Dermatillomania: what is it and how is it dangerous for acne?

Dermatillomania: causes

Dermatologists note that this problem is more common in people diagnosed with acne. In this case, picking at the skin may be associated with complexes and the desire to quickly get rid of the hated rashes. Unfortunately, it only gets worse.

Not the least role in this is played by filters, Photoshop, Instagram masks, which create in people a false idea of ​​ideal skin not as healthy, but as completely smooth, devoid of any flaws, irregularities and not subject to age-related changes.

Some experts consider neurotic excoriation to be a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Others suggest distinguishing them according to this principle:

• if scratching the skin is a way to relieve anxiety, then it can be classified as an obsessive-compulsive behavior;
• if the action is associated with the very need to scratch the skin, then this should be considered dermatillomania.

Despite the fact that a person may be fully aware of the harm he is causing to himself, he cannot stop. Many compare the state to a trance.

There is also a hereditary connection. In addition to genetic predisposition, depression, eating disorder, dysmorphophobia, psychological trauma, chronic stress or other forms of addiction can provoke uncontrolled skin trauma.

How to stop popping pimples?

Someone may have a reasonable question: what about manual cleaning? Yes, such a technique exists. It is not the most effective, but sometimes there are indications for it. But cosmetologists learn this skill on purpose.

It can help you get rid of the habit of squeezing pimples - psychology. Try to see if the carrot and stick method works for you. For example, for succumbing to the temptation to pick your face, you are given 20 squats or 10 push-ups as punishment, and if you managed it and didn’t press anything, then reward yourself with a trip to the movies.

Another effective way is deferment. If, walking past the mirror, you feel an irresistible desire to get rid of the inflammatory element, tell yourself that you will do this no earlier than in 5 minutes. Most likely you will get distracted and forget about it. Every day, increase the delay time by another 5 minutes.

Dermatillomania: symptoms

In itself, squeezing pimples* is not a sign of a mental disorder. Although it’s still not worth doing this. The symptoms here are similar to addiction. The person cannot stop, then there is a short period of relief, followed by guilt, discomfort and the cycle starts again.

You should be wary if31:

• it interferes with daily activities;
• makes you avoid social contacts;
• you have to wear closed clothes to cover scars or fresh marks;
• pimples*, crusts or any other formations on the skin are perceived as something foreign and incorrect, which should be gotten rid of immediately, regardless of the consequences;
• you have already made repeated attempts to stop, but in vain.

Most often, the pathology occurs in girls 16-24 years old.31

For the smart girl

How to stop crushing pimples for a girl who knows how to think with her head and does not live by emotions? Of course, she needs to explain what causes such a skin defect.

Pimples appear for a variety of reasons:

• Hormonal disorders (often observed during menstruation, pregnancy, adolescence, during treatment with certain drugs, but can also appear with diseases of the thyroid gland, pancreas and other organs).
• Weakened immunity (caused by poor diet, stress, past illnesses, increased physical activity).
• Poor quality or unsuitable cosmetics.
• Improper facial hygiene.
• Hereditary predisposition.
• A number of diseases of internal organs.

A pimple can be compared to the tip of an iceberg. It is only the visible part of the health problem, and everything else is hidden inside the body. A smart girl doesn't need to look for ways to stop squeezing pimples on her face. The psychology of a wise person lies in the words: “Why do you need an impeccable appearance if you don’t have health?” Therefore, a smart girl will go to the doctor, undergo an examination and the prescribed course of treatment. This will definitely improve the condition of the skin and eliminate the need to injure it by squeezing out pimples. If you don't belong to this category of girls, read on.

Dermatillomania: treatment

The main questions for dermatillomania are: which doctor to see, how to deal with the obsessive desire to squeeze pimples* and how to get rid of the consequences of such actions in the form of scars.

As with any addiction, the main thing is to admit that there is a problem. Next, you should work with a psychologist. Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven itself well. Medications are prescribed as a last resort. More often they are necessary if the disorder is accompanied by other mental illnesses.

It is also worth contacting a dermatologist. He will select medications (topical or systemic) for rashes and care products for problem skin.

