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abackas , 13 Aug 2009

I'm a woman and I pick my breasts! Does anyone else?

Hi there. I've been a fairly serious skin picker ever since I was about 13. I'm now 42. Also saw the A&E Obsessed show and could totally relate. I pick pretty much anywhere and everywhere on my body but my 2 MAIN areas are my face and MY BOOBS! It's just awful! Do any other women have this problem? It's so sad because it really is a beautiful part of a woman's body and here I obsessively destroy it. Anyway, I just discovered this site and forum. It's great. Hope to chat more.
218 Answers
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sugamami38
February 20, 2014
i started picking right after i stopped drinking 5yrs ago and became a diabetic plz someone help ,im on antidepressants and antianxiety meds nothing is helping
J.armiger
April 19, 2014
Hi I have this problem is there any way to reduce the size of the lumps ?
silkemarie
May 12, 2014
I do my chest and arms the worst :( My chest bothers me more, the skin is so thin and pale it scars really easily. You are DEFINITELY not alone. Right now I have some spots that are infected and wearing a bra sucks. I'm seeing a psych now and having some good luck with Zoloft in addition to trying to stop by myself, I hope you make progress soon! Scars will fade, it's not too late :)
Larkattark
June 03, 2014
I have this same damn problem and I'm 20. I looked into it and it is possibly called dermatillomania (an obcessive skin picking disorder) all I know is I have never let any guy see me naked, ever. And now having read all the comments I'm crying because this really sucks and it really tears people down. You are all beautiful.
PalomaRaina
July 20, 2014
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clairezepp
August 27, 2014
I have the exact same problem. My face is clear but under my clothes is an angry red mess-terpiece. My breasts are my primary target and have been since I was 15. I'm now 18. About a year ago I worked up the courage to see a dermatologist, and she assured me that breast picking is more common than its made up to be. She prescribed me with two ointments which did a lot of good, especially if you're able to restrain yourself for days at a time. When I'm alone, I kick the temptation by wearing crew neck tops. I have miniature pick attacks on a daily basis none the less. Dermatillomania thrives on shame, the more you talk about it, the less of a hold it will have on you.
EstrellaEva
August 30, 2014
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ms.distressed
September 03, 2014
Those are my 2 problem areas, as well. I used to just pick at my arms and face, but once I was able to stop picking my arms, I went for my breasts instead - it's absolutely mortifying. This skin picking disorder drastically affects so many aspects of my life, including relationships. Though I've gotten better than I was in the past, there are still times when I have picking relapses. I'll go a couple of weeks or months without picking at all, but when I end up picking again, it's utterly horrific and I feel the need to hide out for a few days (it'll be so bad sometimes that I even skip my classes, call out of work, and ignore my friends to avoid being seen). My current boyfriend can't quite grasp why it's so difficult for me to stop mutilating myself from time to time (hell, I can't quite grasp it either!), and it certainly has posed many issues between us. It's especially awful when we're getting intimate and I get scared to take my bra off because I feel the need to hide what I have done. Often times, I'm terrified that my disorder will lead to my relationship's end. :/ I joined this forum today because I've had yet another relapse. Last night, my skin was looking lovely until I experienced an anxiety attack that led to hours of trance-like picking. A vast majority of my face is now red, sore, and bumpy, and my breasts are messed up, too. Makeup barely masks the damage I have done to myself, and waiting for it to heal is the worst, because the areas I picked will more than likely be puss-filled or scabby by morning. Wish me luck in leaving it alone!
ms.distressed
September 03, 2014
Those are my 2 problem areas, as well. I used to just pick at my arms and face, but once I was able to stop picking my arms, I went for my breasts instead - it's absolutely mortifying. This skin picking disorder drastically affects so many aspects of my life, including relationships. Though I've gotten better than I was in the past, there are still times when I have picking relapses. I'll go a couple of weeks or months without picking at all, but when I end up picking again, it's utterly horrific and I feel the need to hide out for a few days (it'll be so bad sometimes that I even skip my classes, call out of work, and ignore my friends to avoid being seen). My current boyfriend can't quite grasp why it's so difficult for me to stop mutilating myself from time to time (hell, I can't quite grasp it either!), and it certainly has posed many issues between us. It's especially awful when we're getting intimate and I get scared to take my bra off because I feel the need to hide what I have done. Often times, I'm terrified that my disorder will lead to my relationship's end. :/ I joined this forum today because I've had yet another relapse. Last night, my skin was looking lovely until I experienced an anxiety attack that led to hours of trance-like picking. A vast majority of my face is now red, sore, and bumpy, and my breasts are messed up, too. Makeup barely masks the damage I have done to myself, and waiting for it to heal is the worst, because the areas I picked will more than likely be puss-filled or scabby by morning. Wish me luck in leaving it alone!
lifelikevapor
July 28, 2015

