Where do you pick?

Posted June 16th, 2010 by MasterPicker

Curious where the different sweet spots are people like to pick. I know a lot of threads have different places but thought we could all list it out so everyone can see in one thread. Also do you dig down to the blood or just the top layer of skin? I try not to hit blood but sometimes it happens. For me there are 3 spots: 1&2. in the fold of the knuckle of my thumb and big toe on the palm side about the size of a quarter. 3. Palm side area between the pinky finger and hand about the size of a quarter

On December 13th, 2010 love_love said:

i pick at my scalp and usually pick till it bleeds! i also use to pull my hair out and run it between my teeth and bite the root folicul off really weird! i been diagnosed with panic disorder,ocd and aggrobhobia so i do alot of weird stuff which just seems normal to me these days lol

On December 10th, 2010 chocodog333 said:

Hi! It's nice to know others that do the same thing, because I always feel so isolated, like I'm the only one with this problem. Well, ever since I was a toddler I have picked at my lips, like it would almost always bleed and it looked absolutely terrible. I have, however, recently slowed down on that, significantly, I guess, because you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at me. I always pick at my face and when I get bug bites, so I have scars on my legs. But now, I just pick at my head.... a lot. I have to tie my hair up every day and I haven't cut my hair in a couple months. I must have a least ten scabs on my head that I just pick at over and over again. They hurt, they bleed, they release gross clear fluid, it's messy. My parents bother me about it and that just makes me pick even more. I also collect my scabs in a little makeup container. I just have so much stress, and this is simply how I deal with it.

On December 9th, 2010 Alecto.Rejoice said:

I'm not sure if I'm actually a picker, but I pick at scabs for sure. I don't see it as a problem since I adore the scars I get afterwards, usually. I'm a cutter, so I usually pick at the scabs I get from them. I don't eat them, but I usually lick the blood away. So I usually pick on my arms where the cuts are. I grew up on a beach, so during the summer when the mosquitoes were out, I'd scratch at the bites to the point of drawing blood. I also had lice constantly; a cycle of getting rid of them and then getting them back from people at school and family members. I had really long hair so the eggs would look like dandruff. I'd scratch constantly at my scalp, again to the point of bleeding. Both the bugs bites and the lice would end up scabbing over and so I'd pick at them all the more. I usually only pick at the scabs when I'm mad at myself (punishing myself, almost) and I have one account of digging my nail into leg (near the ankle) repeatedly when I'd lost something. So just anywhere that I can access. I always pick at the little amount of acne, too. And I pull on hangnails because they bother me.

On December 9th, 2010 Henry said:

Wow. First off, I have to say that this site is amazing. I never knew there was a name for this, and so much of what I've read looks like it could have been written by me. I've had this problem since before I can remember, (my mom told me) and I'm 20. Here's my list: My main focus is my fingers. The underside of my thumbs from tip to first joint and sometimes a little further down, index fingers same, but not as far down on my left one, and middle fingers on the tips and sides. Ring fingers and pinkies just a little on the sides, and not as frequently. I pick and bite them, until it hurts too much and bleeds, and I eat it as well. It's embarrassing to actually write this down and admit it... They're almost always painful and/or bleeding. I chewed on my right thumb knuckle for years and made a mess of it, but managed to stop a couple years ago. I even have some tooth damage that I believe is the result of my years and years of chewing... My back is scarred from acne (old and new acne, yay) and the places I've picked acne and other bumps, lumps, and tiny imperfections that I can feel with my fingers. Same with my shoulders and chest, although not as bad. Yet. I'm also moving to the backs of my arms. It's common for me to stand in the bathroom at night for an hour or more, just picking, picking, picking. I even try to pick the white scars I've given myself. I just want to have a smooth back that I wouldn't be afraid to have people see, but my picking at it just makes it worse. I pick my scalp as well. While watching TV, reading a book, etc. I'm either biting my fingers or running my fingers over my scalp, feeling for anything to pick off. Recently I've realized that I actually pick my hairs out by the hair follicles, which is likely the reason (combined with my hair pulling as a child) for my thin hair. I don't know how to stop. I'm glad to have found this website, though. It's somehow comforting to know that I'm not the only one.

On December 8th, 2010 meg1448 said:

I used to pick severely at my toe and fingernails. I also picked my face, chest and back quite badly. Now, most of my attention is on my legs and occasionally my toes. My legs look so awful. And they take so long to heal. I feel like I'll never have nice legs again.

