Discussions

My teenager picks their face constantly and it's resulted in scars and large abrasions all over the face . Has anyone else ever dealt with this or does anyone have any suggestions

is she/he anxious? That is one sign of anxiety.

Have concerns about that. He does it without thinking...reading a book, watching tv etc..

I don't even think about it, but it gets worse when I have stuff on my mind that I don't realize I'm thinking about or when I'm super stressed. My mom usually tells me to quit when I'm doing it cause I don't realize I'm even doing it.

Try to tell him and he gets mad and tells us to go away

It could be some sort of Obsessive Complusive disorder. Talk to your family doctor!

This is fairly common and there doesn't necessarily have to be something wrong with him to do it. It's similar to nail biting, some just do it and some don't. It's a habit and you don't notice it while doing it. I can see how telling him he's doing it could be upsetting because it's not something he is consciously doing. The trick is to find something he can do with his hands. Maybe a stress ball or something else to keep him busy. Not much else that can be done.

To me like it's something called Trichotillomania. Look it up - it's extremely common. I know someone that pulls their hair... it can be bad but if I remember correctly 1 in 4 people have some aspect of it.

Picking is an obsessive compulsive disorder. It has different severities if he's picking causing abrasions then it may be worth it to see a doctor.

I do this as well .  
I have Anxiety and Depression.  
My Psychiatrist told me it can be a form of Self Harm.  
Trying to release pain.  
Once you start picking at a spot it's very hard to stop.  
As soon as your Anxiety or Stress increases you automatically start without even thinking about it.  
It helps to have Stress Balls near by . Cut your finger nails very short .  
Keep your hands busy.

I have a simple (and inexpensive) solution to this possibly very simple issue.  
 
If the picking is accompanied by acne or possibly a just a lot of pimples that are quite visible, he might simply just not want to have them visible, but want to pop them and then have issues with continuing to try to get rid of it once it bleeds or whatever. It then becomes complicated and embarrassing (thus pointing it out to him & him getting mad). This leads to more self-conscienceness (I so very much think I spelled this wrong), which leads to repetition of the same awful torturous thing. He is caught in a depressing, embarrassing, seemingly never ending circle.  
 
My question: What does he use to wash his face?  
 
I would like to suggest that he try grapeseed oil or almond oil on his face at night. Like dissolves like, they say, and if he uses either of these extremely skin friendly oils, those scabs will come off gently with nothing to pick at by the next morning and after about a week of his face possibly getting worse (a transition time), it will most certainly get better.  
 
Please try this first over going to get help & trying to "fix" him as some have suggested. That can stress more than possibly necessary and could possibly make things worse. Nobody likes anyone "fixing" them. I know that I would have rather gone this route first when younger (if I was aware of this option then) than doing what everyone else has suggested.  
 
Edited by Flutterby, 2017-03-13 21:08:44

I pick my fingers to the point of pain and bleeding. It happens more when I'm stressed. If I keep my hands hydrated so there's less "cracks" to pick at that helps. So maybe getting the acne fixed might reduce the picking. If I have a spot to pick at, I'll do it. I can't stop myself. He'll need to recognize the issue and then figure out some strategies to fix it himself. It's not easy.