I have done this for a very long time. Stopped for a long time, and then restarted about six months ago. I pick my arms, my legs, stomach, anywhere there is a bump I have to try and remove it. I am so disgusted with myself and every day I promise I will not pick and end up picking worst than the day befoe. I have over 50 open sores on my body right now. What am I going to do??? This obsessive/compulsive behavior is driving me crazy. I tried Prozac but it made me too sleepy, so now I am just trying not to obsess over it.
So many areas are the same way. Please lets try and keep in touch!!!

Your story sounds just like mine. I am here if you ever need to talk. I will pray for you.

I relate totally to both of you. Meghan- your story reflects mine so closely....it gave me chills to read. I have found the best med combo for me has been 200 mgs of zoloft, 300 Wellbutrin, and 3mg @ night of Xanax. Yes, its a lot....but it keeps me in check long enough to realize the damage I do to myself. I was in denial throughout my entire teenage life, and the scary part was that I actually believed my own denial. I would go to dermatologists looking for a rare infectious disease that was causing my skin to develop "holes." I am not sure when I woke up, but it has been a long road, and sometimes I shift my compulsive behavior from picking to eating or trying to "control" my teenager's life, to cleaning obsessively, to smoking, you name it. I think the key is us all uniting. Knowing we aren't alone and we can change is the best medicine available. Message me either of you if you ever need a friend to talk to. Hugs and Prayers, pickedon (aka Laura)

This is me! Im so happy othe rpeopkle diot it too i feel so relive di dont descuss it with anyone else but iv always done it and its got worse as iv had adult worries depresion ocd bulimia ect im lookik g forward to swapping support xxx

Prozac is really helping me. I'm on 60 mg. Initially it screwed up my sleep schedule (took naps during the day, woke up at dawn) but my body got used to it after about a month. I also try to make sure the lighting in my bathroom is kind of dim.

Today I signed up to be a member on this website, a website I’m hoping will help me get through and overcome Dermatillomania. Tonight I was sitting in my room, bbming to a friend who was having fun and actually enjoying a social life, she asked me to come out but I kept making excuses and couldn’t bring myself to put on clothes and have a conversation and interact with her friends. I've never had a relationship, never been intimate with anyone, and because of my Dermatillomania I'm scared that I will never find anyone to love me. I've had Dermatillomania for about ten years now, and have wanted to stop for some time but can never seem to keep my hands away from my skin. I'm ashamed and self conscious to speak to anyone directly and I hate going out in public unless I have to, my family doesn’t know about my condition, and my parents have constantly criticized the way that I look, either commenting about on my scars, or my weight, and have grown up hearing rude comments about my appearance my entire life from relatives, family friends, kids at school, and people I don’t even know but are friends of my parents, and because of this I have no self esteem, and no self worth. I have huge pigmented blotches on the area around my mouth from peeling my skin after a fraxel laser skin resurfacing treatment which ironically I did the procedure in the first place to clear up my acne scars that I had picked which turned into brown ugly noticeable spots, but after the procedure I found myself peeling at the skin which made my face even worse to the point where the area around my entire mouth was completely black, so then I had to purchase more skin treatments to get rid of the injury that I had self inflicted. The area around my mouth now is still dark and you can see the outline of where I had picked but it’s not as worse as before, but still I hate how I look, I hate myself and I cry almost every week because I wish I was never born. So not only did I ruin my face, but I spent thousands of dollars on treatments and products that barely improved my skin. I have a close friend who I can confide in, and she confides in me, but over the years she’s made new friends, and has been seeing someone for five years now and I know that I have to learn how to share her but… I don’t know how, and I don’t want to. I’m sad because she’s found someone, and I feel that because of my Dermatillomania I will never get that chance, or find someone who understands enough to accept me. I’M JUST SO TIRED OF FEELING THIS WAY!

Take care,
Olivia

P.S I'm here for anyone who needs support so please feel free to add me :)

I completely understand Olivia. This secret is horrible. I am 34 years old and have been picking since about 10 yrs old. I am very t ired of it. I am married- there are good guys out there that will accept you for you. The only bad part is that my husband cares so much, I know what I do hurts him deeply. I have run the entire gammet of "procedures' and am not a stranger to fraxel etc. In more recent years, I have dug dime/nickel size (in diameter) holes about 5-6mm deep in my chin. My entire chin is hard and itchy (due to it "overhealing" and generating too much collegan). Right now I am dealing with a small spot (smaller than an eraser's head in diameter, but as deep as a pencil eraser.) I know I have damaged and scarred myself and still cannot stop. Sometimes I go on streaks of doing well. Then I self medicate hoping i will die or at least ease the pain... Then I pick again. So, I totally get it.