On December 3rd, 2010 Lushulan said:

1. I pick at my scalp - it's easy to hide, as long as I don't stray from the main hair growth areas, though I have thin hair so it is never completely hidden (I simply like the small sense of false security I get from it, and I trick myself into believing no one can see it). It can simply be when I feel scabs, and I pick all the dry supposedly healiing skin off, when I am feeling anxious, I pick to the point of bleeding, and sometimes bleed a lot, when I wouldn't expect it to. it can look like I have really bad dandruff, so I have had periods where I meticulously combed my hair of any pieces of skin leftover after my picking (this severly damaged my hair at the ends). I've also had periods where I would have strong anxiety should I not scour my whole body whilst showering. 2. Just in front of my ear lobe or behind the lobe. These would look quite nasty, but were simple to hide, though it limited the ways I could wear my hair. 3. My forehead and hairline, and just to the right of my left eyebrow. The forehead marks bother me to the extreme, I have to always have bangs or fringe to cover this area, I cannot pull my hair back, I cannot go swimming, I worry whenever my hair is wet and I am near someone, I worry whenver it is windy... It's ridiculous, the sheer amount of stress it causes. Though it has taught me to appreciate my features, instead of being upset by aspects of my face I cannot change. 4. I am not quite certain why, but at times my legs on the inner side of the calph gets both really irritated, itchy and dry, so the marks there escalate very quickly if the skin there becomes irritated. Can be to the pkint of bleeding and pain. 5. (previous marks) My upper back, my elbows, the crook of my arm (those were my very first marks), my neck (on the very front), the middle finger of my right hand (it looks really bad, and never seems to completely go away) and bothers me especially since my hands are my pride, the corners of my nose (those I had for over a year), all over my right eyebrow ( I always had my bangs parted so they covered that eye, I always worried I would end up cutting my bangs too short, so it would show), and probably many more. 6. Cases of trichotillomania - near the end of elementary school and my first year or two of junior high I plucked my eyebrows at different spots, and completely plucked all of my eyelashes out for a good year or so... You would be amazed how observant elementary school students can be.

On November 28th, 2010 caitylovescoffee said:

Wow, I am so glad I found this site. I specifically remember the first time I seriously started picking: just before my eighth grade graduation, I picked all those tiny white bumps at the back of my upper arms so that they wouldn't show with my spaghetti strap dress. Of course, the tiny white bumps were replaced by tiny sores. I've been picking ever since, and I'm almost 22 now. I pick mostly my back, upper chest, and shoulders, as I have acne there. Thankfully I've never had much of an acne problem on my face, so I don't really pick there, but I will demolish the occasional blackhead, should it arise. I always felt like such a freak because when the acne head would pop, I felt a release, as if some of the things I disliked about myself were leaving me, as if I was literally pushing them out of me. I do feel fairly nervous in unfamiliar social settings, but I power through them the best I can and really, truly, love and enjoy my friends. Still, at the end of an evening with friends, I pick at my skin as if I am not in control. It always happens. Always. I don't know why because I am very successful in school and am pursuing a career that I really love. I know it's a social-anxiety-thing, but I don't even know why I have such social anxiety - I mean, I have friends! I'm a social person. I just can't help it. Most of the time, I don't even know I'm doing it. I'll be watching television, studying, writing a paper, or worst of all, speaking to someone. I just do it without thinking. I hate it.

On November 20th, 2010 tvanilla said:

This is my first post, first day discovering a website describing this condition! I researched it a few years ago and found nothing and now there is an actual term for it. I was both shocked and relieved to know there is a medical term for it. I am 25 now and have been picking as long as I can remeber. Its always been my ears, my skin is very dry to begin with and I think it started from just scratching at the dry skin until the point of scabbing. It was history after that, I have done it always and remember in school just lieing and saying it was an infection from my earrings (that was usually where I would pick at) Now its all over my ears, and I have long hair so I usally wear it down so I don't have to explain myself to anybody. I think so many of you can agree with me that its so time consuming and annoying but gratifying all in one! I will spend hours picking my ears, dissapearing into the bathroom and having to come up with excuses as to what I was doing. I have only been albe to stop this picking one time in my life and it lasted for a period of 6 months maybe. I got fake nails (never needed them before because my nails are nice strong and long, which is terrible for me with this condition) but once it was time to get them off I started scratching again until I could pick. And with in the last few years I finally discovered tweezers which has made the condtion much worse. I do pick until my skin is completly raw and bleeding. Sometimes I will pick the same scab twice in one day, i do it whenever I can on the way to work in bed whenever I can. Aslo I do believe this is hereditary my mohter has always done this as well she does it on her face tho! But she dosnt like to talk about it all tho even tho for the past few years I have been saying there is a condition! I want help I dont want ot have kids and they have this same problem!

