Dermatillomania can be hard to talk about. Let's draw about it.
This is a growing collection of art by individuals who have suffered with Skin Picking Disorder.
Acting as a visual portrayal of their journey, these drawings help other sufferers understand they're not alone.
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@elliejoyart, Ellie Joy, 22, Great Britain
"In my experience I have found my dermatillomania to be fuelled by my primary mental illnesses. For years I have been unable to stop my compulsion to pick at myself. An episode can last up to an hour, whereby I will use a torch and tweezers, my fingers and even a scalpel at times to scrutinise my skin and pick until it is red, sore and covered in lesions. The aftermath is shameful, my body is covered in scars from head to toe and leads me to hide away from self loathing at what I have done to my appearance and as I didn’t understand what lead me to these episodes. In my mind it was simply a bad habit that people would regard as disgusting. No matter how many times I would try to stop, I would always come back to my compulsions. Awareness of this condition is still extremely low as it can be misconceived as simply a symptom of a mental illness, yet this is its own disorder which also needs treatment. For me, I find that low self esteem, stress and anxiety are often the main factors that compel me. It’s been suggested that less than a fifth of dermatillomania sufferers actually get the help they need due to embarrassment or the conception that it is untreatable. Sadly mental illnesses are never pretty and can often manifest themselves in our personal appearances, there is no shame in ever seeking help for behaviour in yourself that you recognise as unhealthy." -
@roroleboat, Aurora Green, Alabama
"I wanted to show what life is life with dermatillomania by painting a picture of a thumbs up that has wounds on it. But I'm still going and still fighting to end my battle, hence the thumbs up." -
Lucy G., 31, BC, Canada, 10/11.2021
"Keep your chin held high little critter, beauty is more than skin deep.
Sometimes it can be hard to show yourself the kindness you show others. Look in your eyes in the mirror and talk to yourself like you would your closest friend. I'm so glad I found this foundation, it's helped me a lot with my confidence." -
@kbpaintsco, Kaitlyn Atkins, 23, Illinois -
@megan_white_art, Megan White, 17, Ireland, 10.2021
"One of the Inktober prompts this year was 'Pick', and this was the first thing I thought of. I didn't realise that this was a thing so many other people struggled with, I didn't realise that this was a recognised thing at all.
It's so cool that awareness is being brought to this, I hope it helps people!" -
@ffsm8, Lotu Ili, 24, Afghanistan
" This is my representation of skin picking. I personally never picked skin from my face but read that so many people had done it and thought it would reach and resonate with a wider range of people and came up with this final piece." -
@slimejellomold, Yule Gullak, 26, Hayward, CA
"This was an Inktober prompt, 'pick', and of course being someone who struggles a lot with picking, I felt like I had to choose it as it was close to my heart.
I wanted to emphasize the vulnerability to it and all the marks it leaves." -
@lophandcrafted, Aurora Shuttleworth, 24, Cape Town, South Africa
"This was an Inktober prompt, 'pick', and of course being someone who struggles a lot with picking, I felt like I had to choose it as it was close to my heart.
I wanted to emphasize the vulnerability to it and all the marks it leaves."
