Online Test

Find out the severity of your symptoms with this free online test

Take the test
kizzi , 28 Feb 2011

OMG feel like I'm climbing the walls!!!!

New to the forum, thought this would be the best place to get some support, or just to vent how I'm feeling. Woke this morning soooo tired as I had spent 2 hours through the night scratching and examining my skin by touch. Googled scratching and found out about CSP. wow what an eye opener!!! I didn't realise it had a name or was recognised in any way, but this is exactly what I have been doing since age 5, thats 22yrs of abuse to my body!!! I suffer from ezcema but had realised that I wouldn't let my skin clear up because of the constant need to pick. I feel my skin constantly and anything I can feel I pick, I'm completely obsessed, I probably spend 2 hours most days picking and tweezering anything that can be removed from my skin, and on a bad day it can be twice that. God it has been an eyeopening day!! I've tried to not touch my skin since I saw this at about 11am, and already I feel like I'm actually going cold turkey!!! what is wrong with me!!! All I can think about is going into the bathroom and checking my face, and then sittting on my bed and picking at my legs!! this is soooooo embarrassing! At the moment I'm twiddling some elastic like a mad woman!!! tried rubbing some ribbon but that stopped helping after a while. Dreading getting ready for bed later and bathtime eeek. Hope to hear from some fellow sufferers. Kizzi, 27, wife & mammy to 2 boys
8 Answers
Add Comment
Kamrusepa
February 28, 2011
I'm pretty sure I have both dermatophagia and dermatillomania :'( But I am currently extremely proud of myself as I have not bitten anything all day!... though five mins ago I did pick a spot on my face...I only just looked into it as well and I'm so glad to hear that it's actually quite common. One of my friends is going to help me stop the biting with negative reinforcement (ie. she's going to punch me if she sees me try to bite my fingers) but it's so damn HARD. How the hell am I going to stop after 9 years of this?! Basically, you aren't alone, which I think helps as other people don't seem to properly understand...
kizzi
March 01, 2011
Think the picking is my main problem, never been a biter, although I did go through a phase of biting my arm hair (god it sounds weird admitting that to myself). Did you manage to make it through the day?? Sooo good that you have a friend that is helping you with it, although I think if I got punched everytime I picked I'd be black and blue!!! lol. Yeah like you I can't believe how many people suffer with this!!! I have phoned the docs and have an appt for thursday, as soon as I made the appt. I just went into a mad panick thinking that he's just gonna Laugh at me, or worse give that raised eyebrow "your nuts" look. I'm just gonna try not to think about it till then, my husband has said he will come with me, I don't know whether that will make it easier or more differcult. Well good luck I hope the support of your friend helps, sure it will. x
Kamrusepa
March 01, 2011
I've made it two days without biting my fingers, and it has been insanely hard. Unfortunately I haven't been able to curb the skin picking but I guess one step at a time. I only made it through today because I took a piece of ribbon into college with me and was basically fiddling with it constantly. I hope your appt goes well; I'm always really worried about what people will think of the skin biting/ picking because it's almost a kind of swept under the rug thing, isn't it? Nail biting is accepted but skin picking? Not so much.
kizzi
March 02, 2011
Massive well done for the 2 days non biting!!!!!!!!! one step at a time is the way to go. The ribbon helps me sometimes too but I keep having to put it down and then I lose it!! might have to tie it round my wrist, have kept a rubber band on my wrist to twiddle with that helps. So nervous about the appt tomorrow, I just hope he is aware of dermatillomania, I've heard a lot of doctors don't even know what it is. I know what you mean I hate the idea of people knowing I do this, I found a support group on facebook but was too scared to join the group incase my friends saw this on my news feed!! I think the secrecy is one of the biggest problems with this condition. I hope day 3 is a good one for you, keep thinking how well you have done the last 2 days, take it an hour at a time if thats easier, ark at me!! I could do with taking my own advice!! lol x
Kamrusepa
March 02, 2011
Just about managed day 3 though there were some pretty close calls. I keep rubbing my fingers against my mouth and I started to bite my lips more than I did :'(. I think the biting is boredom related and lets just say that gas exchange in plants isn't the most riveting of subjects... what's really bad is I keep looking at the bits of skin on my cuticles that seem to be perfect for biting and I just think 'what a waste'. I'm trying to stop thinking like that- which is even harder. Try not to be nervous! If the doctor isn't aware of it he ought to refer you to someone who will be, so either way you will find someone who can help. I hope you do get on top of it!!!
Lizzy
March 01, 2011
Hi Kizzi I too am new, just joined today. I'm 44 and have had this habit for as long as I can remember. Been my 'best friend & enemy' for so long it was just part of who I am or so I thought. "Just highly strung" was the doctors explanation when I was a child, my Mother took me out of desperation one time as she was running out of room to stick plasters on me at night. Anyways, I saw a TV show which touched on this as a form of OCD and it kind of made sense. I've been going through some rough times for the last year or so and the picking, squeezing & tweezing has gotton progressively worse. Embarassed to go to the hairdressers because I've lost count of the scabs on my scalp, hate being sat lower than anyone in case they notice. Oh and the excuses, I banged my head on a kitchen cupboard blah blah blah. Tweezed my eyebrows until they bleed, just trying to get that one little hair that only I can see in my 12x magnification mirror and squeezed any blemish on my face until I've had to put that much makeup on I look like a freak and ashamed & embarassed to look anyone in the face in case they see. Oh and then there's the cuticles, my thumbs are the worse...there's very little of me sacred or not scarred as a result of this compulsion. Today I decided enough. I've made an appointment for the Doctors and I'm hoping sharing thoughts and feelings here with other people might just help understand why we do this. Time to break the cycle isn't it.
kizzi
March 02, 2011
Well done for making the appt to see the doctor, I've got my first appt in the morning. I'm terrified at explaining what I'm going through and even more scared at what he might say!! I think this forum is great for talking to people that understand, I thought I was the only one! I'll pick anywhere too, my legs are the worst, I'm dreading the summer when I spend the whole time roasting because I have to cover up. I'd love to wear shorts, If I had one wish in the world it would be for perfect skin!!! I'm obsessed with how it looks, I can spend hours putting make up on to try and cover every mark. Yesterday I went shopping and someone looked at me for what seemed like a second too long, I instantly thought there was something wrong with my face, all I wanted was a mirror to check. Tweezers are my worst enemy!!!!! I can spend hours with them picking the tiniest bump on my skin, I panick if I can't find them, I have a pair next to every mirror in the house, I've managed to resist taking them out with me though. Really hope your appt goes well, and that we can get some support for this condition. x
lexyw
March 02, 2011
good luck at the doctors!! if they haven't heard of it (which is totally possible), ask them if they've heard of trichotillomania. since, they're related, the dr. may recognize the symptoms and the triggers. you could also print something out off the internet to bring with you (i for one get REALLY nervous talking to dr's. esp. if it means telling them i rip my skin apart by myself). that way you can show it to them without having to go into all the details from memory. good luck!

Start your journey with SkinPick

Take control of your life and find freedom from skin picking through professional therapy and evidence-based behavioral techniques.

Start Now