On November 16th, 2010 Want2bfree said:

I started picking my skin when I was a kid...not sure how old maybe 4. I would pick at my chin until I bled sometimes, then I would have scabs. I remember once while playing with friends in the court a neighbour asked if I had chicken pox...I was devastated. Well from then I developed acne at 15 and my picking became extreme. I would spend hours in front of the mirror picking my face until it was red and inflammed, scabby and bleeding. Then I started picking my back, chest, neck, scalp and shoulders. As I suffer with keratosis pilaris on the backs of my upper arms I also picked there too. Over the years I'm 32 I've learn't to control my picking with awareness, knowing my triggers and shear will power!! I had depression for along time, and it has taken me years to get to where I am now, with the help of heaps of inner work through books and workshops involving spirituality and self love. It's still a work in progress as today I just found this website and I had a picking episode last night....grrrr I'm glad this website is here so we can share our experiences and not feel so alone and ashamed. I have alot of scarring from picking but it's all faded and just small white marks which I notice, but my friends and sister say they don't. I'm determined to end this issue for good and I'll be having a session with a psychodermatologist on Thursday.

On November 15th, 2010 Fallen_84 said:

Hi! Mine started with my upper arms (when I was a kid) and then eventually went to my legs. When my mom started to say sumthing about it I moved to my hip area and areas that couldn't be seen and I could cover up. I've always picked my lips and cuticles and have chewed on the inside of my mouth..cuticles were the worst for years. Picked until they bled. About 2 years ago I started the face, don't know why. But now I can't stop it. Ill go a few days and it'll clear up and look so good, then I start all over. Looks horrible, and sumtimes I make myself bleed. My boyfriend knows and trys to help, he is the one that helped me find this site to kno I'm not alone. But as muchas he tries I always go back to doing it. I still do it today and get so angry at myself for doing it, wish I could find a way to stop this horrible habit.

On November 14th, 2010 scarie said:

Hi there. I am so pleased to have found this forum. Not because of your problems - I wish I could take them away for you like I daily wish mine would disappear. But because it's just so nice at long last to know that I'm not alone in this. I too have massacred my body over the years. My breasts now look so disgusting I daren't go and seek any help. I so wish I could have done years ago before I wasted half my life hiding. The worst thing about it is that I let a very special relationship go because I was too scared to let myself go and show my body fully to him. That's hard to live with, knowing I could have been really happy but never daring to let myself think that he really found me attractive. I still pick. I have a problem with hairs growing on my chin and pick there so it turns into scabs. Then I pick those. I picked my lower arms and upper arms and my somach, legs, genital area. I have got better but it is an outlet for anxiety and also boredom. It's so much a part of my life that I can't stop even though I want to. It just looks so disgusting I look in the mirrir, get all wound up about it and end up thinking what the hell! I don't think it would be quite so bad if my breasts weren't so horribly textured and scarred now. I go on dates but feel like a freak sitting there and making nice when I know what's under my clothes. I just don't know how to get over it. I know anyone worth anything would look past all that and support me but it's letting go enough in the forst place to get that far that's the problem for me. It's a lonely bloody life.

On October 31st, 2010 perfectionhide said:

Before I was five, I bit my nails. Then picked them, to bloodiness. I always picked scabe, and could not wait for them to be completely ready for removal. I enjoy picking at acne, and search skin for hidden clogged pores. I love to remove the impurities - the sebum, coarse skin, skin tags, skin flakes. I have raised scar tissue on the back of my head, hidden under my hair. I chew the insides of my cheek. I try to make my lips completely smooth by picking away any part that feels rough, which is impossible to do so it starts an endless cycle of picking to smooth them. My lips frequently bleed, and sometimes it won't stop quickly. There are days when I know everyone can see it, It does cause me to lose confidence. I don't think it is usually visible, but last week, I noticed somebody else had done a little bit, and it was really visible. Now I think, it must be even worse that I had thought. It is rare for anyone to ever say anything, except for my mother who nags and still slaps my hand down. I am trying now to file down the tougher skin with an emory board, and am experimenting with exfoliants that may help maintain softness that will not entice me to pick. I think staying really hydrated helps, as does vitamin C and silica helps healing. Neosporin is great. I also pick the callouses on my feet. I interrupted this by getting a few manicures and pedicures, and I think it helps to build a sense of creating health and beauty. I can stop the heel picking if I keep the skin soft enough and don't let calloused skin build up. I suspect some chemicals promote the callousing... I am experimenting with different scrubs. Salons are expensive, so I am trying now to regularly groom. I hate polish, but I love the natural beauty of buffing the nails. I love to see my lips when they are all healed, it has only happened a few times recently because getting past the point where the old skin is ready to flake off of the new is almost totally impossible. It is stress, and feeling the imperfections. I am 56 and really beaten down by it all. I've been in therapy most of my adult life. I'm currently with a very good therapist, and I think I'm making progress on self-confidence and managing my damaging thoughts. I have a good job. I wonder if I ever will be able to completely stop, but it would be so nice to have soft lips and beautiful cuticles, and not waste time picking.

