When I was younger, I would pick my face. It wasn’t until I was in college that I gave it up for good. I started seeing an esthetician named Gohar for microdermabrasion to minimize the scars he had from facial scratching and then took preventative measures for breakouts. This changed my relationship with the way I took care of my skin. But what I didn’t understand or think about was why I chose my face in the first place.
So, on a beauty assignment at Dangene The Institute of Skinovation, I told the esthetician that I couldn’t tell her why I did it. I explained that it didn’t fit my personality: I’m type A, disgusted with germs (I’m that girl on a flight who used to sanitize the tray table, before we really needed it), and hyper-conscious about good hygiene. and tag her. She then told me that because of this aspiration for perfection, there was a sense of need and satisfaction to immediately smooth skin. At that moment, it all made sense.
Of course, my trip is different from the others. Moving forward, we spoke with New York-licensed psychologist Sanam Hafeez and board-certified dermatologist Michele Farber to understand the many reasons people choose their faces.
One of the reasons you may occasionally scratch or scratch your skin is a healing wound or acne lesion. As they may feel itchy or sore, and this is often a normal response to irritation. Hafeez says that he can even be driven by satisfaction. For example, he explains that some people say they feel a bit satisfied when they spot a lump and feel like popping it on their own. Another common reason for collecting is due to concentration. “Sometimes people make choices while they are deeply focused on other tasks, like watching TV, reading, driving, or at their desks,” says Hafeez.
However, Farber says it can be associated with anxiety and OCD when people pick excessively, cause scarring or infection from picking, spend a significant amount of time picking, or feel compelled to remove skin blemishes. “Plucking/pulling at skin or hair is problematic when it becomes a source of stress or anxiety relief,” he says. Hafeez adds that we are all prone to face pinching. The biggest differentiator is the feelings associated with the habit. Although in many cases people can have significant acne, it is also common for people to scratch when there are very few lesions. A psychological disorder is associated with a compulsion to grab and throw away that can cause significant disruption in one’s life.
Read on to learn ways to stop picking your face with some great expert advice.