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savethebees , 21 Oct 2015

Lip Picking & Cheek Biting

Okay, so I didn't know anything about dermatillomania or other BFBDs until about 20 minutes ago. I read a post on this website where a girl told her story and how she copes with her lip picking. I felt like I could've written the post myself. I often find myself compulsively picking at the skin on my lips. Sometimes I don't realize I'm doing it until someone tells me to stop. And the feeling I get when someone says "um...your lip is bleeding" or "stop that!" or "doesn't that hurt???" is terrible. When I start picking, I feel like I will not be satisfied until all the skin on my lips is gone. Also, when someone tells me to stop, I may for a moment, but then I start back a minute later because I just physically cannot resist the urge to pick. Its a very weird feeling, because even though it hurts to pull the skin off, it feels good to satisfy the urge. Someone posted on here that they feel weird about the fact that they feel pleasure, in a way, by picking their lips, which I relate to. Unlike the other stories I read, I also often bite the side of cheeks in the same way I pick the skin on my lips. All the same feelings I associate with lip picking are associated with biting my cheeks. The fact that none of the posts I read mentioned it scared me at first but then I read an article that said biting the inside of the cheek is a compulsive disorder like lip picking. These two behaviors are a daily habit; I pick my lip or bite my cheeks just as sure as I brush my teeth. Less frequently I find myself picking at the skin around my fingernails but that is less of a compulsive behavior, considering I can usually stop when someone tells me to. I also used to bite and pick at my nails before I got braces, which pretty much made it impossible to bite them. The only time I can stop myself from picking my lip or the skin around my fingernails is when I have false fingernails because the acrylic layer gets in the way of the process. Other people said this was something they too see as a temporary solution to their problem, but the urge to pick is still there and the behavior can start back after the barrier (in the case the fake fingernails) is removed. Basically, I said all this to really say that I didn't know that this is an issue other people experience until today. It feels good knowing there are other people who can relate to me and perhaps give me some ideas to stop the behaviors. So, I would love to read other people's stories about their experience with dermatillomania or other BFBDs as well as any suggestions you may have for me.

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