On October 30th, 2010 emme said:

I'm so relieved to know that I'm not the only one! It's always been soooo embarrassing but I can't seem to help it. I've been picking the inside of my mouth with my teeth since I was a little girl (I'm twenty-five now), but in the past few years I've progressed to my left foot and my fingers (to an extent). My foot is my favorite, there is something so satisfying about picking the really thick skin on the heel. I can't seem to convince myself to stop...I'm worried that I'll let myself start picking more and more, places that I can't hide.

On November 14th, 2010 mrslion06 said:

i feel the same way you do about picking the skin on your feet. i pick that cracked, thick skin too on BOTH feet. pick all layers of my skin until its raw and bleeding. my god its so painful yet i cant seem to stop! i my feet are such a disgrace. i also feel the same way you do about progressing to other places where i cant hide my picking. i can always hide my feet, its just harder in the summer. im happy to talk to another foot picker.

On November 16th, 2010 emme said:

Ugh, I know...I used to live in flip flops during the summer, but now I can't really wear them anymore. I don't know about you, but sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it. I can literally sit for like an hour just picking and picking - it's like I'm sort of zoned out or something. Even if I'm super tired and just want to go to sleep or something, I have to force myself to stop and then I feel cheated. Ugh, that sounds crazy. :)

On October 27th, 2010 bmuelling07 said:

My nose, scalp, buttocks, i bite my nails and have bit my toe nails. I feel disgusting finally opening up about this.. but I will never beat it if I don't face it right?

On October 26th, 2010 Stormyseas1970 said:

Hmmm...face, scalp, chest, stomach, arms, vag area, buttocks, legs, feet, toes, fingers, hair line, back...did I leave anything out? I tend to leave my face alone, except my chin....I take sev medications for anxiety but none of them stop me from picking. ESPECIALLY when I lie down or go to bed. Thinking and picking, thinking and picking, repeat. :o( My staph infection is now going away with antibiotics and Neosp and bandgages - breast turned red and hot and pus was just oooozzzzing out and I have lymph node nodules that are patruding out.

On October 25th, 2010 bloodyfingers said:

I pick my lips (mostly bottom) and my cuticles. Scabs if I have them even if it's bad like i've had stiches. Though it's not skin, I rip at my nails to the point there's nothing there but bloody quick.

On November 26th, 2010 hatesherface said:

I pick my lips too, for years. What do you do to hide it? its the worst place to pick because it is so visible. I use to only pick the bottom, then I got the idea to focus all my energy on the top and let the bottom heal, because its been so long. it worked for a few months, but now I pick both.

On November 26th, 2010 hatesherface said:

On October 23rd, 2010 newyearsjinx said:

Mostly face, but also back of neck/shoulders. But i also get into spurts of compulsive scratching at my legs, back sides. And i have picked at my feet, fingernails, split ends, head, anywhere really! but am back to the face recently. Been doing this as long as i can recall and am almost 30 now.

On October 18th, 2010 REH5057 said:

My skin picking areas have varied over the years. When I was little (around 5) I use to pull out my hair and eye lashes. I was fascinated by the roots. As I grew up, I picked at the callouses on my hands and picked at my scalp. I also picked at my lip a lot. Then, around middle school, I began to tweeze my eyebrows. I would tweeze until they were bloody and raw and completely misshapen. I got teased a lot about it. I also picked at my face quite a bit. It's around this time that I also started to pick at my back and arms. In high school, I finally got the brow tweezing under control. But the tweezing moved to my pubic hair. It sounds incredibly painful but it was just the hair above my genitals and never actually on my privates. I would sit against the wall of my bathroom for literally hours and tweeze until I bled. I used a needle to dig for hairs and sometimes, the needle would go so deep, it would hit a nerve. This is extremely painful. But I would just keep going. Luckily, this stopped about a year ago (I'm a senior in College). That area has healed up. Still some slight skin discoloration. Now I mostly just pick my back and scalp. My back is very scarred and I hate wearing a bathing suit. I keep my hair long so I at least have something to cover the scabs.

On October 17th, 2010 Pickie said:

I pick my cuticles, sole of my right foot, and to a lesser extent the cuticles around my toes, esp. the last two toes on each foot. I also bite the skin off my lips but I don't think that's noticeable (unless of course I'm actually doing it). I'm very self-conscious about my cuticles - I think it makes me look crazy. I've been picking my heel for the last 2.5 hours, and it has bled. I also took tweezers to it - I like to have as smooth an area of picked skin as possible. There's even blood on my fingers as I type this. The more I pick my heel, the less I pick my cuticles. Also, I find having fake nails on almost eliminates my cuticle picking. I've had them on & off for the last few years. They're expensive & time-consuming to maintain, and I usually end of picking them off after a couple of weeks. When I first went to have them done I was SO embarrassed about the state of my cuticles.

