When you can’t stop picking your face. August 2021 at OLEANDER AESTHETICS

Hello all!

We're all guilty squeezing at one time or another!  Popping a big, juicy pimple can sometimes be too hard to resist, and it is normal for people to occasionally pluck, pick and squeeze their skin.

But for some people this behavior is indicative of a mental issue, and the excessive picking begins to cause scarring, infection, disfigurement… and worst of all, excess shame and humiliation.

For anyone with this problem, the embarrassment and emotional pain their skin causes them can be overwhelming. People with this disorder tend to try to hide the effects of their picking.
This illness is called Dermatillomania and there are thousands (perhaps millions) of people out there who suffer in silence. They meet these criteria:

• Picking happens on any part of the body or in a combination of places.
• Picking is usually preceded by an intense urge to fix the spot. The urge becomes the focus of attention until relief is found by acting on the urge.
• The picking often happens in a trance-like state and in severe cases, a person can spend several hours a day performing the actions associated with trying to smooth out or remove all the problem spots.
• The picking is almost always followed by a feeling of guilt, shame and regret about the damage done to the skin.
• The picker cannot help themselves from continuing this destructive behavior.

See you soon,
-Emma at OLEANDER AESTHETICS