One of the drugs used for mild to moderate acne is Azelik® gel. It should be applied 2 times a day to clean, dry skin.5

Cosmetic procedures will help improve the condition of the skin and remove scars.

What cosmetologists say: “Suppuration of the soft tissues of the face is one of the mildest consequences”

Elena Markovskaya

practicing cosmetologist, trainer-teacher

– How harmful is it to squeeze out pimples and what happens to the skin at this moment?

– Squeezing pimples is definitely harmful. If we incorrectly calculate the force of pressure and pressure, swelling may appear. Long nails can easily injure your skin.

Another problem is that people often start squeezing a pimple when it is not yet ripe and ready for squeezing, and thereby further aggravate the process.

There is also the following phenomenon: a pimple appears in the same place. This is most likely due to the fact that you once tried to squeeze it out on your own and injured the mouth of the sebaceous follicle - and now it is difficult for sebum to come out there.

Therefore, if you remove a pimple, then only have a specialist.

What to read on the topic: Is acne forever? Can acne appear at age 30? Dermatologist answers popular questions about acne

– Is it safe to squeeze a pimple?

– Yes, a specialist who has certain skills can. But the problem is that people often try to solve the problem on their own. And there are always those who have, are, and will be squeezing their own pimples.

They do this at home, in the elevator near the mirror, some even on public transport - often with dirty hands. Therefore, in order to somehow prevent serious consequences, we suggest following at least the simplest disinfection measures.

I myself often ask clients to wash their hands and face once they are about to squeeze out pimples, but this still definitely will not reduce the harm.

-What about purges? Is this necessary if you don’t want to crush your own pimples?

– I have been working with problem skin for about 11 years, and when people come to me with a problem of acne (acne), classical cleansing is actually indicated for 2 out of 10 people. Facial cleansing does not cure the skin, it is simply necessary at some stage in the treatment acne.

But I repeat: squeezing will not get rid of acne - on the contrary, all this can also aggravate the inflammatory process. Therefore, at the initial stage you need to contact a cosmetologist and choose your optimal set of measures.

The most important thing is to start treatment at the level as soon as you feel that there is a red area with swelling and pain, and not wait until the pimple matures.

By the way, facial cleansing is not done at all in Europe - this is common only in the post-Soviet space. Therefore, you need to avoid the stereotype that every time a pimple appears, you must clean your face. First of all, you need to take proper care of your face.

– What can I do to make acne go away faster, and how can I reduce its number?

– There are a lot of drugs specialized for local use. These are both store-bought and pharmacy drugs that can quickly stop the inflammatory process.

But you shouldn’t abuse all your favorite antibiotic-based spot treatments - they become addictive, and they are not suitable as monotherapy for acne.

You need to understand that acne is a chronic disease, and we try to put our patient into stable remission. And it is very important that a person understands what triggers provoke inflammation in him. This may be stress, decreased immunity, the presence of a chronic source of infection, abuse of the sun, oils, nourishing creams, nutrition.

Nutrition is a completely separate topic: with acne, it plays a leading role. If you have rashes, it is advisable not to eat foods with a high glycemic index and be sure to eat three times a day without snacks to avoid insulin spikes, and drink only water between meals.

When we eat simple carbohydrates or foods with a simple glycemic index, our blood sugar levels rise sharply and the pancreas begins to produce insulin. And because of it, the level of androgens immediately rises, which regulate everything related to sebum. If there are a lot of them, there will be rashes.

There are also drug-induced acne from certain groups of drugs: B vitamins, iodine, some antidepressants. Acne can also appear due to inadequate care: both too good and lack thereof, due to hormonal imbalance. There are many possibilities: for example, if acne appears around the mouth, it could simply be a reaction to fluoride paste.

Home care is very important: many people come for cleaning, but home care is not corrected. And it will be such a vicious circle - you need to start with self-care. It's like with teeth: you go to the dentist, but the health of your teeth depends more on taking care of them at home.

– Is it true that there is an area on the face – the nasolabial triangle – where squeezing out pimples is life-threatening?

