Understanding Skin Picking Disorder
When you can't stop picking at your skin — it's a recognised condition.
What Is Excoriation Disorder?
Excoriation disorder (also called dermatillomania) involves repetitive, compulsive picking at your skin, causing tissue damage.
Like trichotillomania, it's classified as a body-focused repetitive behaviour and is related to OCD.
Common Experiences
Picking at skin on face, arms, hands, or other areas.
Spending significant time picking, sometimes without realising.
Feeling tension before picking and relief during.
Scarring, infections, or tissue damage from picking.
Feeling ashamed and trying to hide the effects.
Using make-up, clothing, or bandages to cover marks.
Treatment
Habit reversal training helps recognise triggers and find substitute behaviours.
CBT addresses the thoughts and emotions behind picking.
Keeping hands busy with fidget tools, stress balls, or textured objects.
Identifying triggers — stress, boredom, perfectionism, mirror use.
Barrier methods — wearing gloves, keeping nails short, covering mirrors.
Self-compassion is essential — this is a real condition, not a lack of willpower.