samhillrecords - I'm sorry I do not have an answer for you - I personally do not know how to even begin the journey of changing/stopping. It has been with me for so long -- since the late 1990's. To me -- I see real issues with my skin -- real items needing to be messed with - pimples, etc... that must come out. I often wonder what is wrong with me - wrong with my skin that at age 36 I am still fighting pimples and how I envy those with such smooth skin and wonder what it must be like to wear a tank top in public. I wonder what it must feel like to have skin that you don't feel -- because I feel mine all the time and it's heavy. I think to myself how it must never occur to those people - those with pristine untouched skin that they take for granted - never occur to them an alternate universe consisting of hours in front of the mirror and strategically placed tweezers in your pocket, in your car, at work and at home... I haven't a clue how to stop and it is such a part of me -- I feel it is not possible - I can't imagine the beauty of a life w/o picking.

Hi squishyfish. Thanks for relying to my post, and to the other person who left a message for me. So far at least, today has been the first day in many MANY years that I haven't picked my skin. I just wanted to see if I could do it for one day. Even took a bath and didn't mess with it there either (miracle! That's the hardest place for me because the hot water turns the blemishes on my legs into whiteheads that NEED to be picked). It's such a relief to know there are people here who actually understand this insane compulsion to flatten my skin. Sometimes I feel crazy for not being able to stop. My friends and family say "Leave it alone" when they see me do it. My face looks like the night sky, full of constellations. My ex thinks I've been doing meth. No! I just haven't been able to leave this alone! So ashamed. So deeply embarrassed.
Please share with me strategies you all have used to keep your hands/tweezers away from skin blemishes. I hope to report tomorrow that I made it a whole 24 hours. Wouldn't that be something? I know that every time I pray or breathe instead of following the urge to pick, that I'll get better at THAT habit; the habit of pausing and breathing through the impulse. I have hope that eventually I'll get so good at the habit of cherishing my skin (rather than abusing it) that it won't even occur to me anymore. Has anyone had that experience?
Thanks for reading this scary, shameful secret; no longer a secret. Time to come out and live in the light.

Hello everyone. I have something to say. I do understand you, we all live the same life. But something wonderful is happening to me and of course I need to share with you. I'm getting cured. I found a cure and it seems that this nightmare is getting over. Now I can go outside showing my arms and I feel so free.

Dermatillomania is a psychiatric desease and it's a psychiatrist we have to look for. Find the best one you can find, pay whatever they cost.

I've been treated by one of the bests here in Brazil for 5 years. Medication is what we need. We've tried many medications until we found the right ones. I won't say what I take because each one of us react differently to the different medications.

I've noticed that when I'm taking them I don't feel like scratching, I can perfectly control myself. But if I'm negligent and don't provide them before they finish, if I don't buy them, everything comes back and it's a hell again.

You know, if I'll have to take them my whole life, I don't mind at all, because it's extremely worth it, I can be a normal person now. Trust me, find the best psychiatrist, be patient and don't give up. Never.