Amazing 15 Treatments for Dermatillomania

The dermatillomania is also known as compulsive skin picking. It is a mental illness wherein the person feels a very strong urge to pick at their skin to the point of damaging it. Some of the most common causes of dermatillomania include skin picking causes the person considerable issues at work, school, or in his or her social life, or other regular activities; the picking and tissue damage results in significant distress for the individual engaging in skin picking behavior; compulsive and frequent picking at the skin to the point of causing tissue damage.

Also, is common for people with dermatillomania to have some mental disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, or depression. But, people with dermatillomania do not necessarily have to suffer from underlying skin problems to feel the urge to pick. There are different factors that could lead to dermatillomania, such as trauma (sometimes a single, very traumatic event can trigger the onset of the condition), stress (there are some studies in which are said that the cause for dermatillomania can be life stressors that result in anxiety that the person copes with by skin picking) and genetics (people who have a parent or sibling with excoriation disorder or other related disorder are having more chances to develop this condition).

You need to talk with your doctor if you suffer from dermatillomania, before you use some of the below-mentioned home remedies, so you will avoid possible side effects from them. Here are some natural treatments for dermatillomania:

Natural Treatments For Dermatillomania: Art Therapy

Art therapy can be used in the natural treatment of dermatillomania. Art therapy opens doors that might otherwise remain closed for anyone looking to discover the root cause of their self–destructive behavior. The art therapy program allows people to openly express their fears, disappointments, frustrations, and hopes honestly and without self–censorship.

Time Yourself

You can time yourself picking, so you will stop picking your face. Many people start messing with their faces when they wash their faces. You should set a time for five minutes, so you will be more mindful of how much time you are actually spending touching your face and in the bathroom.

ACT

Many health professionals are using ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) which is a type of mindfulness-based CBT. In this therapy, the person accepts the stress and anxieties which can trigger the behavior and them commits to refraining from the picking behavior.

Know Your Triggers

There are different reasons why could lead to picking your skin, such as simply looking or feeling your skin, you have blemishes, you have negative emotions or you are bored or you have itchiness. The first step of deciding which treatment you should start is usually when you understand your triggers.

If the cause for your dermatillomania is a skin condition, such as itch or acne, then you should see a dermatologist. If the dermatillomania is triggered by anxiety, depression, or more of an urge, then you should talk with a mental health professional with expertise in skin picking.

Set Alternate Time to Pick

When you set a specific time when you allow yourself to pick your skin, then you make it easier for you to practice delaying, because you know that you are allowed to pick another time. If you set nighttime, which is usually hard for many people, then it has been useful to practice delaying the response at night, so you will avoid picking your face. When you wake up in the morning, then delay the picking for another time, and over time, you will avoid it and you will rid of the dermatillomania.

Essential Oil

Essential oils and aromatherapy have many health benefits for all people. Aromatherapy is used since ancient times when Egyptians added essential oils to their baths and on their skins topically. It has been proven that smelling fragrances can help with cognitive imbalance, emotional and physical problems. Essential oils are the best first–hand essential oils and they can help you a lot in your mental health. You can try aromatherapy because it will relax your mind and you will not have the urge to pick your skin.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This is a structured type of psychotherapy that aims to produce healthier behaviors and beliefs by identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. There is a specialized type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is developed for dermatillomania. This type of cognitive-behavioral therapy are included more of the stimulus control techniques, as well as habit reversal training, in which people are taught to engage in harmless motor behavior for one minute when triggered to pick.

In many clinical trials is shown that skin picking for cognitive behavioral therapy can be extremely effective. But, this is different from other types of cognitive-behavioral therapy, so you will need to work with a therapist who is trained in treating dermatillomania.

Make It Harder to Pick

Stimulus control is one simple strategy to reduce the dermatillomania and it involves changing your environment to make it harder to pick. Examples of this technique include making the skin more difficult to access by wearing tight-fitting clothing or long – sleeve shirts, wearing gloves at times when you are most likely to pick, and keeping your nails short.

Also, you can try distracting your hands with any number of items, including tangle toys, fidgets, stress balls, and silly putty. When you will find the item that is working well for you, then you should be sure to have one everywhere you spend time, such as your work or your home. Put one in your bag, so you will be fully covered.

Delay

You should tell yourself when you are trying to pick, not now, but later. In this way, you will learn to respond to the urge of picking your skin.

Recognizing Challenge with Going to Bed

For many people, it is difficult to go to bed, because this is the time when they are more vulnerable to picking urges. When you recognize it, then this will help you to address the time with more intention and find successful strategies.

Take Care of Your Nails

Many people have problems when they pick their skin due to their nails because they can cause cuts and wounds on the skin. You can use fake nails, so you will notice that you will not harm your skin as much as before. You might still pick your face, but you will not cause as much harm as before. Also, you can cut your nails with clippers as short as you can, so this can help to treat the dermatillomania.

NAC Supplement

This is a natural supplement that you can take as a natural treatment for dermatillomania. Many people have noticed that after they have started taking it on daily basis, their urges and impulses were drastically reduced. Maybe the dermatillomania will not go completely at first, but you will notice that you will sleep more nights without touching your face. Usually, the NAC supplement is taken on a daily basis, but you should talk with your doctor about the recommended dosage.

Support Group

You can join to support group because they can help you to deal better with the dermatillomania. Many people have found relief when they have joined in a support group because in this way they were distracting their time to something else and not picking their skin.

Cuprum

This is a homeopathic remedy used for the treatment of dermatillomania because it can treat fear, restlessness, and anxiety, which are common triggers for dermatillomania.

Skin Care

You should look for your skin, as you look for other parts of your body. You can pick many natural treatments which can help your skin to have a great appearance. This can help to prevent touching your skin, so you will improve your dermatillomania in a shorter and better way.

Peel an Orange

Peeling orange can be a good time for your dermatillomania. You will not pick your skin. Instead, you will peel the orange.

Belladonna

This is a homeopathic remedy that can help in the natural treatment of dermatillomania. It is derived from the herbaceous tomato plant family. It has been used for centuries for its anti-inflammatory, muscle-relaxing, and pain-relieving properties. It can block some of the functions of the body’s nervous system and it is used for skin picking where the behavior is related to sensory overload.

References:

1. List of Strategies for Skin – Picking. https://www.bfrb.org/learn-about-bfrbs/treatment/self-help/127-rs-list-of-strategies-for-skin-picking-49-im-using-42-i-could-tryc.
2. 5 Ways to Treat and Manage Dermatillomania [Skin Picking]. https://www.rose-minded.com/post/5-ways-to-treat-and-manage-dermatillomania-skin-picking. Published May 1, 2019
3. Dermatillomania: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments. https://www.healthyplace.com/ocd-related-disorders/excoriation-skin-picking-disorder/dermatillomania-symptoms-causes-treatments. Published May 21, 2019
4. Dermatillomania (Skin Picking). https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/conditions/dermatillomania-skin-picking.
5. What is Dermatillomania? https://luxury.rehabs.com/impulse-control-disorders/dermatillomania/ .
6. HOW TO DIAGNOSE DERMATILLOMANIA. https://www.skinpick.com/node/3711. Published August 4, 2019
7. DERMATILLOMANIA. https://www.letserasethestigma.com/dermatillomania.
8. Dermatillomania – Skin Picking Disorder Treatment Program Los Angeles. https://www.kickfear.com/dermatillomania-skin-picking-treatment.html. Published September 11, 2017