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The below is a forum entry made by one of our community members. If you want to know more about your condition, we suggest you read the following article written by a mental health professional on
Lip Picking
severe lip picking
I have been picking my lips my entire life( as long as I an remember) and I'm a 20 year old female. Sometimes I can go a day without doing it, but usually I cant. I do it probably over 100 times a day without even noticing. I dont even realize my hand is up at my lips when it's happening until a few minutes later. My bf gets really upset with me about it and wants me to stop. he doesnt understand that it is so incredibly hard for me to control. Every time he sees me doing it he yells at me. He thinks its going to help and make me stop. It just makes me do it even more when hes not around. I feel like I HAVE to do it, and I can't imagine ever stopping. I can remember so many times when I have sat down and decided I wasn't going to do it anymore. Then about three hours later I catch myself doing it. When i do catch myself, i make myself stop but I start getting extremely anxious and my head starts to hurt if I can't let myself do it. It almost relieves the physical pain I feel when I cant do it. When my bf slaps my hand away, the urge do it becomes so much worse. I feel like im going to go crazy if i cant.
I have literally no idea what to do. I am so tried of my bf getting upset with me over it. He gets really mad everytime I do it, and he doesn't understand that I'm not able to control it. He says i need to replace it with something else. But nothing can replace that. I cannot imagine ever getting over this, but I would give everything I have to never do it again.
In reply to I'm sixteen, when I was five by Sweetpeawhatever
I'm pretty sure it's called dermatillomania. When you pick at your skin....try getting false nails or ChapStick, aquafor is awesome...
In reply to Help! I can't stop picking by anon111
In reply to Help! I can't stop picking by anon111
hi everyone im clem i am a lip picker too, but not till I bleed, I just rip to far and make it sore. but am left with a lil patch that never heals properly so when I pick again the same patch is their but healed , as I pick at both lips I find it by mistake and pull it and think oh shit!!!!!! it will be half dead skin hanging after picking, and half fresh still attached and I have to try and rip it the best I can to make it smooth again but get left sore and so on!!! been going on for about 6 till 8 years I think, anyway last night I was feeling run down cold and chesty im from the uk lol its getting cold now lol got in bed found my self picking my top lip the one with the patch, went too far this time really hurt and thought SHIT!!!!!!
fell a sleep when I woke up iv got a huge blister there now it feels like when u first get a cold sore but blown up more. so that's why I thought enough is enough lets google this shit and go from there and found this site and anxiety uk come up as well about a disorder called csp compulsive skin picking. im still not sure my self but iv deep down knew its mental and only we can stop by reprogramming in someway, like what Desired August 03, 2014 post says above. I guess most habits us humans have are stopped or controlled the same way . good luck to all of us, peace out one love lol x
Yes! Me too! I've started since grad school, and can't seem to stop. It isn't as bad as most of you-not many see the tearing because it's in the inside, and I find that I usually rip the upper lip. Everyone tells me to stop-and I don't have ocd, I'm pretty much the most messiest person ever. Before this, I'd never realized how common this problem is. I apply lipbalm every night, and it does not seem to help at all. I find that I do it unconsciously, and it's really hard to stop. My upper lip is pretty gross. I doesn't hurt a lot when you pick at it, and it's just like a drug. Like a personnel cocaine, though not as severe.
I had no idea this was so common! I've been picking at my lips since I was really young, maybe 4. I remember my mom telling me to stop it. I wonder if she's noticed that I still do it. Now I'm 16 years old and it's been getting worse. I've been holding a tissue to my lip for the past 15-20 minutes waiting for it to stop bleeding. I try to apply chap stick regularly, so that my lips aren't dry and there's nothing to pick at. It's so hard to stop when I don't even realize that I'm doing it.
