Compulsive Skin Picking – How to Stop In a Few Days

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Admin

How to Stop Compulsive Skin Picking

A combination of biological, environmental and psychological factors may lead to compulsive skin picking disorder. This disorder is commonly seen in people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). If you observe carefully, nearly 25% of people suffering from OCD also suffer from CSP (compulsive skin picking). Isn’t this amazing statistic?

Common Causes of Compulsive Skin Picking

  • Stress, anxiety
  • Depression
  • Trauma, specially in childhood – quarreling parents, abusive father, divorce of parents, being ridiculed at school, punishment or scolding by teachers etc
  • Heredity factors
  • Chemical imbalances in brain
  • If someone is too excited, nervous, or even bored
  • Sedentary lifestyle – if you are idle and lead sedentary lifestyle

You should treat compulsive skin picking as early as possible. Because the disorder will get worse as time passes! The intensity increases. You will dig into your skin more. You will destroy the layers of skin. Click here for the cure.

Major Problem – Lack of Information About Compulsive Skin Picking

One of the major problems is lack of awareness. People are not aware this disorder exists. Even in today’s world, there isn’t sufficient awareness for this problem. Even though this disorder is no longer without a name ( dermatillomania ), still there is very little awareness.

It is difficult to find treatment providers. The information regarding compulsive skin picking is not available freely. It is hard to find an experienced doctor to treat this disorder. So where do you go for help?

Thankfully, with the advent of internet, we have so much information at our disposal. We can find information on any topic. So, we have got resources and help to stop compulsive skin picking disorder.

Important Points to Stop Skin Picking:

  1. Staying positive – try to get rid of internal doubts. Affirmations and visualization can be helpful for this.
  2. Enlisting the support of someone close to you – friends, parents etc. They should give you support and encouragement because it is so difficult to always stay positive and determined on your own.
  3. Keep your hands busy with something so that you don’t indulge in this habit.  You can develop some useful habits like cooking, knitting, writing or typing. Or else you can buy stress balls and hold them in your hand whenever you feel stressed and might indulge in skin picking.
  4. Learn to manage stress. Learn relaxation and meditation. Also learn to manage pressure at workplace or any other area of your life. Read – how to handle pressure

There are self-help resources available online to cure this habit. You can find many alternative methods of curing this disorder, ranging from natural methods, cognitive therapy, medicine, behavior therapy etc.

Compulsive Skin Picking Secrets – Video Program Below

Below is an image, if you click on it, you will be taken to another website which shows you how to stop skin picking habit. This website introduces a detailed video program to teach you secrets of overcoming the disorder forever!

compulsive skin pickingGrab this breakthrough product to treat compulsive skin picking  permanently. Click the image to go to the website.

Posted in Skin Picking | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Skin Picking Case Study of 17 Year Old Teen

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Admin

Today, let us another short case-study of skin picking patient. Kindly note that the name is changed for the sake of privacy.

JP is a normal 17 year old teen. He used to stare for long time in the mirror, checking out every pore on his face so that he could pick on it. The obsession grew from the face to the whole body and the problem got worse with time. As the problem grew worse, JP could not wear short-sleeve shirts because of the scars, blemishes and scabs on his skin. He began to show signs of depression.

However, he didn’t become hopeless about the situation. He tried to find out solutions to end this embarrassing problem. He looked for other people who had similar problem. He searched on internet to find a possible solution to this problem.

Helpful Tips from the Teen Skin Picker
Given below are some tips he shares with others who have the same problem of compulsive skin picking:

1. Most teenagers begin picking because they want to get rid of pimples, acne or pores on the skin. Realize that picking is not the answer and might even worsen the problem instead of solving it. However there are other ways to care for the skin like applying moisturizing cream and other natural remedies which can help in getting rid on pimples, blackhead etc without damaging the skin.

2. He even suggests removing the mirrors of the house if they serve as a trigger to the problem. However, this might seem a little bit extreme sort of advice. What I suggest is to reduce spending the time looking at yourself in the mirror. Avoid minutely inspecting tiny pores etc on the face or body.

