Hangnails are among one of the most irritating cosmetic problems, and those who frequently have them can’t be blamed for ripping them off.
Small pieces of torn skin, which appear next to a nail, often get caught in clothing and jewelry, and can look unsightly.
But now skin experts are warning that a constant desire to peel off your skin may be a sign of a recognized mental health condition.
The repeated urge to scratch one’s own skin is the telltale sign of a condition called dermatillomania, a little-known type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to the official definition.
In a clip posted to TikTok, Los Angeles-based podiatrist Dr. Dana Brems showed her 2.3 million followers what the condition looks like using a video of a person picking their own finger.
Doctors can diagnose the disorder when someone itches “even to the point of causing damage or injury.”
“The exact cause is not fully understood, but stress and anxiety can exacerbate symptoms,” she wrote in a caption.
The publication generated almost 200 comments, mostly from users who identified with the habit.
“In today’s episode of things I didn’t know the name of and that I have,” wrote a young woman named @anxiousshadoww on TikTok.
“I have that and my hands hurt,” another wrote, while one woman identified scratching her skin as a “coping mechanism since I was a child.”
Dermatillomania is believed to affect up to five percent of the American population at some point in their lives, about 16 million people, according to estimates by the Cleveland Clinic.
Dermatillomania is also known as picking or picking disorder, according to medical literature.
Although it is considered a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, there are key differences.
For example, skin problems are not always accompanied by obsessive thoughts, and people with OCD do not usually injure themselves intentionally.
A key element of dermatillomania is the relentlessness of the picking, to the point that it begins to interfere with daily life either due to injury or stress.
There are two types of skin picking in dermatillomania, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Whether automatic – which one orIt often happens without the person thinking about it or concentrating, which is when time is spent on the habit. Concentrated pecking is more associated with injuries.
This can leave patients vulnerable to potentially serious infections and affects work, social life and other daily activities, according to the International OCD Foundation.
The condition primarily affects women and those suffering from anxiety, studies show, and can be triggered by major life traumas.
Fortunately, research shows that treatment can be effective in relieving the habit. This includes specific types of cognitive behavioral therapy and SSRI antidepressants, the same type used to treat anxiety disorders.