My boyfriend picks...

My boyfriend picks at things on his body and eats them. It beyond grosses me out and is starting to effect our relationship. At first I tried ignoring it and thinking maybe it was a phase. But now I obsess with how much he does it, and I find myself watching him to see how much he does it. I love him and would hate for something like this to end our relationship. I tried to lightly bring it up to him and not make it a big deal because its embarrassing to me i can only imagine what its like for him. His response was that he didn't even realize he was doing it. I know he knows he's doing it... Lately I just don't kiss him if I see he's been picking and he's starting to pick up on that. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I handle this?