Skin picking (also known as excoriation disorder or dermatillomania) refers to excessive, recurrent picking of skin that results in sores, lesion and possibly infections. The most common sites are the arms, face and hands, but other body areas could be involved.
People with this disorder often make multiple attempts to stop or decrease picking and many experience significant distress in relationships and at work; they feel out of control, guilty, embarrassed and ashamed about their behaviour.
Sometimes these feelings prevent people from seeking help. For some people, picking behaviour seems to be quite automatic while others report a pattern of tension followed by relief related to the picking behaviour. This disorder most often first appears in adolescents and, if untreated, continues on a chronic course with some ups and downs in severity.
