Skin picking, also known as excoriation or dermatillomania, is a condition in which a person has recurrent and irresistible urges to pick at healthy skin, minor skin irregularities (e.g., pimples or calluses), lesions, or scabs. Chronic and repeated skin picking may lead to skin lesions and scars, as well as anxiety and sad mood.
Treatment for skin picking involves becoming more self-aware of the triggers and conditions surrounding the skin-picking behavior, learning techniques for tolerating distress and negative emotions that may lead to skin picking, and learning to substitute another motion or behavior when feeling the urge to pick. Therapy also involves working with the individual to create conditions that make skin picking more difficult, and increasing their self-awareness so they can more easily recognize when they are having an urge to pick.
Skin picking is classified as a type of Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). It may include focused picking, meaning the person is aware of the behavior, and automatic picking, meaning the person is picking without much conscious awareness. Automatic picking often takes place in sedentary and solitary situations (e.g., watching TV alone).
For more information about BFRBs go to https://www.bfrb.org/