– As a cosmetologist, I ask you not to touch inflammation on the face in general, but especially in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle. Many will say that they squeezed out pimples in this area a thousand times and everything was fine, and this will be true. But sometimes it happens differently - and this is already supervised by maxillofacial surgery doctors.

The danger of squeezing out pimples in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle is due to the complexity of the topographic anatomy of the vessels in this area.

– What are the most unpleasant consequences of squeezing pimples?

– Maceration (swelling and wrinkling of the dermis. – Ed.), hematomas, post-traumatic pigmentation may appear on the skin.

Suppuration of the soft tissues of the face is one of the lesser evils. Or thrombosis of the cavernous sinus may also occur - and this is the most terrible diagnosis that you can receive due to a squeezed pimple.

Stress management

There are situations in life that make you very worried and worried. This could be waiting for an important call, exam period, a quarrel with a loved one, separation, dismissal from work, refusal at an interview, major financial losses and many others. Some people, being stressed or depressed, start drinking a lot, others start eating, and still others start squeezing pimples on their bodies.

It should be said that these are very serious psychological reasons. How to stop popping pimples for a girl who is under stress? There is no need to explain to her about the dangers of squeezing, no need to hide mirrors from her or tie her hands behind her back. This requires the help of a psychologist and the support of loved ones. The doctor can conduct psychotherapeutic sessions with her and prescribe sedatives. The task of friends and relatives is to distract the girl from sad thoughts. You can invite her to a movie or a party, organize a trip for her, or engage her in some event.

Advice for those who wish themselves happiness

A girl who really wants her appearance to become impeccable is unlikely to think about how to stop squeezing pimples on her face, because she doesn’t do it. Instead of execution on herself, she is looking for information on how to make her skin free of any defects. Masters of beauty salons who perform dozens of facial cleansing procedures can help her make her dream come true. But even without their participation, a girl who wishes herself happiness will try to put her appearance in order at home with the help of scrubs, masks, cleansing milk, gels and other products made from natural products. Antibacterial ointments “Levomekol”, syntomycin emulsion and others, which must be carefully applied only to pimples that appear, are effective.

Result

The consequences of assault on the face and other parts of the body bring even more defects than pimples, such as:

• Small red dots on the body,
• possible expression of streptoderma;
• scar formation;
• skin infection;
• pathology of hair follicles;
• the appearance of purulent formations.

The appearance of the mentioned defective areas is due to the habit of squeezing out pimples and cavities with serous fluid for any reason. To get rid of such a harmful way of eliminating acne, you need to find a reason to distance yourself from it. The most important thing is that you will have to rely only on your help. Moreover, eradication of an old habit is best achieved by acquiring a new one, preferably a better one.

True, a person is still making progress in the opposite direction, which also negatively affects his moral and physical health. You will have to exert your willpower, which is not produced on its own, and allow a new useful habit to form. Perhaps do things differently. Find the reason why they started picking at the tumors. In any case, you have to work on yourself. Let's look at some techniques to get rid of the weakness of squeezing pimples.

Recommendations

The subconscious mind remembers all actions, starting from our birth in the womb. With its help, you can remember the reason that prompted you to squeeze out pimples and purulent cavities. The result will tell you where it all started, the very first source of nervousness. To do this you will need a pen and a sheet of paper. We need to remember what our brain was telling us at that moment. Of course, the latter is not suitable for being watched, but it’s worth a try. Perhaps solving this problem will allow you to stop squeezing acne on your body and lead to other unexpected discoveries.

For those who are not interested in their own digging, we suggest you read, or re-read, the information about the dangers of independent mechanical removal of growths. Remember that the pus coming out of the wound affects neighboring hair follicles and begins to infect a healthy follicle. The consequences that will appear after you try to get rid of them seem much more serious and deplorable. Scars, ulcers that do not heal for a long time, remaining pigment spots. Removal in the area of ​​the eye sockets leads to acute diffuse purulent inflammation and blindness.