Reading about other people with picking disorders somehow releaves me. I peel off old, barky, skin of my lips ever since I can think of. Only in a few cases they bleed, but not longer then a few minutes. I use lip balm sticks to grease them, especially when temperatures go under 10°C. This does not prevent my lips from getting loose ends, but helps to detach the dead cutic pieces with tweezers without taking away intact skin. I tried to stop this behaviour but this leads to scratchy lips with a surface reminding at dried african soil. Actually this treatment leads to smooth, even lips that even look good. I only get problems when having herpes simplex (2-3 times a yaer), that is a pain and I know it occurs on stress. Psychic stress and mechanical stress because of picking. I also shave my body besides extremitys, chest and pubic hair and epilate my nose (yes, this is pain), sometimes other regions with tweezers. I excise seborrhoic ceratosis chirurgically when they occure and I can reach them. And they occure. On my back, I seek a dermatologist to help, which is embarrassing for me to show. So I think I am kind of mad hygienic. But I feel better so an it gives a smooth look and feeling. I am 35 an have a medical PhD, not only MD, 4 children and am married 10 years. What I want to state: with some effort you can manage to peel of your dead lip skin with conciousness and awareness and it looks good. When you pick to blood every time, you should seek professional help. I use a mirror, good light and clean tweezers and take care in not blind picking my lips with dirty fingers in occasions when I am distracted. Because then it ends in ugly, bleeding lips. Try it, it may help.
this is from a long time ago but idc haha. I'm almost 20 & I've been picking my lips ever since i can remember. my mom occasionally picks hers so i got it from her, I'm just ten times worse. i was picking them the entire time while reading all the comments just thinking how its exactly me. like the one said, i dont do it bc of stress or anxiety or anything. i guess i just want the skin to feel even. my family always judged me for it, simply bc i made my lips look gross all the time. a few months ago was the first time i decided to look it up & since i found out how many others go through the same thing, I've become more... comfortable, i guess, with my lips not looking ideal in public. so thank you guys ;)) but really tho, how satisfying is peeling a big piece off that doesnt hurt or even look like you picked anything? my fav.
also, blistex moisture melt works really well for me. I'll coat it on before bed & when i wake up my lips look better. but then i feel skin & just pick them again. even feeling them with my tongue & rubbing my lips together makes me wanna pick them so keeping my fingers away wont help me :/ & i can just use my teeth
I'm 16 years old, I've been picking my lips since as far back as I can remember. My parents absolutely hate it but they've tried everything they knew to do to get my to quit. I'll sit for an hour and pick them until they bleed, crack open, and create painful sores. Once you pull it off you can't stop until the surface feels like the rest of it. It's such a disgusting habit but the only time I can retain myself is when im at the school but the moment I get home it starts. My boyfriend has resulted to putting hot sauce or lemon juice on my lips and that's helped a lot but I have terrible anxiety and that's where the lip picking comes from. Id just like to have some advice on how to help or stop.
Hi fellow lip pickers! I had just been picking my lips for the past hour, which now has led me to find this amazing blog! I almost thought I wrote this article. It mirrored me so perfectly. My boyfriend also tells me to stop and holds my hand so tightly, I cannot move it. I hate when he does this, because he does it exactly when my lip is ready to be peeled off. It annoys me so so much. I think I started this habit when I was about 7 years old, not sure how and why I did. I'm used to it now though. It's a routine I am comfortable with. I pick them when I am focused on a thought or when I am watching an intense movie, or even when I am trying to get work done. Minutes and then an hour goes by, and I feel like I've wasted my day away. I am also a professional procrastinator because of this and also late for many events and outings. It's troubling, but I can't help it. I just can't stop. I pick, pull, and even yank until there's blood, and then I suck and taste the blood from my lips until the bleeding stops. I don't mind the taste of blood (only if it's from my lips.) I also have this habit of curling my top lip up to where I can smell my lip. I do that in private because the face I make is hideous. My lips are constantly scabbed on the inside. I wear lipstick just about everyday to look normal. No one seems to notice. I tried fake nails too, but I've gotten good at picking with them now - it's a skill I know, But it definitely makes my fingers sore. It hurts to kiss my boyfriend. But at least he still likes kissing me...I guess. I would like to enjoy it more.
I'm 24 now, and I know I'll never stop. It keeps my mind off of whatever it is I am stressing about. I use all kinds of Chapstick, Burt's Bees and medicated blistex ( I love the sting and coolness of it. I feel it healing.) I use Nivea as well. Then I apply a darker shade of lipstick, currently in love with the wine colored ones. It's a normal routine for me. I love spicy food too...so not sure what else can help.
