Dermatillomania - and a question.

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I had no clue that this was even a disorder! I have ugly scarred legs because of this. My "issue" goes so far as to have me picking OTHERS skin - like my husband. Mostly I like to use a needle or something sharp. I actually consider it to be one of my "special interests" because I'm a pro at knowing what things are going to do, when, and how. Pimples, blackheads, dry skin, ingrown hairs, scabs, etc. It kind of ventures off into trichotillomania, in that I will pull out hair that is "irregular" (eg. not smooth, too thick, etc.). I get some sort of joy out of seeing a hole where the "imperfection" once was. I can sit and pick for hours on end.

My question is: since I view the things I pick as imperfections that I must rid my (and my husband's) body of, could this also be considered a form of BDD/BDD-BP? Or is this just a form of stimming?

i do something like this to my boyfriend..who presumably enjoys it..i think of it as a stim and an expression of affection...under my assumption that he enjoys it..it goes along with my compulsive backrubs which are dual purpose stim/affection activities...it is something i would manage to not do if he did not like it, but i am in the habit of doing because i know that he does

The "imperfections that must be got rid of" thing is pretty common for trich. I have the same issue, and it's very annoying because of course it leads to more injury, more imperfections... Vicious cycle. And a lot of the time I don't even know I'm doing it.

Oh my gosh, I do believe I have dermitillomania, too! I'm forever picking at zits, scabs, etc! Thank you for bringing this to my attention - I never knew it had a name!

Wow, i wish my wife would gladly pick my spots like that.

I'm a picker, but it's not so much skin for me as other surfaces. When I cut open a green pepper and I see all those tightly compacted little seeds, I feel a sense of revulsion and a weird thrill at the prospect of smoothing it all away.

I like picking at my skin if there are things like pimples or ingrown hairs. It's soothing and gets rid of them.

I don't do it as much since I quit shaving since there are less (but still some) ingrown hairs to pick at.

I have this problem. It took me a while to realise that it was me that was causing the imperfections in the first place. Well, that said, I have keratosis pilaris, which is fairly common and results in pimply/red upper arms. I've picked and squeezed at these areas for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, it seemed to spread to my lower arms and also resulted in major ingrown hairs. I mean hairs that would curl round and burrow deep beneath the surface, unable to escape due to the keratosis. I would pick, to try to get at the hairs and release them from their prison. As a result, I have scarring on my arms, which I've spent a lot of time money and effort, trying to get rid of. It has gradually faded and mainly consists of areas of hypopigmentation. However, I still have the problems that started it off in the first place, i.e. the keratosis pilaris and the ingrown hairs. I try not to pick at my skin, but it can be hard.

I have both dermitillomania and trich. Cutting my hair short has helped with the trich as I haven't got the coordination to pull out short hair! I used to pick at my skin so much that it had cuts and scars all over. I mainly picked at my upper arms and legs. I have also picked at my face but I don't know if that is dermitillomania or a gross need to pop zits...

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

well I think I have this I never really thought about it

I don't pick anywhere except imperfections. If it feels non-smooth I pick at it. I try to make it smooth. Of course I make it less smooth by doing so...

I think its sensory-based for me.

Of course I'm currently as I'm typing this with one hand compressing a tissue onto my arm because I just had picked stuff off to the point of bleeding... oops.

I'm apparently on one of the medications they use for it though.

I compulsively skin-pick, and mine is clearly an Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorder. While I do enjoy skin-picking to a certain degree, I NEED to do it. I cannot stand the feeling of imperfections on my scalp, and I feel unsettled until I pick. And like with my classic OCD obsessions, when my mind is occupied and I'm busy, I rarely skin-pick. But when my mind is idle, the OCD invades.

I pull out any hairs that feel rough and I can't stand any dry flakes on my skin,I start pulling and picking,my feet are the worst ,at least I can cover them with shoes.

I enjoy picking, picking, picking. It just feels good, pick pick pick. It's fun too.

Another Aspie trait to add to my list.

I like doing these things. I find it rather therapeutic.