Scalp Picking

[heatherfeatherrooroobear]

hello all!!!

so yea... i pick my head too...and ive been reading everyone elses forums and they are making me laugh bc i do all of the same things... i am constantly searching for new scabs....feeling around my head...creating new scabs...i will look down at my fingers nails and they will have blood in them...i feel like it releases tension everytime i pick a scab...im just sort of like ''ahhhhhhhh'' its a sort of euphoric feeling..its my drug...i too have very high,I MEAN HIGH, anxiety...well i made too different hair appointments this week and ended up canceling them both for fear the stylist would see my post pick scabs.....it sooooo embarrasing... man...i want a new haircut soooo bad.... but it seems the feeling i get from discovering a new scab is more important somehow to me.. i think im really sick in the head..lol...i collect the scabs in a box i have..and i love looking at them even picking them up...(lol playing with them) the bigger they are the better lol...

ok now that i read this im completely grossed out...this is so sick when you think about it... i honestly think due to all the nerve endings on you scalp..thats why it feels like''heaven'' when you pick...but I MUST STOP!

I NEEED A HAIRCUT! plus i do print modeling for a living..what kind of model picks their head????lol

email me pleeease anyone who has any info that could help..
[e-mail]

god bless you all and your quest to stop picking....

x0x0x0
-heather

[Scalp Picker from Dallas]

:-XOh Geez..Now I'm more freaked out by my scalp picking after reading all the posts.

I do believe it is an anxiety disorder of some type. I am not into taking meds for emotional things, so I will try some other things. Damn, I have a couple spots that really ache.

Like many others, I was obsessed with picking scabs. I hate that is has transitioned to my balding head, but it is what it is. I still like taking scabs off others, even my dogs.

I am trying a new shampoo hoping it will help control the situation. I think keeping my hair shorter helps too. One theory also is getting lots of sun on the scalp to "burn" them off. I have a pool, so maybe the chorline will help. I need to keep my hands busy, but even that does work. I will chat for hours, but when Im not typing I want my hands to do something else. I used to wear ball caps all the time, so maybe that will help me stop.

One problem is, Im in a relationship I dont want to be in, but I don't want to hurt my kids who are almost grown up now. Thinking back, all of this may have started when I felt uncomfortable in my own house. I still feel that way when my wife is around. Don't ask, why not talk to her...Im not interested. We just can't carry on a good conversation.

Anyway, think positive and keep working at it. Together we can learn to control this much like smokers or alcoholics deal with it.

take care everyone.

Picking again in the Big D.

[Liz3]

I pick at my head and collect little bits of flacky dry bits under my nails then scope them out and let it fall to the floor. I run my finger tips through my hair and scalp to find bits and then I'm guessing I'm triggering it for more dry bits to develope. As others have said I don't do it in public, and when I'm nervouse, alone and bored or itchy I scratch. It's not really dandruff it's oily buildup. Does any one have ideas for helping quit beside cutting nails short? I'm making patches of my hair thin out and shorter. I'm young and I've tried to say I'll STOP but it never works. Someone said it's hurtful when people make jokes about it. Yes, it defently is because it's like an unconsiouse obssesion. Has anyone succesfully stopped by controlling themselves? I'm feeling a bit hopeless. These is a real problem for myself and obviously for others as well!

[booboo]

crikey! i never realised so many other people had this issue too!

i can't remember when i started (i'm 29 now) - it's probably been at least 10 years..and the longest i've gone without picking is probably a week or so.

has anybody developed hard cyst-like bumps in their head? i'm talking about below the surface of the skin (so you can't pick at 'em)? i've got about 5 of them and they've all developed in places where i used to pick a lot..it's my own fault as the dr says that they can't remove them because it would leave me with bald patches

it never crossed my mind that it could be related to anxiety but now it seems so obvious! i definitely do it more when i'm bored or anxious...i usually try and confine it to the day on which i'm planning to wash my hair as otherwise it makes it greasy

one thing i found was that if my scalp was in good condition and not itchy, then i tend to not do it as much.

aside from the picking, i do have a tendency to scratch..a lot..until the skin on my head aches..

oh boy...sound crazy!!!

[relaxed picker]

First...if you are female and can afford the upkeep and it bothers you that much....get TIPS on your nails...it works like a charm...you can't get under the scabs because the fake nails are too thick...you eventually get frustrated and give up...cleared me up for two years when I had the job to support the nail upkeep..now Im home with my daughter and worried about other things..plus...its kinda fun...let it go...hey...you could be a nail biter...

OK, second...really guys...its not that big of a deal...not too sure why everyone is in such a stink about it...everyone has nervous habits...those of you going to seak therapy over it...maybe you should seak help because you are so worried about it not because you do it....your not a nut bag if you scab up your scalp so relax...

[Jacinda]

[glow=red,2,300]Wow....I never thought I would find a message board with my problem.

Reading through all of the entries, I see a little bit of me in ALL of them.

I started picking at myself when I was around 13 or 14. It started out as just my nails. I would rip them down to nothing. It would be incredibly painful, but it never stopped me.

Then, I had a stylist use a comb too hard on my scalp, and a pretty big scab formed. I was fascinated by it. I would pick it non-stop. I picked it for probably 3 months, just waiting for the new scab to form. It never actually became a scar...its like my body just healed it..and I had no scab to pick.

I also LOVE to find corse or spilt end hairs and pluck them out. I love the feeling of the corse hairs, and have always done this.

I'm obsessed with plucking body hair as well. I pluck my eyebrows to practically nothing. Even just sitting at home, watching TV, I'll grab a pair of tweezers and pluck any stray hair on my body I find.