I've tried it all guys.
I'm just happy I'm a girl in this situation. Best of luck to all the dudes!! Love this blog and support group!
I pick my lips too and I'm a teenager
I was very surprised to come across this site. I truly had no idea there were others who pick at their lips just like me. I knew there were people who were obsessed with picking at scabs, peeling skin, etc, but I've never known anyone else to pick their lips. I do feel the need to pick at any scabs or peeling skin I find, but picking at my lips is really starting to annoy me. I picked at them the entire time I was reading everyone's comments too! I can't remember when it started but I've been doing it for at least 15 years, and I'm 40 now. When I was younger, in high school, I thought I had beautiful lips. I was always proud of how I rarely had chapped lips, even though I was a clarinet player and constantly had to lick my lips. Especially in the winter time playing during the football games, it never phased my lips. I often wonder if all that contributed to my dry lips now?? When I first started doing it, it would make my lip swell a little and look a full and plump, so I kinda liked it. But that quit after a while. I just started getting chapped lips and I can't stand how they feel, so I started peeling off the dry skin. Now I am so used to doing it that I don't even realize it. Every day I vow to stop. I'll pick the skin off until they are nice and smooth at night, lather them up with some kind of lip balm (I've tried everything under the sun) and go to sleep. I keep thinking if I can just keep them soft and smooth, I won't do it anymore. My lips usually feel pretty gross from the lip balm in the morning and I wipe it off and they are usually soft for awhile. But at some point during the day they get chapped again and I start picking once again. Like many of you, I do it when I'm stressed, nervous, anxious or just relaxing....doesn't seem to matter really. Chapsticks and certain lip balms drive me nuts cause they feel sticky or annoying, I guess so I end up wiping them back off. Good tasting ones get licked off, lol. Sometimes, Iike some of you, I pick my bottom lip even after it starts bleeding. I don't bleed too often, but there have been times when pulling just the tiniest little piece of skin will cause it to bleed for hours. I hate it, I really do. And I want to stop so badly. I want my beautiful lips back, but sometimes I'm scared they will never heal back to normal. I'm afraid they will forever be chapped, or that I've permanently damaged them. I also breathe through my mouth when I sleep so I'm afraid that makes it worse, keeping them dried out. However, I've always done that and it never bothered them when I was young. I'm going to make a big effort to stop, because I want my lips to look kissable. The worst thing one of my ex boyfriends did was mutter "chapstick" after kissing me one day! I almost cried. Good luck to you all and I'll try to post again.
I was very surprised to come across this site. I truly had no idea there were others who pick at their lips just like me. I knew there were people who were obsessed with picking at scabs, peeling skin, etc, but I've never known anyone else to pick their lips. I do feel the need to pick at any scabs or peeling skin I find, but picking at my lips is really starting to annoy me. I picked at them the entire time I was reading everyone's comments too! I can't remember when it started but I've been doing it for at least 15 years, and I'm 40 now. When I was younger, in high school, I thought I had beautiful lips. I was always proud of how I rarely had chapped lips, even though I was a clarinet player and constantly had to lick my lips. Especially in the winter time playing during the football games, it never phased my lips. I often wonder if all that contributed to my dry lips now?? When I first started doing it, it would make my lip swell a little and look a full and plump, so I kinda liked it. But that quit after a while. I just started getting chapped lips and I can't stand how they feel, so I started peeling off the dry skin. Now I am so used to doing it that I don't even realize it. Every day I vow to stop. I'll pick the skin off until they are nice and smooth at night, lather them up with some kind of lip balm (I've tried everything under the sun) and go to sleep. I keep thinking if I can just keep them soft and smooth, I won't do it anymore. My lips usually feel pretty gross from the lip balm in the morning and I wipe it off and they are usually soft for awhile. But at some point during the day they get chapped again and I start picking once again. Like many of you, I do it when I'm stressed, nervous, anxious or just relaxing....doesn't seem to matter really. Chapsticks and certain lip balms drive me nuts cause they feel sticky or annoying, I guess so I end up wiping them back off. Good tasting ones get licked off, lol. Sometimes, Iike some of you, I pick my bottom lip even after it starts bleeding. I don't bleed too often, but there have been times when pulling just the tiniest little piece of skin will cause it to bleed for hours. I hate it, I really do. And I want to stop so badly. I want my beautiful lips back, but sometimes I'm scared they will never heal back to normal. I'm afraid they will forever be chapped, or that I've permanently damaged them. I also breathe through my mouth when I sleep so I'm afraid that makes it worse, keeping them dried out. However, I've always done that and it never bothered them when I was young. I'm going to make a big effort to stop, because I want my lips to look kissable. The worst thing one of my ex boyfriends did was mutter "chapstick" after kissing me one day! I almost cried. Good luck to you all and I'll try to post again.