I pick too. I've picked since I was a small child. I used to pull out clumps of my own hair and have bald patches too...weird habits we form, eh.
I didn't start picking at my breasts until I was weaning my youngest girl (who is now almost 2). She cut me with a fingernail when she was nursing and from there I picked a great big wound on my right breast...my husband got mad at me for hurting myself and I stopped picking it.
Fast forward to now. I have maybe twenty open wounds on each breast. It's like hair follicles have gotten infected and swollen and horribly painful...yet I keep picking and squeezing my skin. It's been going on since maybe February...it is now July. Five months of these same breast sores. I want them to heal but they just sit there and I pick them because they're there. I try to stop and I find myself picking again in spite of me. Like it's an unconcious thing. I hate my breasts and body anyway...breastfeeding has turned my breasts into horrible looking flaccid sacs of skin. Like a balloon that's been blown up and then let go to "Pppppppffffffffffffffffft" around the room before flopping to the ground. I hate myself.

Mumsy
March 13, 2016

I am wondering if anyone has come across a proper skincare product that would help w/the aftermath of a picking? My main area of concern are my breasts. I seem to naturally have larger pores..or I have now manipulated a normalcy of large pores there. W/the appearance of large pores I want to pick. I also get the hardened "white seed" that some of you all mentioned. I am obsessed w/extracting it:( I also have moments where I try and cut some of my bumps..like at home plastic surgery or something. In the frenzy of doing this, I feel that I will make the previous marks look better? I end up, obviously, not helping the appearance of the previous damage at all. It's a vicious cycle of hideous alteration. Currently, I'm using Maderma..but not sure that would do anything for the large pores that I have created or made larger! Also, I try coconut oil. It might be a placebo effect, but I feel that it works..until I get a clogged pore and then pick. I'm really sick and tired of being lured back into this..I feel gratified when I pick, then I wake up and hate the aftermath, and then try and "fix" the aftermath. Really hope to hear from someone soon! Thanks:)

Help.me
March 17, 2016

Someone please help me. I've been picking at my breasts for a few years and always had enough control to relatively prevent scarring.
......But I've completely lost control. I've been involved in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship. Instead of leaving him I became completely dependant on him, he's an excellent manipulator and he uses my mental illnesses against me (borderline personality, depression, OCD). This has crippled me as a human being. It's caused me to completely lose control of my picking.
I can't stop. If something sets off my anxiety i panic, can't breath and my heart gets tight so instead i go into this trance of compulsive self hatred that consumes me. I'll scream at myself to stop picking and I can hear the words and I want to stop but I can't.

I'm so ashamed. I'm so embarrassed. I used to be the most beautiful girl...now it kills me to even look at myself. I can't stop. My boyfriend has seen my picking and the scars and I know i disgust him. I think about killing myself rather than live as this creature I've become but I'm afraid someone would see my ugly body if I wasn't hiding it.

Please please someone tell me what to do. Is there a drug? How can I fix the damage to my breasts and the rest of my body?
PLEASE TELL ME I WON'T HAVE TO LIVE THE REST OF MY LIFE DEFORMED. PLEASE, ANYTHING TO HELP ME FIND MYSELF AGAIN.

Martapmc
November 25, 2018

Hey. I know this post is really old but there's something I want to share. I've got OCD and skinpicking is one of my problems. I started picking also my breasts and since last year I'm milking from my boobs when I squeeze them. The stimulation is so agressive that I've got milk! No, never been pregnant.

Hotskullgirl
May 09, 2019

I pick at my breast as well. They have scars all over, underneath, and in between. I keep picking at the same 3 spots on my left breast. I hate it. Anytime I almost get serious with a guy, I don't even let him take off my shirt. Like I'm scared for them to see my chest and back since its covered in scars from picking.

terre65
June 19, 2023

I'm a 57 year old single female with extremely low self esteem who started last year picking my left breast; it began with a tiny irritation and escalated and now I have several scabs that I can't stay away from. I also have 4 on my right buttock that I keep peeling away at i don'teven remember how these started. I'm glad I'm not alone but I wish this wasn't a problem for me or anyone else 🥺

mycophile
June 28, 2023

Hi!  Just wanted to follow up to see if anyone was able to slowly heal their nips. I’m 28 and have been picking for a decade. My nips are disgusting and make me want to cry. I’ve looked into surgery. It’s just so awful. I’m gonna TRY my hardest to resist for a week and see where that gets me but has anyone found recovery and found that their nips were able to heal?

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