On November 14th, 2010 mrslion06 said:

i also can sit and pick the heels, soles, and toes of my fee for hours until they bleed, yet cant stop!!! i tried to keep my nails too short to pick but then i started using tweezers! OMG it is so so so painful! remeber you are not alone.

On September 17th, 2010 ashamedtobeseen said:

I really didn't know this was a disorder. I thought I was just some freak. I pick on my face and lower arms. I have so many scars on my arms. I hate to go out in public, I feel that people are looking at me and that really embarasses me. Is there any thing that can be done for the scaring. If I get nervous or upset I will actually dig holes in my face and arms. I have even woken up in the middle of the night with blood on my arms and face from picking in my sleep.

On September 17th, 2010 MAD-am said:

im from the uk, i asked my doctor about the picking scars the other day, sometimes i feel like there is no point in giving up the picking because even if i have no scabs/red marks to hide, i still have to cover the scars up. she said that unless the scars are deep and are raised (keloid scars) there is nothing she can prescribe for them, as they can only prescribe silicon gel sheets for big unsightly scars. i have lots of small round scars on my lower and upper arms ranging from pink to light brown in colour, i can tell you that unless they are very deep they will fade in time, your skin is an amazing organ and it does quite well at healing itself given enough time. there are a few things you can do to help the healing process, i used to use bio oil and i found that works quite well, but im a bit skint at the moment so i am using cheaper rescue oil, i also like to use st ives apricot scrub it removes dead skin cells so may be worth trying on old dark scars but not new pink ones, it will make them worse because they are still healing. i managed to do a bit on sunbathing this summer (english weather is usually shit) and it helped alot at hiding the scars as they are less obvious on darker skin i was really happy with that. ive seen a lot of theese scar serums being advertised on the web but im not convinced, they seem really expensive and claim to rid you of scars in a few weeks! i think its a load of bull sh*t. if you have a bit of money to play with i think a dermatologist would have a few techniques on offer to you. good luck

On September 10th, 2010 charmander21 said:

I basically pick everywhere. my scalp, although it doesn't ever scab because it's really dry and I can just pick away painlessly, I pick moles, ingrown hairs, scabs (especially from shaving my legs) and most often.. acne on my chin. I have very clear skin on my face but I tend to break out only on my chin, and then it starts.. I pick one small pimple, and I eventually get more because I can't stop touching the are waiting for it to scab over. then it's basically just continuous from there until I feel so ashamed of the scabs on my chin that I bury them in concealer and foundation and have to consciously stop picking til they disappear. it's unbelievably frustrating and sometimes next to impossible. I defintely go through cycles and it's hard to resist the urge when it just hits you out of nowhere again! I had no idea how many other people actually did this too!

On September 9th, 2010 daydreamer said:

By the way does anyone besides me pick the skin on their eyelids?

On September 9th, 2010 daydreamer said:

I've picked moles all over my body! And I've got many! I also pick pimples, blackheads and clogged pores. The areas I pick the most are my face, breast, neck, arms and ears (on the in- and outside). I also pick my hands and legs. What I hate the most is that I pick my eyelids!!! And it hurts like hell!!! I almost always start crying because of the pain when I rip the skin off with my tweezer. There are these spots right abovemy eyelashes and I want them gone. The skin on the eyelids contains tiny tiny spots which is normal, but I want them to look similar and have like a pattern. If one spot feels bigger than the others (that are smooth) I pick it off. All this results in my eyes swelling up and making me look even more ugly. I don't think I have trichotillomania, but I pull out my eyebrows with a tweezer every day, so I don't have any eyebrows. And now I've also begun to pull out some of my eyelashes when I pick on the skin right above them. If a hair sort of sticks out I have to remove it. I pick all over my face, but besides from my eyelids other annoying areas I pick are my lips and the skin under my nose and the pores on the inside of my nose (they are often clogged). I really want to stop picking because of how it affects my life, but I live in Denmark and so far I haven't been able to find a doctor who knows enough about skinpicking to be able to help me. It's so fucking frustrating! But I'm glad I'm not alone anymore...

On September 9th, 2010 MasterPicker said:

If you pick a mole off does it come back? I have this one mole i've contemplated pinching the skin then quickly taking a sharp razor and slicing it off.