Likewise, I was so happy to find this thread, as I have been a CONSTANT lip-picker for nearly the 25 years I have been alive. I used to pick with my finger (and occasionally still do), but the majority of picking I do is with my teeth, which is why keeping-your-fingers-busy tricks never work for me. I can't even tell you how many times I have been told to stop by a whole bunch of different people - my family yells at me about it, my boss once even stopped mid-conversation to ask me if I was okay because I was picking, didn't realize, and was making absurd faces because of it. It is such a problem, and so addicting. It's definitely perfectionism-related with me (though also partially boredom related), and I'm always trying to pick off even the smallest imperfection on the lip. Even if there isn't an imperfection, I create one, thinking that nothing is ever perfect enough and I can get it better. I tried consciously to stop - first getting a water bottle and use that as something to chew on, that didn't work. I made a New Year's resolution to not pick and that almost worked, but then without realizing it I started back up again and now I'm doing it almost as much if not more so than before.
I have noticed a couple helpful things you could try, though, that worked (temporarily) with me:
1) If you're a person who picks using your teeth, just try to do different things with your mouth instead - move your tongue around the inside of your mouth, put chapstick on and rub your lips together, purse your lips tightly and un-purse repeatedly. Just keep your mouth busy so it doesn't feel like it it should be picking.
2) Whether you pick with your fingers or your teeth, I found this is helpful for all you perfectionists who just need something to be working on absentmindedly: Put on a layer of cheap, drugstore nail polish (on your nails, of course....not your face) and just work on peeling the nail polish off. It's almost as satisfying of a feeling and it's a good distraction from picking.
Hope that helps! I still haven't found a "cure" and am curious to keep hearing more advice and stories from others in this same, miserable little boat we're all in!
In reply to Likewise, I was so happy to by maca-roni
Hi Maca-roni
I bit & picked my lips from childhood incessantly until I was 50! yes 50! 2 years gluten free now & not done it at all for a year!! Even though I went through the most stressful & emotional time of my life, caring for my father for 4 months when he had a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Myself, mum, sister & niece cared round the clock until his last breath in October. It was the worst 4 months of my entire life & I got physically & mentally sick..... But... Still NO lip biting!! I believe there is a link to gluten sensitivity, maybe coeliac? I don't know if I'm coeliac as I haven't had the test due to needing to eat gluten for 6 weeks, which I can't face! It's believed that millions of people are coeliac or severely gluten intolerant & don't realise it. In itself it is linked to numerous other diseases, too numerous to write here.. but Gluten is bad for anyone so why not give it a try!?
I bit & picked my lips from childhood incessantly until I was 50! yes 50! 2 years gluten free now & not done it at all for a year!! Even though I went through the most stressful & emotional time of my life, caring for my father for 4 months when he had a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Myself, mum, sister & niece cared round the clock until his last breath in October. It was the worst 4 months of my entire life & I got physically & mentally sick..... But... Still NO lip biting!! I believe there is a link to gluten sensitivity, maybe coeliac? I don't know if I'm coeliac as I haven't had the test due to needing to eat gluten for 6 weeks, which I can't face! It's believed that millions of people are coeliac or severely gluten intolerant & don't realise it. In itself it is linked to numerous other diseases, too numerous to write here.. but Gluten is bad for anyone so why not give it a try!?