Still don’t know how to stop squeezing pimples? If you wish, you can improve any everyday monotonous activity; this also removes unnecessary thoughts, for example, about acne breakouts. When washing the dishes, cleaning the apartment or embroidering, you need to comment out loud on your every action. It roughly looks like this: I wash the front side of the plate, turn it over, wash the back side of the plate, set it aside, take the next plate. And so on until you wash, in this case, all the dishes. Speaking out the manipulations will allow you to stop the flow of obsessive thoughts, temporarily forget, or calmly tolerate the red balls that have chosen your cheeks and back.

Supporters of physical improvement of healthy skin are recommended to prepare a medicinal compress, a cosmetic mask from the infusion of pharmaceutical camilla, medicinal calendula flowers, and other plants that have an anti-inflammatory effect.

It is advisable to discuss the use of ointments and liniments with your doctor; perhaps he will tell you how to wean yourself from squeezing pimples.

Nuances

The use of psychological techniques will give the desired result only in conjunction with the rules of skin care.

For example:

• avoid excessive moistening, drying, or hypothermia of damaged areas;
• Beware of direct sunlight;
• replace soap with soft hypoallergenic foam, cosmetic milk;
• makeup not removed before a night's rest causes damage that is also difficult to repair;
• take vitamin complexes saturated with nicotinic, folic acids, cyanocobalamin, which have a beneficial effect;
• temporarily exclude fatty, salty, pickled foods from your daily diet, stick to a diet of pale-colored plant foods;
• alcoholic, carbonated, sweet drinks should be temporarily forgotten;
• When cleansing your face, use neutral gels and foams with the addition of organic oils;
• Avoid using foundation powder, it clogs pores and the openings of the sebaceous holocrine glands;
• if the desire to squeeze out the pustules is overwhelming, it is necessary to perform an operation using a sterile napkin, antiseptic, and alcohol.

It should be remembered that strong psychological stress and experiences also do not impart beauty, which makes it difficult to wean yourself from putting your hands on the acne area. Fresh air without car exhaust saturates the body with oxygen and improves cellular metabolism.

Pharmacy cosmetics

Pharmacy cosmetics help to activate the cellular metabolism of damaged areas - spot-on creams, dispersive micellar aqueous solutions. The best of their kind are Bioderma, Avene.

The latter is a leader in the fight against acne and small pustular rashes, and contains some essential acids. The products remove makeup, maintain moisture balance, remove redness, and form a barrier to external influences. Regular use of medications will reduce the number of rashes, which will eliminate the habit of picking formations.

Advice for punctual people

There are girls who are never late for anything. They pack their purse and prepare their clothes in the evening, get up at six in the morning to have time to drink a cup of coffee, and leave the house two hours before the start of work or school. Psychologists say that punctuality is in their blood. For such girls, we can recommend a simple method that will force them to stop squeezing pimples on their face. How? Invite them to create a squeeze schedule. Let them calmly destroy the unfortunate pimple, but only one. And let them prescribe the squeezing out of the second one, say, in half an hour. The third - in an hour, the fourth - in two hours, the fifth - in four. The time between executions should gradually increase. The moment will come when the interval will be a day, two, three.

Knight's move

The method proposed above does not answer the question of how to stop squeezing pimples on your hands. You don't need a mirror for this, because you can see your hands without it. You may have noticed that our methods are becoming more complex from point to point. In this case, we recommend cutting the girl’s nails very short. Without them, squeezing turns into squeezing the skin. This process brings pain, but the unfortunate pimple remains unharmed. The girl will not receive any moral satisfaction from such procedures, so she will be forced to leave her occupation.

My light, mirror, be silent!

The two methods described above on how to stop squeezing pimples are effective only for responsible girls. Irresponsible people will violate the schedule, and for this they will receive only punishment. For such persons there is another way. It is extremely effective, but only works if the girl does not live alone. Anyone who shares living space with her (husband, mother, girlfriend, etc.) should simply remove all mirrors from the house.

Even from the bathroom. Even from a girl's makeup bag. Such an assistant must have enormous willpower and passionately wish the girl well, because she will most likely cause a big scandal for violating human rights. She can be allowed to look in the mirror when she gets ready for school or work. But she should do this only in the presence of an assistant.