On September 10th, 2010 charmander21 said:

I pick moles, most times without thinking about it and I find that they typically look slightly less like moles after and more similar to a bad scar, but that they are still significantly darker than the rest of my skin. That being said, the scars have always ended up bigger and thicker than the mole was in the first place because where I once just had a mole, I now have both a mole and a scar. Sometimes, a small mole ends up looking more like a lighter but much bigger mole in the end anyway, so I definitely don't reccommend scraping it off. If it bugs you that much, just go get it removed.

On September 9th, 2010 daydreamer said:

I've actually often considered the same thing myself, but never done it though. Some of them disappear and some become less visual, but most of them become even more visual because of the scarring. If you only have a few irritating moles, I would definitely say you should go see a doctor/dermatologist instead of removing them yourself.

On September 7th, 2010 bellas_mom_09 said:

This is my first post. I pick at any Acne that shows up on my face or back. The ones on face, especially on my chin, I tend to pick them until they get huge. I don't usually go for blood... but I get some twisted rush when the scab gets hard and I rip it all of at once. Then I become incredibly ashamed and can't even cover them well with make-up. I hate it :( It makes me hate myself. Occasionally I will have some on my arms but my biggest other spot for picking is my legs or back because they are easier to cover up... except during the summer (i always wear jeans, sleeves and am miserable) I too pick at my toe nails and the skin around my toes... sometimes picking too far until they bleed. I try to keep my nails short but find if I can't pick the scab with my non-existent nails I get extreme anxiety and will use anything with a sharp point to get the scab off. I take an SSRI and Ativan for anxiety and depress and ambien to help me sleep. None of it has helped. :( I don't want my daughter to see me doing this and end up like me. And I don't want to continue hating the way I look everytime I look in the mirror. It doesn't help my sex life either... I feel ashamed so I don't like get undressed and letting my boyfriend see me. He tells me all the right things, that I look beautiful anyway... and he tries to help me find ways to stop but he really just doesn't understand. :( The only thing I have found that use to help me was having Acrylic nails made it so much harder for me to pick and a lot of things would heal. But the last time I got them I kept tweezers around and they didn't do as much good. I feel for everyone on this message board. It's good to know I'm not the only one.

On September 7th, 2010 schlippeh said:

everywhere... initially it was a face thing... pimples/blackheads/etc..as well as upper arm (due to dry skin). but over the past 10 years it has spread to wherever there are imperfections, bumps, scabs, etc. This has led to picking my chest, back, hips, stomach, legs and arms= aka everywhere. Sometimes I get all hypo-chondriac-ish and think I have a skin disease... my skin tends to form ingrown hairs and is very dry. But then I wonder if because I am picking I am causing the new bumps to form? perhaps its a bacterial infection (just like any zit)? and by picking that area and others we are actually creating the infection to new spots? Ugh.. I am so tired of this problem, life is hard enough! I keep trying and trying to stop but like all of you something triggers it and I fall back into habit instantly. My latest theory is that we are perfectionists... for me at least I want clean smooth skin so badly that I think I need to pick off all the bumps so it can heal to be "bump free." Obviously the scabs get picked off again and again, only making me my worst enemy and preventing smooth skin as a reality. This issue is so complex, yet at the same time so simple. We just have to stop and control ourselves, mind over matter, will power, etc. Obviously easier said then done, I know, but try to treat the issue as a drug addiction... try and go x amount of days w/o doing it... be CONSCIOUS of the issue (as if your not already i know). I want to believe , no.. I NEED to believe I can eliminate this element of my life. With more and more of us coming forward expressing the issue it only leads me to believe this has to do w/ recent trends/current societal ideas... aka IMAGE and being flawless like "everyone else." Truly though, when you look around (NOT at TV or a magazine) people are flawed, all of them and we are not nearly as disfigured as we see ourselves at 100x in the mag mirror. This issue roots in self love... its not selfish, its healthy, and we need more of it in our lives. You are beautiful just the way you are. Look into that face and for once listen to the other voice, the quiet one in the background that is saying "you dont need to do this, why are you doing this, not again, leave it alone, etc" as opposed to letting go of control and entering auto-pilot of instantaneous gratification and self-loathing. The remedy lies within.

