Good Looks
Are you a skinorexic?
Does this scenario sound familiar: You’re looking into a magnifying mirror. You think your pores look huge and dirty. And you start to squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze. The next day there’s a scab, a lump that hurts to the touch, and no doubt some regret.
Elena Rubin has seen this play out before. At least once a week, the holistic Soho facialist gets an email from a client—usually with the word “help” in the subject line, she says. Half-jokingly, Rubin refers to the condition—which can vary from mild to extreme—as “skinorexia,” a tendency to pick at imperfections where none really exist. “We all get pimples, but these clients can’t leave them alone,” she says.
This behavior is surprisingly common, and afflicts up to one-third of the population, mostly women in their teens, 20s and 30s, says Hadley King, MD, a dermatologist with Day Cosmetics Laser & Comprehensive Dermatology.
Dermatologists Wechsler (left) and King
Called dermatillomania or acne excoriée des jeunes filles (loosely translated as “acne scratching by girls”), pore tampering is rooted in psychology—but inflicts its trauma on the skin, often the face. Young patients with OCD, anxiety, or depression are particularly susceptible. But anyone can fall prey, says Dr. King, adding that picking offers a form of seratonin relief.
Amy Weschler, MD, a New York City dermatologist and psychiatrist, addresses this issue in her book, The Mind-Beauty Connection. Part of Dr. Weschler’s prescription? Asking patients why they touch their faces—and tossing their magnifying mirrors.
Skin-picking is a symptom of underlying emotional issues, not bad skin, says Dr. King. And if it’s habitual, it requires both a dermatologist and a psychologist for treatment.
Rubin has seen the long-term effects of acne excoriée. “Long after the pimples are gone, the skin’s still left looking lax, pitted, and uneven,” she says. The tragedy? There was likely nothing wrong with their skin to begin with. —Jean Tang
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[...] you guilty? Well&Good NYC proposes this scenario – “You’re looking into a magnifying mirror. You think your pores [...]
This is why I will NOT buy another magnifying mirror ever again. It only leads to compulsive behavior and hours of my life I’ll never get back.
ugh! This is my life every day. I’ve been trying to stop for a while now-but it’s something I enjoy doing. Although it NEVER helps my acne
I’m glad I read this blurb. I can relate and it was nice to read that I’m not alone in this compulsion. I forwarded it to some friends and was surprised by how many of my friends can relate as well.
Awareness is the first step! Good thing there are some cool docs out there working with this issue.
Thanks!
[...] I pick! I prod! I make a barely visible spot into a red, very visible and oozy pimple! I especially tend to do this when I get nervous, which always means that I’m wrecking my face at the worst possible moment. Then I go [...]
[...] I pick! I prod! I make a barely visible spot into a red, very visible and oozy pimple! I especially tend to do this when I get nervous, which always means that I’m wrecking my face at the worst possible moment. Then I go [...]
This is so me. I thought I was alone, my arms now look worse its true I suffer from depression and sometimes when im nervouse I start to pick at it till I bleed. I really need help. I sometimed wear long sleeves but that doesnt work :(
MY 15 YR OLD DAUGHTER PICKS HER FOREHEAD AND HER PACK REALLY BAD… I NEED HELP, DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!
I have this problem, and I don’t know how to stop. The
problem is all over my body from head to toe. Please tell me what I can do to stop. =(
Once a Stunningly, Beautiful, Young Woman.
Now I understand the truth behind my agonizing, uncontrolable picking of my face, chest and arms that have left me scarred for life. Emotionally distressed and depressed (bad relationship & business partner) I had become an OCD disaster. I blamed it on everything else: alleries, acne etc. But I was the only one responsible for my picking, and secretly it felt good. A seratoinin rush for sure! Finally have regained my self esteem & am recapturing my beauty & my life. I have kicked the Habit!
I am 56 and I have picked my skin all my life. One of the freaky things is that only my parents and one or two close friends ever told me to stop picking. It makes me feel invisible and conspicuous at the same time. I have always thought sexual abuse that started when I was extremely young was the cause. I still can’t control it but I don’t get pimples
much anymore so it’s not as devastating.
Wow I never knew so many people are affected. I always feel so alone in this. I started picking my arms when I started high school and now I’m 31. I do suffer from depression and anxiety although I have never been treated for either. I totally pick when I’m nervous or stressed out and it does give me some sense of relieve. I hate always having to cover up my arms but I cant stop picking. I feel like my scars are so bad, there is no way my skin will ever look normal again. I feel like I cant live a normal life. Im very limited in what I can wear and I don’t go certain places if I know I will have to expose my secret. I love summer and the beach but I can’t even enjoy it. I wish I could get the help I need but I can’t afford it. Please Help!
While I thank you for calling attention to the issue, there is no such thing as “skinorexia.” that is a faddish, ridiculous name that implies the condition is closely related to anorexia nervosa. The two have very little in common, other than being body focused dosorders. The name is dermatillomania, or compulsive skin picking. It is closely related to trichotillomania, compulsive hair pulling. Skinorexia is a misleading name, and I would appreciate it if you would make this correction. Fox News also recently used this misnomer. I wonder if they read your article.
[...] I pick! I prod! I make a barely visible spot into a red, very visible and oozy pimple! I especially tend to do this when I get nervous, which always means that I’m wrecking my face at the worst possible moment. Then I go [...]
Looking at the responses above, the problem is more widespread than I thought. How sad.
I see this happen in all age groups. It is a hard thing to stop doing however as I tell my clients when you leave it alone it will heal faster. I think it happens frequently because you want it gone…now. Unfortunate
I see this happen in all age groups. It is a hard thing to stop doing however as I tell my clients when you leave it alone it will heal faster. I think it happens frequently because you want it gone…now. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.
[...] I pick! I prod! I make a barely visible spot into a red, very visible and oozy pimple! I especially tend to do this when I get nervous, which always means that I’m wrecking my face at the worst possible moment. Then I go [...]
[...] alone. More than 1/3 of the population, mostly women in their teens, 20s and 30s are guilty of being habitual pickers. What does all this picking lead to? Picking at your scabs, pimples and ingrown hairs can cause [...]
Never, never and ever touch, pick or squeeze your blemishes, regardless of how temping and “safe” it may seem. When you do this, you make your acne worse by aggravating your existing inflammation and pushing the puss deeper and wider into the skin. There are in fact very effective and safe ways of dealing with small whiteheads or blackheads but I would strongly recommend leaving that to the professionals if you care for your skin and wish to prevent further scarring.Hope this helps :)