3. Wear cotton gloves in order to avoid damaging the skin.

4. Try to keep your hands busy with something like solving a puzzle etc. I have mentioned some other ideas to keep hands busy, which you can find here – Stop skin picking by keeping hands busy

5. See a dermatologist or any skin specialist if you have persistent skin problems.

6. Try to replace the picking behavior with some less dangerous alternative. For example, you can keep a soft stress-ball handy with you. Whenever you feel the urge to pick skin, just squeeze the ball to keep your hands occupied.

At times when you don’t have the ball in your hand, you can try this – clench your fists for a few seconds and release. Repeat this several times till the urge to pick fades away.

The Gentle Way to Eliminate This Disorder

Finally, you can try listening to subliminal CD everyday for a few weeks in order to reduce and cut off the habit of compulsive skin picking. This is the latest in modern therapies. Check out details here – Stop skin picking

Note this is a gentle and easy way to get rid of this habit. It can really prove effective and you can see results within a few days or weeks. Try it out once.

Posted in Skin Picking | Leave a comment

Skin Picking and Depression – 3 Case Studies

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Admin

skin picking and depressionUsually people who suffer from OCD also suffer from depression. The depression might range from mild to severe. There are hundreds of examples of people who have some sort of OCD or the other and also have been on antidepressants. Most of the OCD people also have issues with self-esteem.

Below let us see some real stories shared by skin picking sufferers who have also experienced depression multiple times in their lives. Kindly note that names or other details of patients are withheld for privacy reasons.

One skin picking patient reveals that she had been on antidepression medication for almost 5 long years. The medication were not helping her with the depression, but they were making her more prone to pick skin. Isn’t that totally sad to hear? Besides that, the medication seemed to be causing her dizzy feelings.

Another patient relates her story that whenever she picks skin she feels a sense of relief. But when she looks in the mirror and realizes what she has done to herself, she becomes all the more depressed and feels like crying. This behavior probably led her to depression for which she had to take medication many times. Her experience with depression medication was that she sometimes indulged in skin picking less when she was on medication. But at other times, the compulsive skin picking increased while on medication.

Then there is another patient for whom depression had been building up from many months due to which her CSP problem became too high. As a result of this, she started avoiding her friends and had to resort to taking depression medicine when she couldn’t stand it any longer.

So, looking at the above 3 case studies, it makes one wonder whether depression leads to skin picking or skin picking leads to depression or both increase the chances of the other. I am not sure which comes first in majority of patients but my conclusion is the third one (both disorders increasing the other), as is clearly evident from the above 3 examples.

Find out how you can reduce skin picking within few weeks by listening to subliminal CD everyday – Click here for more information

Posted in Skin Picking | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Causes Skin Picking in Different People

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Admin

skin picking image

Skin Picking Triggers and Causes:
1. Many skin pickers indulge in this habit when they are bored or idle. Most of them do it while being sedentary like while watching  TV, chatting over phone, reading a book etc.

2. Most skin pickers indulge in the habit when they are alone and no one is there to stop them.

3. For some people, when stress in their life goes up, so does skin picking. Picking at their skin seems to provide momentary comfort to them. They seem to enter into a trance-like state of bliss and peace while picking their skin. In such cases, it is easy to understand why it becomes an addiction with people even when they know that they are severely damaging their skin.

4. Most of the time it is fear which is behind all this. When you learn to deal with fear calmly, without feeling panic, you will have taken a huge step forward for curing this disease.

6. Some people start out in order to improve an area of their skin or remove a pimple. But it may soon develop into a compulsive disorder over time.

7. Interestingly, a large percentage of skin pickers were picked on by other people when they were small. They were either picked on by bullies at school or by perfectionist parents who wanted their kids to look good and would try to remove any pimples or imperfections on their skin.

If you want to treat this problem permanently, I suggest you to check out this program – Stop Picking Secrets

Problems in Treating Skin Picking:
1. The first and foremost problem is that many people do not want to accept that they are suffering from this disorder. Or else, they know they have this disorder but don’t give it due importance. They refuse to accept it as a major problem. Hence they will want to avoid any sort of treatment, until the problem becomes very big.