On September 7th, 2010 shatzee85 said:

Hi... This is my first post. I've picked for what seems like forever.. I used to only pick at my arms (mostly upper) and any acne I might see.. I can relate greatly to the post above that deals with the insane urge to pick at acne, even if it isn't your own. I get annoyed to distration too! But in the past three or so years I began picking at my toes somehow. Now it's like a ritual. I have special tweezers and clippers I get out just for my toes and nothing else. I pick at them mindlessly with my fingers until that doesn't work well enough.. then I have to move the lamp closer, change postitions and use my "tools". I always draw blood from at least two of my toes.. it's embarassing.. they are all picked and dry and usually bloody. I can't paint my toenails well because I don't have much of any given toenail left. I feel absolutely nuts about this compulsion. But the scary thing is I can't stop.. It doesn't hurt when I'm picking.. It actually feels good. Later on my toes are very sore and if I stub one or my daughter steps on one I could cry for the pain it causes, lol.... The whole ordeal is so emabarrassing Anysay.. I also pick my shoulders, breasts and legs when I have "used up" my toes and arms for the time being.. I have scars everywhere from it :(

On November 14th, 2010 mrslion06 said:

i feel an insane urge to pick acne too....even if it isnt my own!!! i beg my husband to let me pop his zits on his back and face (which he gets rarely) and of course he never lets me...

On September 3rd, 2010 skuhl9906 said:

My first post so here goes... I pick my face, neck, chest, shoulders, arms, back, sides, legs, genital area... also chew/pick my fingernails/cuticles/skin around them and pick my toenails. Also i have psoriasis on my scalp and behind my ears which I pick just about daily on my way to work. Also, I pick around my lips, and I also chew the inside of my cheeks.. (scrunch my lips over to one side and bite the opposite side) and sometimes I even push in on my cheek while in this pose to get a better bite. I'm also a chronic nose picker regardless if it "feels" like something is in there. And I'm a habitual knuckle/joint cracker. (I'm talking full body cracking sessions including multiple joints on multiple appendages) But here's the saddest part of all, and here's where I really really want someone to respond... does anybody elses picking spill beyond them? I routinely pick my husband's pimples!!! I'll ask if he wants me to go over him - granted he does have a lot of body acne.. but regardless! I've even picked a pimple on my baby!! And I see people with a pimple, or a large or deep blackhead and I'm driven to distraction wanting to pick it!! Sometimes when I ask my husband and he says no I get really mad. I've even went on youtube and watched pimple picking vids for hours! I even remember the first EVER time I picked, was my first ever pimple, and I got off the bus and is was in the crease of my nose and it hurt really bad, so when I got home I went straight to a mirror to see what was hurting and I could see the swelling under the skin and so I squeezed and it popped and it instantly felt better.. but seeing the yuck come out was SOOOOO satisfying!!! I litterally JUST found this site and I'm freaked out because I knew it was wierd..... but OH MY GOD!!! I had no idea!! And I'm reading the info and seriously I have like EVERY SINGLE manifestation of this except trich. I do have depression that I *thought* was fairly under control.. except it's really really really hard for me to get up in the morning. I do not suffer from anxiety-I used to have panic attacks so I know the difference. I don't know what it is. It's not like I'm relieving any anxiety, I actually get PLEASURE out of picking! I've lost HOURS to it. I even have a "picking kit" which is a compact without the makeup and a straight pin that stays in it. I've even got rubbing alcohol and cotton balls in my bedside table for picking! Lately I've been going to the restroom at work and getting "lost" picking my chest/shoulders/arms/genitals! Sure afterward I feel awful...and my skin is terrible.. but I have freckles so it hides a lot of it.. I guess. I pick pimples that are there, some that may not be or may be the smallest blackhead you ever felt (because they're even too small to see) and then I pick and pick at the scabs and dry skin so they take forever to heal...I've even eaten scabs!! Is anyone out there this bad or worse???? Help?!

On September 16th, 2010 bottervliegie said:

You have no idea how relieved I feel after reading your post. I feel like a freak! I pick, squeeze, scratch, bite, even eat (I know, disgusting, right?)... Basically, for me it's a "full body experience". I've been picking since I was 12 and got acne and even today I pick my face, neck, shoulders, breasts, scalp, legs, bikini line (ingrown hairs, you know...), I bite my cuticles, scratch my scalp and ears, I pick my nose, I could go on and on. I guess I just have this thing about imperfections. I know it's disgusting, but I can't stop! The mirror is my enemy, but even without a mirror I would scratch at any part of my body I can reach (this is mostly unconcious, though) while reading, watching TV, working on my computer. I see someone else with a blackhead or a pimple and I wish that I could just see it pop... I used to squeeze my 3 sisers' pimples and blackheads on their backs and my mother still asks me to "help her out" with her back and behind her ears. I try not to, but sometimes I just can't help myself when I see a pimple on my husband's back. My one sister had these amazing blackheads at a time. They were barely visible, but with a steady squeeze this huge thing would pop out in one go. It was so satisfying to do and I was actually sad when her condition cleared up.

On August 25th, 2010 Buffyfan said:

I pick at my scalp until it bleeds and scabs over. It sounds gross but I love the feeling of getting my nails under a scab and picking it off. I'm trying to stop but it's very hard. I usually have several scabs on my head that I pick continuously.

