Struggling with Hair and Skin Picking

What helped for me when I felt the need to bite my nails or I would scratch or rub my skin to where I would have scabs is I got fake nails so I won't bite them and I also wear rings so when I'm feeling stressed or my anxiety is bugging me I can just twist the rings instead of rubbing or scratching at my skin

The adderall insight is so good to have 😳 I appreciate you all so much.

I used to compulsively pick at the skin on my face but it’s definitely gotten better since my acne went away. Now I’ve become an ingrown hair plucker. I’ll sit there and pluck ingrown hairs on my legs for hours without realizing how much time has passed.

Yes! I've done this my entire life. It was a constant issue when I was a kid, but it was easier to deal with as I got older. I didn't feel the compulsion to rip any of my hair out nearly as strongly or as often. As I got older though, I realized it was a response to stress, just not always acute stress. I went a long time without pulling out my eyelashes until I had a bald spot, but when my mother came to stay with me for four days, it massively disrupted me routine and oh man. All those behaviors and tics and compulsions I thought I'd gotten past came back with a vengeance. My suggestion for when you feel like you can't stop is to consciously stop yourself and watch something funny to distract your brain

I do this all the time!

😥 😭 omg 😱 I thought 💭 I was 😟 a weirdo and only I did picking of my adult 👩 acne and scabs and any skin biting &/Or picking I can do. Not saying nothing bad about anyone else. But; Thank you 🙏 all so much. On here I’m starting to understand myself a bit more each and everyday. ✌️ ❤️

For me it's a compulsion. Since I was a kid I would pick at the skin on my scalp so I'd always have really gross scabs all over my head. It only stopped when I started covering my hair 24/7 with scarves or hats. But now I mostly pick at acne on my face and shoulders. My therapist told me to set timers so once I get the urge to pick I have to wait 5 minutes before I actually do it and then slowly increase the time.

I agree with @beingnotseeming!

For me it’s a form of stimming so I try and replace it with a healthier one when I can. I’m also making an effort to be more conscious of what I’m doing and I’ve made a little bit of progress that way.

I feel this!! I have a problem with plucking my hairs out incessantly to the point where I’ll get sores. I have to put my tweezers in a super inconvenient spot like in the kitchen or keep them in a roommates room and have to ask for them. My sister also pull out hair from her head and she does it a lot less when she has her nails done bc it’s harder to get to the root

Adderall has made me pick my skin but able to do my job! Ugh!

I obsessively pick skin, bite things, bite the skin off my lips, or even pick at scabs. I do it mainly when I’m getting frustrated that I can’t focus

Yessss Adderall and Vyvanse made nail biting/skin picking/hair pulling way more frequent for me. Having a simple skin, nail, and hair routine makes me less likely to do those things since I put in effort to make myself look nice and I don't like to mess it up

Yep! I've struggled with nail biting in the past and I used to pull off my mascara. I still struggle with skin picking. I think it is a stimulation thing but it definitely comes and goes in terms of severity. For me it often coincides most with stress, even if I'm not aware that I'm stressed.

I think it might be away to just satisfy the need for stimulation. You probably feel a need to do something, or feel something. It may also be anxiety, or excessive energy that needs to find away to find relief.