Addiction Experts

with Adam Cox

Skin picking: honest help to stop picking your skin

When to see your GP

See your GP if you can’t stop picking your skin, if cuts don’t heal within a few days, or if picking is causing you distress or affecting your daily life. Skin picking disorder is a recognised condition and it can be treated.

If a wound becomes painful, hot and swollen, it may be infected. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111. Call 999 or go to A and E if you also have a very high temperature, feel hot, cold or shivery, or feel dizzy or confused.

If you’re feeling hopeless or thinking about ending your life, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time.

Skin picking often starts small: a spot, a scab, a rough bit of skin around a nail. Then it becomes something you do without thinking, sometimes for long stretches, and it leaves marks you’d rather hide. A lot of people feel ashamed about it and never tell anyone. If that’s you, you’re not alone, and there is real help available.

When picking is hard to stop and is causing damage or distress, it’s known as skin picking disorder, or excoriation disorder. The NHS treats it with a talking therapy called CBT, which often includes habit reversal training. Hypnotherapy is often used alongside habit reversal approaches, and that’s where I can help. It’s closely related to hair pulling and nail biting.

Signs skin picking has become a problem

The NHS lists these signs of skin picking disorder:

  • You can’t stop picking your skin
  • Picking causes cuts, bleeding or bruising
  • You pick moles, freckles, spots or scars to try to make them smooth or perfect
  • You don’t always realise you’re picking
  • You pick when you feel anxious or stressed

Where to get help in the UK

  • Your GP. The best place to start. They can check any wounds, talk to you about treatment and refer you for CBT with habit reversal. Read the NHS guide to skin picking disorder
  • NHS Talking Therapies. In England you can refer yourself for free for help with anxiety and depression. Find a service. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ask your GP about talking therapies.
  • OCD-UK. The charity has clear information on skin picking disorder, including treatment and self-help while you wait.
  • Samaritans. Free and open any time on 116 123 if you’re struggling to cope.
  • People close to you. Telling someone you trust can take some of the weight off, and the NHS suggests asking them to help you notice when you’re picking.

Where hypnotherapy fits

Hypnotherapy is not a treatment for skin picking disorder, and I don’t offer it as one. Your GP and a talking therapy such as CBT with habit reversal need to be part of your recovery.

Where I can help is alongside that care. A lot of picking happens when you’re stressed, anxious or bored. In sessions we can work on easing that stress, sleeping better, building confidence, catching the moment you start to reach for your skin and finding a calmer way to respond. You still do the work, but it can make CBT and habit reversal easier to keep up.

Before we work together I’ll ask whether you’re getting support from your GP or a therapist. If I think you need that first, I’ll tell you honestly.

Things that can help day to day

These self-help steps come from the NHS and OCD-UK:

  • Keep your hands busy, for example by squeezing a soft ball or wearing gloves
  • Work out your common triggers, and avoid them where you can
  • Try to resist the urge for a little longer each time
  • When you feel the urge, care for your skin instead, for example with moisturiser
  • Keep your nails trimmed short, and keep your skin clean to avoid infection
  • Tell people you trust, so they can help you notice when you’re picking

Common questions

Is skin picking a mental health condition?

When it’s hard to stop and is causing damage or distress, it can be. It’s called skin picking disorder, or excoriation disorder, and it’s a recognised condition. It’s related to OCD but isn’t the same thing. Your GP can talk you through treatment.

Can hypnotherapy help with skin picking?

Hypnotherapy isn’t a treatment for skin picking disorder. It can help alongside CBT and habit reversal, with stress, triggers and noticing the urge sooner. The change itself still takes your own effort and practice.

Is it confidential?

Yes. What you tell me stays between us. As with any therapist, the only exception is if I believed you or someone else were at serious risk of harm.

I’m worried about someone else’s skin picking. What can I do?

Try to be calm and kind rather than pointing out every mark, as feeling judged can make it harder to talk about. Let them know you’ve noticed and that help is available, and encourage them to see their GP.

How do sessions work?

We meet one to one over Zoom, so you can join from home. Sessions are built around your own triggers and routines, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

Talk it through

If you’re already getting support and want help alongside it, book a £49 consultation call. We’ll talk about whether sessions would help with the stress and habits around picking.

Book a consultation (£49)

Written by Adam Cox, clinical hypnotherapist. Sources: NHS, skin picking disorder (reviewed April 2024), NHS, cellulitis, OCD-UK, skin picking disorder. Helplines checked October 2026.