2. A lot of people feel deep guilt and shame. They are unable to come out and share their disorder with others. They refuse to let even their closest friends or spouse know that they are suffering from this problem. As such, they will not try to get treated for this

3. There is a lack of sufficient information and understanding among general public about this disorder. Skin pickers are unlikely to find many sympathizers or medical professionals who are experienced enough to treat them. Even on internet, there are very few support groups and little information when compared to other subjects.

What needs to be done:
I think more support groups and forums should be present on internet where people can share their stories in complete privacy. People who have undergone therapy and have successfully stopped this habit, can share their experience and guide others who are still struggling with this awful disorder.

Read More Articles –

1. Daily meditation to stop skin picking
2. Keep your hands busy to prevent skin picking

Posted in Skin Picking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ideas to Keep Hands Busy for Skin Picking

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Admin

Increase in Skin Picking Cases:

There seems to be a huge increase in compulsive skin picking cases over the past 30 years. What could be the exact reason for this? Is it because of growing stress in our lives and is it because a lot of people are emotionally disturbed nowadays than before?

The profile of compulsive skin pickers varies from emotionally disturbed individuals to perfectly healthy ones. People may use their hands, fingernails or sharp objects like tweezers etc to pick at their skin.

Various Problems Associated with Skin Picking:

  • People isolate themselves, avoid social situations
  • Avoid company of friends and neighbors
  • People feel embarrassed because of their disorder, they don’t feel like sharing it with others
  • Sufferers may feel deep guilt, shame and might be emotionally disturbed
  • It can lead to depression
  • It can adversely affect relationships
  • Picking can lead to a variety of skin problems
  • Other areas of their life and work may be affected as this disorder becomes their main focus
  • Rashes or pimples may develop on the skin
  • There may be recurrent skin infections
  • Deep scars may develop on the skin
  • Skin may be permanently damaged in many cases, specially if skin pickers used tweezers or sharp objects

Keeping Your Hands Busy to Avoid Picking Skin:
The hands of people suffering from compulsive skin picking might move subconsciously, and many times these people may not be aware of it.  By the time they notice it, their hands are already scratching and piercing their own skin. All this is automatic.

Many times this happens when the person is alone and is sitting like when watching TV or while reading books etc. This can also happen when the person is idle and feeling bored. One of the ways to check this habit is to keep the hands busy. When the hands are busy, it is difficult to indulge in this habit unconsciously.

Some of the ideas to keep your hands busy as much as you can during the day are:

writing for skin picking compulsive skin picking knitting

  • writing
  • typing using both the hands
  • hold stress balls in your hands
  • cooking
  • knitting
  • gardening
  • quilting
  • washing clothes
  • washing the car
  • cleaning the room
  • ironing clothes
  • vacuum cleaning
  • dusting the furniture

How it Helps?
There are many ways to keep your hands busy. If you get into the habit of keeping hands busy as much as possible, you will find that quitting the dreadful habit of compulsive skin picking becomes little bit easier. You will reduce the frequency of skin picking, and ultimately be able to overcome it.

Try to select something which not only keeps your hands busy but is also useful – like cleaning, washing, writing, gardening, cooking etc. These activities may soon develop into hobbies too.If you combine this with daily meditation sessions to reduce stress levels and keep your mind calm, then it could greatly help in finally saying goodbye to the disorder once and for all!

Posted in Skin Picking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

15 Minute Meditation for Compulsive Skin Picking

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Admin

Compulsive skin picking, also known as dermatillomania, is really a weird disorder. Most of us might indulge in mild skin picking sometimes, specially when we are stressed. But this is very light and very rarely done. Serial skin pickers do it a lot more frequently and they damage their own skin.

There are various causes leading to compulsive skin picking. It could be hereditary, due to chemical imbalances in the brain, stress, anxiety, depression etc.  Stress and anxiety are the major causes for vast majority of people to indulge in this behavior. So, in this article, we shall address this issue.

Overcoming Stress and Compulsive Skin Picking

meditation for compulsive skin picking

If your skin picking disorder is stress induced, then you should invest time and effort in learning how to manage your emotions. Learning to relax and handle stress is important, otherwise it might get difficult to stop this dreadful habit.You should learn to remain calm and poised even when faced with pressure and tough situations. It might seem difficult on the surface, but the good news is that you can easily learn to remain calm if you develop the habit of daily meditation.

