Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Does Addiction Cause Skin Picking?Drugs that Cause Skin PickingRisks and ComplicationsTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Does Addiction Cause Skin Picking?
Drugs that Cause Skin Picking
Risks and Complications
Treatment
Prevention
Skin picking occurs when a person repeatedly picks at their skin, causing damage to the tissue. Wounding, lesions, infection, and scarring can all occur as a result of skin picking. A person may pick their skin with their fingernails or use tools like tweezers. They may or may not be aware of their behavior.
This article identifies which drugs cause skin picking, what complications can arise from skin picking due to drug use, what treatments are available, and how to prevent skin picking.
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Substance Use Disorder and Skin Picking: What’s the Link?
Several similarities between skin picking and substance use disorders (addictions) have been demonstrated, including:
Misuse of certain drugs can result in skin picking as well. This is because some drugs, including both recreational (or illicit) drugs and prescription drugs, cause skin picking as a side effect.
What Is Dermatillomania and How Common Is It?Dermatillomania is the formal term for skin-picking disorder—a mental illness in the same category as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with dermatillomania repeatedly pick at their skin, which leads to damage to the skin including sometimes the soft tissue below it.Skin-picking disorder is not very common with an estimated 2%-5% of people experiencing it in their lifetime.But skin picking due to drug use is much more difficult to estimate as not everyone who engages in this behavior as a result of drug use will seek support or treatment.
What Is Dermatillomania and How Common Is It?
Dermatillomania is the formal term for skin-picking disorder—a mental illness in the same category as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with dermatillomania repeatedly pick at their skin, which leads to damage to the skin including sometimes the soft tissue below it.Skin-picking disorder is not very common with an estimated 2%-5% of people experiencing it in their lifetime.But skin picking due to drug use is much more difficult to estimate as not everyone who engages in this behavior as a result of drug use will seek support or treatment.
Dermatillomania is the formal term for skin-picking disorder—a mental illness in the same category as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with dermatillomania repeatedly pick at their skin, which leads to damage to the skin including sometimes the soft tissue below it.
Skin-picking disorder is not very common with an estimated 2%-5% of people experiencing it in their lifetime.But skin picking due to drug use is much more difficult to estimate as not everyone who engages in this behavior as a result of drug use will seek support or treatment.
Note that skin picking as a symptom of drug use is different from skin picking due to a mental disorder.
Skin-picking disorder is known asexcoriationor dermatillomania, and it is a mental disorder on its own—not just something that happens because of drug use. In fact, some medications may help reduce the urge to pick the skin. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can also help you learn how to stop skin-picking.
Methamphetamines
Ongoing methamphetamine use, particularly methamphetamine-inducedpsychosis, can cause a neurological symptom in which the user feels the sensation of bugs crawling on or under the skin (also known as “meth mites”).This sensation is clinically referred to as “formication.”
Someone experiencing formication may engage in chronic skin picking to the point of causing skin ulcers, which often scar. A lack of hygiene paired with compromised immunity from methamphetamine use puts the person at increased risk of skin infection.
Crystal Meth Causes Severe Heart Damage
Cocaine
Cocaine use, particularly cocaine-induced psychosis, can also cause the sensation of bugs crawling on or under the skin (also known as “coke bugs” or formication).
Formication due to cocaine use and other drugs is clinically explained as a delusion of parasitosis, the false belief that one is infected with a parasite or other non-visible organisms.
Heroin
Heroin use releases histamines in the body—leading to feelings of extreme itchiness.A person using heroin may scratch excessively.
Scratching doesn’t stop the release of histamines, so a person may scratch themselves until and after sores or scabs form.
Infectious Diseases
Prescription Medicines
Some prescription medications can cause skin picking as a side effect. A common example is stimulant medications used forattention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) treatment.Amphetamine prescription medications, which are different than methamphetamines, also work on the dopamine pathway and can cause skin picking.
Examples of amphetamine stimulant medications for ADHD include:
If prescription medications are causing skin picking, it’s important to tell your healthcare provider. They can safely adjust your dose or work with you to find a different type of medication that treats ADHD symptoms without causing skin picking.
What to Do if You or Someone You Know is Struggling With AddictionSome tips if you or a loved one are struggling with drug addiction include:Acknowledge there is a problem.Avoid being judgemental of yourself or others.Seek or offer support.Expect some challenges in recovery (including the desire to use again).Offer yourself or a loved one lots of encouragement and praise for changed behavior (big and small changes).Have a plan to cope with temptations (e.g., avoid people, places, and things where drug use is normalized).
What to Do if You or Someone You Know is Struggling With Addiction
Some tips if you or a loved one are struggling with drug addiction include:Acknowledge there is a problem.Avoid being judgemental of yourself or others.Seek or offer support.Expect some challenges in recovery (including the desire to use again).Offer yourself or a loved one lots of encouragement and praise for changed behavior (big and small changes).Have a plan to cope with temptations (e.g., avoid people, places, and things where drug use is normalized).
Some tips if you or a loved one are struggling with drug addiction include:
Risks and Complications of Skin Picking
Skin picking is not without consequence. There are mental, social, and physical effects associated with chronic skin picking.
Psychological and social effects of skin picking include:
Physical effects of skin picking include:
How to Identify and Treat an Infected Cut
When to See a Healthcare ProviderIf skin picking is due to drug use and/or misuse, seeing your healthcare provider is necessary to find the right support and treatment.Other signs it’s time to talk to your healthcare provider include when your skin picking is causing distress and feelings of shame or embarrassment, or you don’t know why you’ve started and can’t stop skin picking. A healthcare provider can offer you specific treatment options.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If skin picking is due to drug use and/or misuse, seeing your healthcare provider is necessary to find the right support and treatment.Other signs it’s time to talk to your healthcare provider include when your skin picking is causing distress and feelings of shame or embarrassment, or you don’t know why you’ve started and can’t stop skin picking. A healthcare provider can offer you specific treatment options.
If skin picking is due to drug use and/or misuse, seeing your healthcare provider is necessary to find the right support and treatment.
Other signs it’s time to talk to your healthcare provider include when your skin picking is causing distress and feelings of shame or embarrassment, or you don’t know why you’ve started and can’t stop skin picking. A healthcare provider can offer you specific treatment options.
Treatment for skin picking will depend on the cause. Treatment for physical effects of skin picking may include directly treating infection with antibiotics. Extensive skin damage may require skin grafting to repair damage.
Prescription Medications
Some prescription medications like antidepressants and anticonvulsants may help resolve symptoms leading to or causing skin picking.
These medications work in different ways to adjust brain chemicals associated with skin picking behavior. You and your healthcare provider can discuss which, if any, may be appropriate in your situation depending on the cause of skin picking.
Therapy
Several forms of therapy may be used in the treatment of skin picking. Different therapies for skin picking include:
What Is a Skin Tear?
It’s not exactly clear why all the reasons someone may start or have difficulty stopping skin picking. This means skin picking is not always preventable.
Avoiding or stopping using the drugs that cause skin picking is a way to prevent skin picking in the future. Support for combattingsubstance misusethat leads to skin-picking behavior is available.
Substance Misuse SupportIf you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Substance Misuse Support
If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Summary
Treatment for skin picking is available. A healthcare provider can tailor it to the cause, with options including medications to help with symptoms and therapy to help change behavioral patterns that lead to skin picking.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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