I'm not the only one??? New member

I'm a new member and this post is the first time I am admitting to anyone that I am a compulsive skin picker (wow that feels good to say that knowing other people are suffering from the very same condition). I'm 29 years old. As a kid I remember I always loved to pick at things, peeling paint, sunburns, Elmer's glue when it dried, etc, but it was never anything near compulsive or destructive. Five years ago was when my skin picking turned compulsive and self-injurious. It all started after a bad break up, not sure how it started or what I got from it but I'd pick for hours on end, mostly my hands and feet, occasionally my legs. I was careful not to pick in too many visible places for fear of having to explain to someone what happened to my leg or hand. Ocasionally my hands got picked so bad that it was impossible for others not to notice, and when they asked I'd tell them I have really sensitive skin and eczema. The picking got so bad that I started using more than just my fingernails to pick, I discovered that tweezers (the very sharp pointy ones) worked far better than my fingernails, and here I sit five years later, still picking with tweezers, pins, fingernails, anything sharp that's in reach when I get the urge to pick. I go through spurts where I won't pick for a month or two and than I lose all self control and go to town picking skin off my hands and feet. I cant stop once I start, and I wish I knew why. I feel like such a weirdo, and i would never be able to talk openly about this with anyone like friends and family, so that's what has brought me to here, I'm Desperate for answers, advice, support, guidance, whatever you may be able to offer, maybe it's sharing your story and how you overcame picking. I look forward to hearing from others, thanks for listening.