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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"This painted hand represents my personal experience with skin picking. The red area shows the pain and damage. I use my right hand to write and draw, so it’s painful to hold a pen — but painting still feels soothing, a way to express what I can’t always say in words." - @jiayan_116, Jane Tang, 21, Tokyo -
"I made this piece by drawing a basic portrait, cutting up shapes from origami paper and sticking them on with paint. The idea is kind of that you pick off the cut-outs (which represent the pimple or imperfection), leaving you with the paint (blood) underneath." - Olive C., 15 -
"I put a lot of myself into this drawing. Not only because it graphically shows the impact of dermatillomania, but also because the creative process involved a kind of hyper-focus. It's the same feeling as when a crisis is triggered. You have to zoom in to see those little details, those little rough edges, that others can barely see with the naked eye, but which take up so much space for us.I call it "Lampeaux" (the mixture of "flaps" and "skin"), because in French, there's no single word for "Flap".
If this drawing is shared, I'd like it to be shared with the zooms.
Thank you very much." - @epo_mine, Eponine Magnan, 25, France -
"My daughter drew this, I have suffered with skin picking disorder for years and she truly understands how it affects me. - Lily Bee, Supporter, 11, Britain -
- @kcniv_arual, Laura Mitchell, 31, MO -
My dots and spots, a little piece highlighting my struggles with Dermatillomania that I drew in my dorm today. - @liak418, Lee Kirwan, 18, PA -
I painted this in 2019 and put it in a small local art show, titled "Consequences". Everyone assumed that it was about domestic abuse, and I had way too much shame surrounding my nose picking to correct them, then more shame to allow them to believe it was that. I'm proud of this piece, but even now, it's extremely difficult for me to share it with my name and its actual meaning. - Sedona, 24, Oregon -
- @shiny.shoebox.shop, Rachel P., 18, Iowa