On September 16th, 2010 bottervliegie said:

I know the feeling! I love picking my scabs as well (anywhere on my body) and I remember as a kid I would pick at the edges of my scabs until they were "dry" enough and try to get as big a piece as possible at once.

On November 14th, 2010 mrslion06 said:

i love picking scabs too!! its crazy how satisfying it is to pick a scab...

On August 25th, 2010 Alex_M said:

My heels where the skin is thick. Also, the bottoms of my big toes, the ball of my foot and right below my pinky toes. I have been biting my fingernails since I was 7 (I'm 25 now) and biting/eating the skin around my nails since I was 10.

On August 19th, 2010 ihatescp said:

I started with my back, then the back of my arms. After I start to scar my arms, I moved to my chest and then scarred that, I then moved to my legs, and then my scalp which I found was the hardest place to stop picking because it was not very noticeable. However, I have fine hair and you were able to start noticing the scars. I now mostly pick my arms and I also pick the inside of my forearms. Today I looked in the mirror and saw my arms as I was brushing my hair and I was so mortified.

On August 17th, 2010 individually_sound said:

I pick mostly my fingers, especially around my thumbs and inside my ears. I recently noticed some blisters on the heels and bottoms of my feet so I've been concentrating around that area. Also I'll pick anywhere that has a scab. When I find a spot to pick I'll pick until it hurts, it dosen't really matter if theres blood I'll just wipe it away and keep going. Either that or I'll stop until theres litterally nothing to pick, like when a scab is completely healed over, but I certainly try picking at it. If it gives away, I'll continue picking until I make the scab all over again. But if I know theres an area I want to pick I won't stop thinking about it until I've picked it.

On August 13th, 2010 Steph77 said:

I actually never pick my face, mostly everywhere else. Arms, legs, feet, shoulders, back. My arms and legs are the worse. I hate summer because it is so hot and i have to wear shorts and short sleeves. I always feel really embarrased -usually attempt to cover my legs up w/ long dresses

On August 12th, 2010 RN2BeCori said:

I pick the side of my nails on all of my fingers till blood comes out (not hygenic). I used to pick the bottom of my heel (very painful). And if that isn't enough, I used to pick at my hair and pull it out on the back of my head.

On August 11th, 2010 Dannika17 said:

Well I have been consistently picking my forehead for a year, I have heavy swept bangs so my blemishes are easy to hide without appyling make-up. I used to pick my chest and back really badly and I tried really hard to stop with that because I was getting sick of wearing clothes that always cover me up so I've doing okay with my back and chest, pretty good actually. But over the past couple of weeks I've like picking at my chin, I don't usually, but I have scars there that are only visible to me and I pick at those. I pick till things scab usually, I just recently picked my forehead but managed to pull myself away before it was covered in scabs! Good luck everyone!

On August 5th, 2010 ashamed.picker said:

I tend to pick at various locations. The place I am most embarrassed about is my breasts. I think it's because I think I can cover or conceal them from the rest of the world. I now have permanent scaring on both breasts. I continue to do it and I can't stop. I have more spots, and infections then I can count on my body. I am way to ashamed and embarrassed to go seek medical advice, I wouldn't even know how to ask about it. I know this is really gross, and breasts are meant to be beautiful. Mine are now however, it's a DEEP secret I live with, and will live with for the rest of my life!

On September 7th, 2010 katielynn310 said:

Thats my worst hot spot too! That and my face. I also pick at my arms, and my legs a little bit here and there. But my breasts and face by far. Its all of those pores... and the fact that I have large ones make them easily accessible. Its really difficult... trying to be sexy when being intimate is nearly impossible when Im trying to hide my breasts all the time. It also worries me... if I ever have kids, will I be able to breast feed?? My nipples are severely distorted as well. The areolas, I mean. Scarred to all hell.

On July 2nd, 2010 Maddsc15 said:

I believe i began picking the inner sides of the thumbs since as long as i can remember, then i started picking my heels. These are where i most frequently pick, and i bleed when i pick my thumbs. I also bite the skin off my lips and the insides of my mouth where I can also begin to bleed. Then it got to the bottoms of my big toes. Later on I began lightly scratching or rubbing my nose, cheeks, and forehead and rubbing my fingers together to get the skin off. Then it got to my back and shoulders a couple years ago where there are now lots of little blisters. Finally, I began rubbing my thumbs against my palms and fingers to get the little flakes of skin off. I also have a frequent habit of tearing off my fingernails when they get too long (by my standard) and digging out anything that may make them seem or dirty which is mainly just the skin from rubbing and scratching.

For information on the skin picking disorder (Dermatillomania), symptoms, causes and treatment methods, get the Complete Guide to Skin Picking Disorders.