I have now gotten into the habit of picking the skin around my fingernails. I'll pick them until the skin is raw & red around all of my nails. It looks horrible. Even when I let it heal, the skin becomes tough and dry, and even more fun to pick.

I have NO clue why I love to do this. I recently was diagnosed with slight depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I tried Effexor, but it wasn't high enough for me. I'm now on 60 mg of Cymbalta, and it's helping. Though looking through these messages, I see some people are on Adderall(sp?) as well.
I have the terrible habit of bouncing my leg, and wanting to move non-stop. I wonder if I have slight ADD or something as well. I'm terrible at focusing in class, but I always thought I was just lazy...maybe I really do need that medication.

This message board is such a gift to me. I have never been able to express these things about myself to anyone, for fear of looking like a freak. It really helps to know other people out there are just like me. Thanks for any advice you can give as well![/glow]

[lala]

how do i scroll to most recent entries?

[Kaitlin]

I have had a problem with scalp picking for four yrs now it started off with getting a sunburn and itching it and its been there for four yrs now and it gets crusty and raw and bleeds and it always itchies it has gotten to the point where i cant where my hair down anymore cuz it itches like crazy and now it still itches even when i wear my hair up just not as bad...but i love wearing my hair down but i just cant cuz it itches all the time...and i pick and cant stop...all my friends are like why dont u ever where ur hair down u have such beautiful hair and i just dont want to tell them why...i wish this spot would just go away i wish there was something i could do like put medicine on it or something so it will all go away and i can wear my hair down avian...

[ff]

dd

[annofanomaly]

I wrote on here a few months ago about trying to stop and wanting to go to counseling. I am still on Effexor, which has made my anxiety almost non-existent, yay! But the scalp picking was way tough to get rid of.

I actually stopped doing it, and what made me stop was completely something that I did, not as an attempt to quit.

It may be extreme for most, but I got over my anxiety and shaved my head for this charity event called St. Baldrick's Day, www.stbaldricks.org. I donated my hair from it to locks of love. And nobody said anything when I was sitting there bald, my scars and scabs showing. It was the best feeling ever.

The next few weeks before my hair came back, I put soothing menthalated lotion on my scalp whenever i got the urge to pick. It felt sooo good. And now my hair is longer and I can't do this, but my scalp is clear so there's nothing to pick at really. ALl i do is feel around, find nothing, then play with my hair.

going bald is a bit extreme I know, but maybe the lotion thing could help. it smells better than aloe, the only drawback would be having to wash your hair a lot to go out, as the lotion would make your hair greasy.

best of luck!

[Cantquit]

Hi, I am 34 years old and have had this same issue for years. I not only pick at scabs on my scalp, but also on my back and butt. My butt is the worst, though. I pick at them until they bleed, and I scrub them in the shower. They hurt a lot sometimes. I've tried acne creams, cutting my nails short, distraction, but nothing is working. I've come to the conclusion that it's a compulsion, similar to that of people who bite their nails. If I put a band-aid over the scab, I don't pick at it, but you can't do that with your scalp. It's so gross and I am too embarassed to tell my doctor! Thought I'd outgrow it. I think it's an anxiety issue and borderline obsessive/compulsive disorder.
Glad I found this site and that I'm not alone!!!

[Noora]

OMG, I thought I was the only one that picked their scalp. I pick all the time, and I worry about cancer too. My scalp is always sore from me picking it. I did not know there were other people that had the same problem as me. I don't know why I pick at my scalp, it comforting. I enjoy doing it, but at the same time I wish I could quilt. Picking my scalp makes my head hurt, do I stop? No. Why cant I just stop. I don't like to go have a hair cut, because I worry that the hair dresser will see my scalp. I have been doing this for 6 years +, a long time. I have it, but I like it too. What can we do to help our selfs? I really with I knew. I suffer with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. I wish I could just stop. I hate picking. At the same time it gives my a release. I cant explain it.

[Henry]

I also have this problem, and I am successful, confident, attractive and in a loving marriage with a baby on the way.

I am trying to stop my hand from ever touching my head, but it is so difficult to avoid scratching the itches... which leads to picking... which leads to scabs...

Anyone have advice on shampoos or other ointments to speed the healing process?

[madtown]

I wrote a while ago about my picking, and here I am again to say that I am back in therapy, and I really believe this is what is going to help me stop picking. I also wanted to say that I recently took a small mirror, and spent a little time in the bathroom trying to see my scalp for myself. Sounds like an odd thing to do, but it was shocking and horrible to see the damage I had done so close up. At the same time, now that's what I think of when reach for my scalp. I picture what my scalp will look like after I pick. Really, it was so gross, I think it's helping me stop! I'm still a picker at heart, my legs are a mess, my hands seem to be always moving around, looking for something to pick, but I'm taking it one day at a time. For now, my scalp is the worst, and if seeing it close up helps, I'm going to take it. good luck.....

[Unhappy1]

Wow, I didn't realise so many people had the same problem as me. I'm 16, and my scalp picking started about 2 years ago. I can't remember how exactly, but I think I had a small scab on my head and I picked it. Ever since then I've always scratched my head and picked scabs on my scalp. I have about 3 scabs at the moment, and I never like anyone else to plait my hair incase they saw. One time a girl put my hair in french plaits, and she said 'gosh what's that on your head, do you have alapecia?'. I just had to pretend I bumped it. One time I stopped for about a month! But now it's worse than ever. I've never told anyone, but people must notice me doing it and not say anything. Not even my parents! Sometimes I feel around on my head and if there are no scabs I make one. I've also picked at my head with pins before. It's so addictive. Sometimes, like at the moment my scabs bleed and they really hurt when I touch them, it's even worse when I brush my hair! I don't know what to do, i don't want to see a doctor! X