Picking at others

[smooth]

It's embarrassing to admit, but I even pick the scabs of my husband!
If I see a dark, black scab or feel something hard like a pimple or scab on his back, I just dig in and pick it.
Of course, he hates this and makes jokes about how I always "make him bleed". I know this is nasty, and I often try very hard to control myself, but I just get nervous and anxious. I'll even wait until he falls asleep so I can get the job done.
I'm not sure where and when this habit began. I used to compulsively bite my fingernails all through school (I'm now in my 40's), but a few years ago, I conquered that compulsion. I do know that my mother is a picker.
She always has open sores on her arms from picking the same scabs over and over.
I find it repulsive to watch, and if I make any comment to her, she blows it off with some kind of excuse about it (like it just happened). Still, I can't seem to stop the urge to do it myself. I've even found myself picking off "ripe" scabs from my children!
Has anyone else ever experienced this? Advice?!
Thank you --
Need to feel smooth

[fcarea]

I have. Well, I haven't actually picked at other people, but I've had the urge to. Sometimes I see people with tones of easily "popable" blackheads and/or pimples on their face and wonder how they can look at themselves without giving it and popping them. That is, at least, the way I did think before I realized that I did have a real problem. Now I try to leave such blackheads on myself alone the best I can. I'm getting a little bit better at it now, but it's always a struggle!

[anonymousartist]

I remember my mom doing this to other people, and encouraging me to pop pimples (later to hear: "if you'd just stop picking!")

If I see someone with a big white-head I'll wonder how they walk around with that thing. I would probably pop it even if I wasn't a picker.

Recently I asked my sister why she didn't pop a spot on her shoulderblade, and she replied "I tried to!" I probably shouldn't say anything though to make her self-conscious. I'm sure I've done enough damage and I don't want to encourage her the way my mom did me. I've had the urge to pop things on her though.

[erin7star]

LOL i pick at my husband when he lets me! We have literally wrestled because I couldnt get it out of my mind and had to pop it. I even popped a few for my sister and my dad, but they know what I do...
Luckily most of the people I know do not have bad skin or have good enough hygiene to pop them. Granted I have scabs, but that is because I would so never have a whitehead pussy zit on face. I know you arent supposed to pop them, but I mean how can someone look in mirror and see it and not squeeze real fast...I am not meaning like blackheads or small stuff...I have seen people w/ them like right in the middle of their nose or forehead.
Gross...It will drive me crazy if I see one on someone i am close too if i dont say anything or they dont do something about it...Gosh that makes me sound disgusting when put into words..ick.

[coolhandluke]

No, I swear, I think the SAME thing!!!!! I even sometimes think (not SERIOUSLY) about giving people drinks with Tylenol PM in them, so that they'll fall into a deep sleep and I can pop their zits and blackheads. You think YOU'RE obsessed, at least you don't want to put people under! I, too, cannot imagine how someone can walk around with an ounce of pus hanging out of their face; and I've seen people like that who I KNOW (since they're my friends/family) have good hygiene.

In MY rather neurotic opinion, THEY'RE the crazy ones, if they can do that.
Later,
cool hand luke

[Estelle]

I do it too. My husband gets really upset though and won't let me. It drives me insane. I've done it in his sleep before as well. I've even done it to my cat once or twice!! I feel tremendous guilt about it. Fortunately my cat rarely has scabs. When he does, I try my best to stop myself. I know he's just a helpless kitty cat and he's my baby. I love him like he's my child. It's such a horrible compulsion!!

[Lissa]

I love picking scabs! It's $&#@ing crazy! When I see someone with a scab, I just want to pick it off them.

[jamielee]

Ehhh.... I pick at myself but I'd be disgusted to pick at someone else. I'm disgusted enough to pick at myself. To me it would be up there with picking someones boogers for them or licking their eyeball or something else equally repulsive. Sometimes I'll see people picking at themselves and it makes me very uncomfortable. I think because of the embarrasment and disgust I feel with myself for doing it.

[Lazy Secret]

I love to pick at my boyfriend's back. I love when he asks me to get a narley zit . I feel kind of guilty because I get all the satisfaction I would get by popping my own, except I know I'm not doing damage to myself, isn't that awful?

[Mary Ann]

Oh my God, I cant believe you said that, I think the same thing. its an exciting time if he lets me pick a little he hates it but lets me just a little once in a while just so i'll leave him alone about it for a little while and if hes got something I have noticed that I want to pick it will make nervious and I cant stop thinking about it. I cant believe I'm telling this, here goes I'll even stoop so low as to make deals with him, I'll do this or that for you if youll let me pop that zit how sick is that?

[sunshinefunk]

My guy sometimes lets me get his back if he can't reach them. I try to be gentle when going at it, not like I am with my own skin. Even still, he says it hurts. Sometimes when he is asleep, i look at his back and see if there is anything I might want to dig out. I never do because I know he'll wake up, but it's fun to look. Why do I love it so much? Just the thought of breaking the skin and having something come out gives me so much pleasure, you know?
sunshine

[MAD]

I do the same for my husband, except for he actually sais "Honey, pick my back" and I'll rub his back and pick off any hard spots that stick out. I actually picked my dad's blackheads off his nose when he died last year. I couldn't see him in an open coffin with those big black dots, so I got two tissues and got almost all of them out while he rested. I'm sure he appreciated it. I do have a suggestion for stopping picking (if you're a woman) - get acrylic nails put on and they are so thick, you can't pick. It works long enough for me for my head to heal and not be painful to the touch and also so my hair doesn't keep coming out (from scratching & picking and then picking again when a scab comes). Yes I'm also ADHD and OCD. I'm going to the doctor next week to get put on some type of medication so I can function better. My fingers actually hurt to move after hours of picking.

MADTEXT

[D]

My boyfriend sleeps without a shirt on and before I fall asleep all I can think about is the one spot on his back that I want to pop, it drives me insane because he always gets ingrown hairs. It takes so much energy not to touch him. I don't want to hurt him or freak him out. But then he always asks me to scratch his back for him. He is trying to tempt me!!!

[Dee05]

Wow... I just kinda stumbled onto this site, and I had no idea there were so many other people out there like me! I pick at my fiance's face, back, and chest all the time. He actually likes it (we even have a pet name for it - "pickie"). I've been trying for 10 years to quit picking my own face, and sometimes I do well, but yesterday I really tore it up. I see my scars and wish I had never started. I'm scared that I'm going to cause the same scars on my fiance's face... but at least I never have to use energy trying to resist picking him, since he actually likes it.

It's great to see so much support here!

[Geekgirl]

Yeah. I just found this site too and i didn't even realise that I'm not the only person who does it. I get upset with blackheads, on myself and other people and I go wierd when I sit next to my dad, and he's got them under his ears. I keep having arguments with him about them, because I have to physically squueze them. But then I go looking for more, I feel like a monkey every time I do it.