You don’t need to spend hours in meditation. It is sufficient if you can take out 15 minutes daily. The trick is to do it regularly and consistently. If you can do it regularly, then 15-20 minutes should be enough. However, if you are not consistent or regular, then you might not notice as much benefit from meditation as you should.

First up, let us discuss a few reasons why you should meditate regularly.

Benefits of Meditation

  • Reduces stress and anxiety levels
  • Improves self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Improves memory and alertness
  • Helps in overcoming depression and lifts your moods
  • Makes you calm and poised even in difficult situations

Because meditation can be good for reducing stress levels, it can be great for overcoming compulsive skin picking. Now let us see how you can do meditation for clearing your mind, and developing a sense of calmness by spending just 15 minutes a day.

Repressing stress in any area of your life may not get rid of it. In fact, some people claim that if they try to repress stress, then skin picking habit intensifies even more than before. Here is what one person has to say in this regard – stress and skin picking.This person claims that if he tries to be calm, skin picking intensifies. But I think he is not being calm. He is trying to repress anxiety and stress. That is not the proper way to be calm, and he is facing issues because of it.

So, it is best to learn to deal with stress without getting disturbed. You should also learn how to stay positive. Meditation can be excellent exercise for this!

15 Minute Meditation

1. Sit comfortably on a chair or on the floor with the back against the wall for support.

2. Now just observe how you breathe for 5 minutes. Do not try to control your breathing in any way. Simply be an observer.

3. You might get other thoughts in your mind and may be temporarily distracted. No problem – gently bring your mind back to your breathing.

4. For the next 5 minutes, keep returning your thoughts and mind back to your breathing. In the beginning days, your mind may be easily distracted and your thoughts may wander frequently. But after a few days practice, this should lessen down. So be patient and gentle with yourself.

5. For the last 5 minutes, deepen your breathing. Become aware of your surroundings such as objects near you or sounds. Now your mind it totally focused on the present. It is more aware of the surroundings. You are feeling more calm and relaxed than how you normally feel.

6. If you feel uneasy or unsettled, extend the meditation for another 5 minutes. Keep sitting and breathing deeply till you feel relaxed and calm. Notice your breathing in detail. Focus on your body and any strong sensations you feel.

7. After the 15-20 minutes are up, you can end the meditation session. If you have done it properly, you should be feeling calmer than before. With daily practice, your skills can improve and you may notice a big difference in how you handle everyday life situations. You may not get disturbed easily and have better control over your emotions. This is a great skill everybody should possess.

How Meditation Helps to Stop Skin Picking

Meditation is an excellent remedy for stress. It helps in clearing our mind from negative thoughts, improves our concentration and focus. If you are nervous of your upcoming exams, meeting or have a busy schedule, then it will be difficult to calm your nerves. Nervousness and anxiety are main culprits behind compulsive skin picking behavior. With daily meditations, you might find yourself feeling relaxed in same situations which used to cause you extreme anxiety earlier.

So, by spending just 15 minutes daily, you can be able to overcome or at least reduce your skin picking habit. I recommend doing meditation even for those people who have skin picking habit due to other factors instead of stress.

Even if your skin picking behavior is not induced because of stress or anxiety, still you might find daily meditation helpful in overcoming the habit. At the same time, you may notice improvements in other areas of your life too!

Finally, I would like to end this article by pointing to a video program designed specifically for overcoming skin picking. By clicking on the link provided below, you will be taken to that website where you can learn about secrets and strategies to put an end to your problem of compulsive skin picking.

Here is the website link, click on it – Skin Picking Secrets Program

Other Related Articles -You might find the below articles helpful:

1. Herbal tea to reduce stress and stop skin picking

2. Aromatherapy for relaxation – learn to relax and manage your emotions so that you don’t have to indulge in skin picking

3. Breathing exercises and skin picking – Find out the benefits of proper breathing

4. Affirmations for Overcoming Skin Picking

Posted in Skin Picking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment