Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously? I have that problem all of the time. Sometimes, a sore will stay there for literally months. The last time we went camping, which was in May, chiggers got my ankles really bad. I scratched them until they were raw. Since then, I have continuously picked the scabs off. They have finally healed up almost four months later. I don't know if it is seeing the blood, the pain of picking or what I get out of doing it.

..I scratched them until they were raw. ...

OMG, my husband is the same way. He just can't leave it alone. I keep telling him he looks like a meth addict.
I think its his OCD.

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously?
Most of them.

Me too.

rub the most powerfull hot sauce into the wound before it scabs up. i had to sleep with my hands in a bag of frozen peas, it burned so bad.


PS dont do it i was joking it hurts alot.

peace.

what's up with that???
My Mom smacked my hands often enough as a kid that I learned not to. I have enough chicken pox scars to remind me why I shouldn't.
Do men do it more than women due to a vanity thing?

I have not gotten a scab since i was 12, none real bad but even then i would not pick at it. Just no interest in it.

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously? I have that problem all of the time. Sometimes, a sore will stay there for literally months. The last time we went camping, which was in May, chiggers got my ankles really bad. I scratched them until they were raw. Since then, I have continuously picked the scabs off. They have finally healed up almost four months later. I don't know if it is seeing the blood, the pain of picking or what I get out of doing it.

Sounds like self-injury. Here's a link.

http://www.selfinjury.com/sifacts.htm

Definition:
Self-injury is also termed self-mutilation, self-harm or self-abuse. The behavior is defined as the deliberate, repetitive, impulsive, non-lethal harming of one’s self. Self-injury includes but is not limited to: 1) cutting; 2) scratching; 3) picking scabs or interfering with wound healing; 4) burning; 5) punching self or objects; 6) infecting oneself; 7) inserting objects in skin; 8) bruising or breaking bones; and 9) some forms of hair-pulling. These behaviors, which pose serious risks, may be symptoms of a mental health problem that can be treated.

Sounds like self-injury. Here's a link.

http://www.selfinjury.com/sifacts.htm

so when i punch objects its actualy a form of self harm and a problem?. i thought i just like punching things.

peace.

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously? I have that problem all of the time. Sometimes, a sore will stay there for literally months. The last time we went camping, which was in May, chiggers got my ankles really bad. I scratched them until they were raw. Since then, I have continuously picked the scabs off. They have finally healed up almost four months later. I don't know if it is seeing the blood, the pain of picking or what I get out of doing it.
*************
M*W: It's probably an OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). You have the urge to pick your scabs, and it becomes a repetitive action. It feels good, and you can't stop. Pleasure and pain are a close knit pair. Scab picking is less socially scorned than say nose picking. I've studied the unusual habits of people, mostly women, who derive pleasure and pain from such activities as hair picking, skin cutting, hand washing, nail biting, and even shopping obsessive compulsively. I knew a woman who sliced her arms with razor blades, not enough to commit suicide, but just enough to cause pain and bleeding. She couldn't quit. Another woman I knew picked at the same scab on her elbow until it grew to about a quarter size scar. There is some sort of gratification people get from this type of behavior. There's really not much difference between monkeys in the zoo picking the skin of other monkeys and humans who pick at something on themselves and others. How many people do you know who cannot control themselves when a family member has a zit to squeeze? It's part of our animal nature. It's when it becomes a regular habit out of control that becomes abnormal.

Out of curiosity and interest in this subject of human behavior, what other kinds of picking have any of you seen?

Ear picking. Eye lash picking. Nail picking. Lip picking. Ass picking.

....How many people do you know who cannot control themselves when a family member has a zit to squeeze?...


Yep, that's me. I see them on total strangers and I just want to volunteer my zit popping services.

I also pick my scabs.

LOL, My Mom would smack the crap outta all of you.

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously?

I have forgotton the medical term for compulsive scab picking, but i am ADDICTED to picking my scabs from scalp.:p . I relax my hair and sometimes it leaves burns on my scalp resulting loads scabs. My hand is always in my hair searching for scabs or sores to dig at.

I especially love searching for scabs in the morning because all the sores i have had time to heal and are scabilicious.

Heroin junkies do it.
Are you riding the white horse?

Cool. A forum to come out in.

I think I was a dermatologist in a former life. I cannot resist zits - and I am in my 40's. Hunting for them is a routine part of my day - not a lot really, but every time I use the bathroom I might spend 5-10 minutes scouring my face and scalp for the sneaky ones - the ones that don't have any surface signs.

Don't get me started...

Oh, Dave that will just make them spread and get worse. As for you people who could pick other people's zits; eeeek! Gross! My husband once had a honker of a zit on his back with a huge pustule on it. He couldn't reach it so I had to do he honors. I was gagging. Blah! Never again. He can get a doctor to drain it.

Oh, Dave that will just make them spread and get worse.
What? Like a wart?


As for you people who could pick other people's zits; eeeek! Gross! My husband once had a honker of a zit on his back with a huge pustule on it. He couldn't reach it so I had to do he honors. I was gagging. Blah! Never again. He can get a doctor to drain it.
A sure sign that your spouse loves you is when they will get the zits that you can't.

Band-Aids. Cover your wounds with antiseptic cream and band-aids until healed.
They'll heal faster, with no itching and no scab to pick.

Band-Aids. Cover your wounds with antiseptic cream and band-aids until healed. They'll heal faster, with no itching and no scab to pick.
*************
M*W: Well, you're no fun.

It's probably an OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).


:rolleyes:
On its own, picking at scabs isn't even close to being OCD.

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously? I have that problem all of the time. Sometimes, a sore will stay there for literally months. The last time we went camping, which was in May, chiggers got my ankles really bad. I scratched them until they were raw. Since then, I have continuously picked the scabs off. They have finally healed up almost four months later. I don't know if it is seeing the blood, the pain of picking or what I get out of doing it.

no i leave them alone so they get better, because i know that if you keep picking at them they'll scar!

Actually, its best to uncover them at night when you sleep and then cover them during the day.

Sounds like self-injury. Here's a link.

http://www.selfinjury.com/sifacts.htm

Interesting. I never thought about it like that. Recently, I started picking the nail on my left little toe and finally ended up pulling the entire nail out. It might actually be a self-injury thing because actually, the pain from it does feel good to me.

..I started picking the nail on my left little toe and finally ended up pulling the entire nail out. ...

That is revolting.:puke:

my son picks his scabs i keep telling him if he picks at them they will scar! but he doesnt listen to me, he says "but they're itchy"

Next time he picks one, clean the wound with dettol, apply an antiseptic cream and cover it with a bandaid or similar. Reapply cream and bandaid as soon as it comes loose.
The itching will stop, and healing will accelerate.

Cuts and abrasions don't need to dry out and scab over to heal. They heal faster when they are kept moist, covered, and protected from bacteria.

Great Moments in Science - wound healing and air (http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1811582.htm)

A sick relative was living with us. She had sores all over her body and kept them covered as you suggest. When at the dermatologist, she complained about how her sores were not healing. He told her to leave them uncovered at night.

I would tend to wonder if moist and covered is really protected from bacteria. Sounds a bit like a petree dish to me...

Compulsive scab picking may not be OCD, but it does qualify as Near Personality Disorder.

~String

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously? I have that problem all of the time. Sometimes, a sore will stay there for literally months. The last time we went camping, which was in May, chiggers got my ankles really bad. I scratched them until they were raw. Since then, I have continuously picked the scabs off. They have finally healed up almost four months later. I don't know if it is seeing the blood, the pain of picking or what I get out of doing it.


What do you do with the scab when you pick it off? Do you eat it or just chew on it and spit it out?

Has any physician suggested medication for this condition?

Alternatively, could the scab-picking be minimized by applying a substance on the scab that would make it taste less pleasant?

A sick relative was living with us. She had sores all over her body and kept them covered as you suggest. When at the dermatologist, she complained about how her sores were not healing. He told her to leave them uncovered at night.
Apparently different wounds need different management. Moist wound healing is the general way to go for your everyday cuts and abrasions... anything more, you see a doctor.

I would tend to wonder if moist and covered is really protected from bacteria. Sounds a bit like a petree dish to me...
You're right - moist and covered is not necessarily protected from bacteria. You should ensure that the wound is protected from bacteria as well as moist and covered. You can do this by cleaning the wound thoroughly before covering it (dettol and a wire brush works great! :eek:), and optionally applying an antiseptic cream.

Note that all a scab does is keep the wound moist and covered... but not as well as a band-aid.

What do you do with the scab when you pick it off? Do you eat it or just chew on it and spit it out?

Has any physician suggested medication for this condition?

Alternatively, could the scab-picking be minimized by applying a substance on the scab that would make it taste less pleasant?


I usually place the scab on my desk and observe it. I used to put them in jars years ago. Now, i just throw them in the trash.

I have never been to a physician on the issue.

I never use my mouth on picking a scab. I always use my nails.

i got some bites on my toes that are itching like mad at the minute and i know if i scratch them then i'll make them worse

i hate that i love to pick at my face i am a very beautiful girl and i always wanted to have evryone look at me and want me but since i did crystal meth i started to pick at my face ( i knew i had OCD b4 i did meth but i didnt do this) Now my face is ruined i hate it but i just cant stop i go into a like blank state of mind and i know im doing it but i dont want to stop! it scares me and i want help badly i want to be beautiful again i dont even like to go out in public i know the makeup doesnt hide it and the worse thing is i just had a baby in sept he is my world and i dont want him to have a mommie that does this to herself i wish i knew wut to do i was getting my boyfriend to slap my hands whenever he saw me doing it but it got to the point i would go hide in the bathroom and pick for hours at nothing omg its very depressing i dont know y i cant stop but it is wierd that i get pleasure out of it and when i get stressed and anxious i pick pick pick i wish i never wouldve done meth but i cant change the past ive been clean for a little over a year now but the picking hasnt gone anywhere i feel like a freakazoid and i know my man really loves me cuz he still is with me even though i do this to myself he still says im beautiful but man i wish there was sum way i could stop i think if i just look at my baby evrytime i want to pick i can sumhow train myself to play with him instead of pick omg its hard!:confused:

Donnal? Is that you?

Tweakerbell88 where you from?

Most of them.

:D
I never touched your scabs man.. lol

Does anyone else here pick your scabs continuously? I have that problem all of the time. Sometimes, a sore will stay there for literally months. The last time we went camping, which was in May, chiggers got my ankles really bad. I scratched them until they were raw. Since then, I have continuously picked the scabs off. They have finally healed up almost four months later. I don't know if it is seeing the blood, the pain of picking or what I get out of doing it.

I think it is part of a broader pattern: kids who wiggle loose baby teeth with their tongues and squeezing zits early are a couple of physical examples. but I think the pattern is even broader than that. There is an impatience with intermediate steps. One rushes through to final stages.

Many men and more and more women have this attitude about sex.

I think it is part of a broader pattern: kids who wiggle loose baby teeth with their tongues and squeezing zits early are a couple of physical examples. but I think the pattern is even broader than that. There is an impatience with intermediate steps. One rushes through to final stages.

Many men and more and more women have this attitude about sex.

Or maybe it's just the itching of a healing wound. The healing skin underneath scabs itches.

Or maybe it's just the itching of a healing wound. The healing skin underneath scabs itches.

Sure, but then many leave them alone and others feel compelled to 'finish it'. I think there may be a personality trait (and/or cultural tendencies) that press certain people more than other to 'finish it' now. That the 'itching' is more compelling for some. I think they feel compelled to resolve that 'itch', whatever it is. Yes or no, rather than stage 3 between stages 1 and 23. Perhaps even my description is colored by a too binary categorization, but I do think there is a general pattern when people push towards resolution, often to their detriment - scars, unfeeling sex, zits that come back, etc.

Sure, but then many leave them alone and others feel compelled to 'finish it'. I think there may be a personality trait (and/or cultural tendencies) that press certain people more than other to 'finish it' now. That the 'itching' is more compelling for some. I think they feel compelled to resolve that 'itch', whatever it is. Yes or no, rather than stage 3 between stages 1 and 23. Perhaps even my description is colored by a too binary categorization, but I do think there is a general pattern when people push towards resolution, often to their detriment - scars, unfeeling sex, zits that come back, etc.

Hmm don't kids just do that ?
I used to pick scabs as a kid but my parents taught me to leave them alone because it wouldn't heal properly if I wouldn't.
Couldn't it just be the absence of learning not to do it ?

My woman does that sometimes - goes through phases, sometimes stress on the job or whatever.

Putting some kind of menthol-smelling gel stuff (something called "VapoRub" is the current brand) on the area seems to help - at night before bed, usually. I think the smell is part of the effect - calming, sort of.

It never bothered me - just one of those quirks people have - but I discovered that it really bothered her. When she found this stuff that broke the compulsion she was really happy about it - a big weight off her mind.

Hmm don't kids just do that ?
I used to pick scabs as a kid but my parents taught me to leave them alone because it wouldn't heal properly if I wouldn't.
Couldn't it just be the absence of learning not to do it ?

No, not just kids. Though I can only present anecdotal evidence, I am sure that at least some adults do this. Yes, I think we can be trained not to. I think some are harder to train than others. Also some realize that if they pick scabs they may not heal as fast or as well and vanity can override the urge. Still I think some have stronger tendencies.

Yes, it could also be the absence of learning. I will never do the necessary research to find out if scab-pickers, for example, share traits with other 'rushers through processes'.

No, not just kids. Though I can only present anecdotal evidence, I am sure that at least some adults do this. Yes, I think we can be trained not to. I think some are harder to train than others. Also some realize that if they pick scabs they may not heal as fast or as well and vanity can override the urge. Still I think some have stronger tendencies.

Yes, it could also be the absence of learning. I will never do the necessary research to find out if scab-pickers, for example, share traits with other 'rushers through processes'.

I meant that if people never learned not to pick scabs as a kid, then that might be the reason they do it as adults.
Of course we will probably never know for sure :)

OCD can manifest as it as well

I meant that if people never learned not to pick scabs as a kid, then that might be the reason they do it as adults.
Of course we will probably never know for sure :)

that's what I meant by

Yes, it could also be the absence of learning. I will never do the necessary research to find out if scab-pickers, for example, share traits with other 'rushers through processes'.


Not that it's framed clearly in the post.

It's not necessarily self injury. Some people just find scabs really annoying.

that's what I meant by
Not that it's framed clearly in the post.

I just thought you misunderstood, then said the same thing lol

Tweakerbell88 where you from? I am from Vancouver, BC, Canada.:m:

My woman does that sometimes - goes through phases, sometimes stress on the job or whatever.

Putting some kind of menthol-smelling gel stuff (something called "VapoRub" is the current brand) on the area seems to help - at night before bed, usually. I think the smell is part of the effect - calming, sort of.

It never bothered me - just one of those quirks people have - but I discovered that it really bothered her. When she found this stuff that broke the compulsion she was really happy about it - a big weight off her mind.

Thanx :D for the idea ill try it out for sure i hope it works well i write it if it does! PACE! :p
Will Vicks Vapour Rub work the same? or is it a special type of face cream?

ok your not in the US, have you gone and seen your GP about it?
it sounds like your suffering OCD (but i am NOT giving you a definitive diognosis)
If you do have OCD you can get an SSRI and a referal to a phycologist who can help you with it

You dont have to suffer it

Ok i re read your post and you did say that you have OCD, ops

But still there are treatments that can help
SSRI's can be used to treat it while you fix the problem with behavoral theropy ect

Will Vicks Vapour Rub work the same? or is it a special type of face cream? Vicks is the same kind of stuff, yes. Should work the same AFAIK, if it works. She doesn't focus on her face, usually - shoulders and upper arms. Where she gets, or used to get as a teenager, zits ? I dunno.

hi yah i used the vicks but it didnt help but i just got sum proactiv and its helping with my zit problem; however the ocd thing is going to take time i got sum anti-depressents to help with my anxiety and self consciencness and yes it is helping i just gotta focus on other things and not think about whats not even there!

did you see a pycologist? They can help alot. Especially things like diaphramatic breathing

OCD and self injurious?... these 'diagnosticians' are amusing...

scabs fear me... i make them my bitch...

picking scabs is quite common... looking for a 'zit'... all of the grooming behavior in all primates... communal grooming included... it is a deep seated primal instinct and many act on it in many ways...

Just something I stumbled upon recently after I picked up the bad habit of picking from a scalp stitch that wasn't done correctly. As the problem is in my hair, I can't put band aids on them. I've had the problem for 3 years now and have tried numerous things. What's finally working for me is covering the offending hot spots with Chapstick SPF 15. It has a moisturizer (I've tried all sorts of creams and lotions and medicines, but I'd worry them all right off again by constant rubbing of the area). The wax in the chapstick isn't so easy and so far I've found it prevents the scab from forming. For two bucks it's worth a shot. If this helps one more person that will be terrific! And of course it's very benign - unlikely to cause over dryness and can be used on face or any part of the body without concern. Pax

http://neuronarrative.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/zombie2.jpg

BRAAAAINS! Thread last current in 2008

@ Stargazer7: if you've had an open sore on your head for any length of time, it would be best to go to a doctor, really! At this point there's almost certainly scarring, infection, or something funky going on.