I have dermatillomania and because of it if feel ugly.
I have had this skin picking disorder since the age of 11 and never taken any notice of it until it got really bad. I've got blackheads literally all over my body and I cane never stop. It's more like an obsession.
I can never wear a plain t shirt and always have my hair down just to hide the marks on my body.
This has definitely affected myself esteem and my mental health. I've never had the courage to tell anybody and my parents think it's acne but it's much more.
Over the years I've tried several treatments from my dermatologist but the marks have never shown any signs of improvement.
Any advice?
I can never wear a plain t shirt and always have my hair down just to hide the marks on my body.
This has definitely affected myself esteem and my mental health. I've never had the courage to tell anybody and my parents think it's acne but it's much more.
Over the years I've tried several treatments from my dermatologist but the marks have never shown any signs of improvement.
Any advice?
I totally understand how you feel - I don't suffer from dermatillomania but I have trichotillomania; when I was younger I thought that my urges and behaviour was wrong and because of my lack of hair I felt ugly. But I hope you realise that BFRBs like trichotillomania and dermatillomania are actually a lot more common than you think - apparently it is estimated that about 2-3% of the western population have it!
Either way, this picking behaviour is not your fault. Please don't feel too bad, it's natural for people to have urges over different things. Being ashamed will only make it carry on - I kept it a secret for YEARS (from the age of 7-16 I pretended that the hair "was just falling out") and nothing came of that - I kept relapsing and I felt horrible. Now, I've been going to CBT (a kind of therapy provided by the NHS) and in a short amount of time my picking has reduced... it hasn't stopped, but it's getting to the point where hair is growing back in the patches where I was pulling! CBT may not be 100% effective, but... I think it will be worth talking to your parents so they can support you and help you, and maybe you can get CBT too. Honestly having my parents' support makes me feel so much less ashamed of it...
But one piece of advice: Mayb before just straight-out telling them "I pick at my skin", maybe explain to them what dermatillomania is, then remind them of the skin troubles you have been having, THEN tell them that those skin problems were to do with dermatillomania... That worked for me, so I hope if you decide to tell them that this works for you too!!
I hope you get better, and honestly no matter how many marks are on your face that doesn't mean you are ugly. Good luck, and I'm going to be here if you want to ask me anything else!
Either way, this picking behaviour is not your fault. Please don't feel too bad, it's natural for people to have urges over different things. Being ashamed will only make it carry on - I kept it a secret for YEARS (from the age of 7-16 I pretended that the hair "was just falling out") and nothing came of that - I kept relapsing and I felt horrible. Now, I've been going to CBT (a kind of therapy provided by the NHS) and in a short amount of time my picking has reduced... it hasn't stopped, but it's getting to the point where hair is growing back in the patches where I was pulling! CBT may not be 100% effective, but... I think it will be worth talking to your parents so they can support you and help you, and maybe you can get CBT too. Honestly having my parents' support makes me feel so much less ashamed of it...
But one piece of advice: Mayb before just straight-out telling them "I pick at my skin", maybe explain to them what dermatillomania is, then remind them of the skin troubles you have been having, THEN tell them that those skin problems were to do with dermatillomania... That worked for me, so I hope if you decide to tell them that this works for you too!!
I hope you get better, and honestly no matter how many marks are on your face that doesn't mean you are ugly. Good luck, and I'm going to be here if you want to ask me anything else!
