than anything. I saw my regular T twice a week and the specialist once a week for three sessions a week.

We did a lot of different things to help me understand and manage. We started by charting to find the patterns. We reenacted episodes so I could both show here and she could understand as well as so I could see from on outside perspective what was happening. I brought in a friend to a session to enlist as support. We came up with competing behaviors to help me as we explored a cause. She helped me to be able to sit with the emotions and urges. Then I would rehash it all with my regular T. That really helped to reinforce what I was learning.

Now I'm almost pick and pull free. I have a full head of hair and only one sore. I still struggle at times but for the most part the manias are a thing of the past. It was so hard and emotionally taxing to go through the process. Excruciating is a good word to describe the process actually but it worked so well for me.

I wish you the best of luck with this issue. I know how hard it is.

 

[fuzzypenguin]

That's great! I know of that website as well and relieve their newsletter 'reflections' every Sunday via email. I briefly talked about it with an older counselor and she wasn't concerned that it woukd be a constant behavior I would engage in. She was helpful, we just didn't talk about it long. I recently bought some fidgety toys from that site too that will hopefully help. It's not bad currently, but during the times it is, I hope that those toys I bought will help.

 

[Chava]

I've had this forever. I've even picked off moles. The level of obsessiveness comes and goes. What seems to help is anything else that will require use of my hands and absorb my attention (artwork, playing an instrument, sometimes gardening). Bandages over the thing I'm picking usually help me too. I find myself sort of touching the bandage or picking at the edges of it, but can often just leave it.

 

[Deleted member 28740]

Few nights are ok, but the usual is an hour or two of sleep then the in-between. Aware of body, skin touch skin. That I can use pillows for. The constant scratching at my forehead and eye area I have not found a way to stop. Like my head is off gassing and eyes - not gouging, just trying to clear. Toss and turn for the next 4 hours.

 

[PTSDbegone]

I also have dermatillomania and trichotillomania. Both I had as a child, and it only started up again when I started dealing with my trauma through therapy. So in other words something triggered it again. The urge comes and goes. I think medication for anxiety is helping some. I still have scars all over both arms, and a bald spot on my head that is growing in. It brings on so much shame and embarrassment though. It's a very hard thing to explain to others. They just don't understand why we can't stop doing it.

 

[peaches08]

I have just realised I have this. I had PTSD when I was 11 and thats when I think it started, I have it really badly on my arms and legs and slightly on my face. It has got that bad on my legs that I dont go swimming or show them at all. I wear trousers and have found makeup in boots that cover the scars. I am quite overwhelmed that I have found what it is. I have been to the doctors about 8 times asking about what it is and none of them knew. I joined this forum this morning and after reading several threads i find it quite overwhelming to know there are other people out there who have the same thing :/