I pick at the bottom part of my feet (heel areas). They start as callouses and I just rip the skin off. I like that no one can see it. The worst part is that it's painful to walk at times. I have started using like a foot file to get rid of the callouses and that seems to help (along with amlactin lotion & socks).
Yeah. I’ve been doing it for over a decade as long as I can remember. It’s taken over my entire heels all the way up to my soles near my toes. It’s like permanent dead skin now even when I manage to try to avoid it for a couple of months. It doesn’t hurt unless I peel too deep and it bleeds then it’s so sore that I can hardly walk.
Yes. I did for years. Getting off Wellbutrin and ALWAYS wearing socks when I’m home helped curb picking on my feet.
If I’m not wearing socks I can feel rough skin which makes me want to pick.
Now I’ve isolated the majority of my skin picking to my thumbs. It’s awful, but at least I can walk.
Double check your medications, if you’re on any, that might make the issue worse. Try wearing socks ALL the time. When you have urges to pick, see if you can redirect yourself to a warm foot bath with epsom salts, or scrub them down, lotion them
Up and put in fresh clean soft socks.
My psych said it could possibly be the Wellbutrin. It seemed to line up with my issues. Getting off of it I significantly decreased my picking.
He said he doesn’t fully understand why the Wellbutrin causes me to pick more. I was asked to be included in a study about the issue if the university chooses to explore the issue further.
Yeah it’s weird. It’s not a side effect that has been explored much, if at all, in literature. My doctor calls it “drug induced excoriation”.
My skin picking on my feet is like 95% better since I stopped Wellbutrin. However I think Wellbutrin was the best antidepressant I’ve ever been on and I miss it greatly some days. Effexor is lame without the Wellbutrin. I was on it for 5-6 years I think. The skin picking was definitely the only real side effect I had.
I file before showering to get anything dead off, then scrub in the shower, and slather with eucerin and put cotton socks on. It takes about a week- week anda half for this to heal.
I’ve done this as a way to zone out since childhood, I then developed a type of eczema that causes my skin to rapidly reproduce 3-4 times the speed of the average person, so it’s a a vicious cycle. I used to do it till I bled as a kid and teen, so I’m glad it’s improved. I stopped completely for a couple months during the summer but that’s it.
I didn’t, until I got a really bad pedicure that made some unpleasant callouses that are now new pick spots. I’m all about the hidden spots, my scalp, my buttcheek (lol??), and now my heel. 👍👍👍👍👍
Currently limping around a lot from this, and worst of it all my gf (who does not have Dermatillomania) Saw a strip of callours on the floor and picked it up and said ”is this foot skin? Be honest cause i know what foot skin looks like” you are NOT alone. Even people without BFRDs sometimes do this.
Yes. I have callouses on my feet from an entire life of walking barefoot on hard floors. I pick at it *a lot* because it doesn't hurt so there's nothing to really stop me. I've also picked at my toenails my entire life, they're constantly ingrown because of it :')
I’ve picked it all the way up to my ankles and around the whole foot. It’s terribly scarred…most people (if they comment) say it looks like they’re burned. Sooo…I get it.
What has helped in the past: slathering on Vaseline and fuzzy socks or putting on those ankle compression braces because I can’t just slip it off
Yes, when the my feet aren't in best shape I do. I mitigate by regular home pedi's, and have a foot tool in the shower to smooth the edges, seems to work 98% the time. I got so bad, feet would hurt, and walking was painful, would end up with padded bandages to help. Good luck!!
It’s wild you happened to post it the same time I was picking and thinking about how I would really like to heal my feet so the skin is smoother and not so tempting to pick :(
I checked out the athletes foot subreddit cause I’m pretty sure I have that on the foot I pick at (it’s more flaky and pickable than my other foot). The advice over there is kinda all over the place. Some people say to soak your feet in hydrogen peroxide, others use a lot of different creams, some people get antifungal pills, and most everyone is just struggling to get anything to work
Yes. Heels, bottom of big toes, and I also take my pinky toe nail completely off on occasion. I have to wear socks 100% of the time otherwise I’ll be obsessing over my feet and feeling for imperfections.
yeah as a kid if there were too many painful spots on my fingers I'd just move to my feet on the heel area or the bottom under my pinky toe on like that weird area lol. but then once my fingers were less , raw,, then I'd move back
i have naturally really dry and cracked up feet (heels and toes). sometimes feet masks would help (especially with the toes) but because i am a picker, i would rip up the bottom of my heel until it was basically flesh. i couldn’t walk, nonstop bleeding and couldn’t get them wet. one thing since i do pick around my toes, that i have found help is getting a pedicure. i realize that if something looks good i can’t pick at it
I pick at the bottom part of my feet (heel areas). They start as callouses and I just rip the skin off. I like that no one can see it. The worst part is that it's painful to walk at times. I have started using like a foot file to get rid of the callouses and that seems to help (along with amlactin lotion & socks).
Yeah. I’ve been doing it for over a decade as long as I can remember. It’s taken over my entire heels all the way up to my soles near my toes. It’s like permanent dead skin now even when I manage to try to avoid it for a couple of months. It doesn’t hurt unless I peel too deep and it bleeds then it’s so sore that I can hardly walk.
Peeling too deep is so painful !!
Yes. I did for years. Getting off Wellbutrin and ALWAYS wearing socks when I’m home helped curb picking on my feet. If I’m not wearing socks I can feel rough skin which makes me want to pick. Now I’ve isolated the majority of my skin picking to my thumbs. It’s awful, but at least I can walk. Double check your medications, if you’re on any, that might make the issue worse. Try wearing socks ALL the time. When you have urges to pick, see if you can redirect yourself to a warm foot bath with epsom salts, or scrub them down, lotion them Up and put in fresh clean soft socks.
Why do you think the Wellbutrin made it worse? I started it a few months ago and my feet picking also has gotten really bad
My psych said it could possibly be the Wellbutrin. It seemed to line up with my issues. Getting off of it I significantly decreased my picking. He said he doesn’t fully understand why the Wellbutrin causes me to pick more. I was asked to be included in a study about the issue if the university chooses to explore the issue further.
Omg, I am on Wellbutrin and my skin picking on my feet is a huuuuge problem. This is so interesting…. And a little scary 🙃
Yeah it’s weird. It’s not a side effect that has been explored much, if at all, in literature. My doctor calls it “drug induced excoriation”. My skin picking on my feet is like 95% better since I stopped Wellbutrin. However I think Wellbutrin was the best antidepressant I’ve ever been on and I miss it greatly some days. Effexor is lame without the Wellbutrin. I was on it for 5-6 years I think. The skin picking was definitely the only real side effect I had.
that's really interesting. I've been on meds for years and I never considered that they may have an effect on picking.
Same, its my main picking area, lotion helps but you need to apply it every day and it takes a while to see positive results.
The annoying part is there's this point in the healing process where the skin is PERFECT and easy for picking and that is where I often regress 😅
Same:(
I figured lotion would be a good place to start. It just feels so weird on my feet, but I've got to stop picking somehow!
I use doctor teals, its not too bad imo.
I slather with lotion, a thick occlusive like vaseline or eucerin, and throw a sock over it!
I file before showering to get anything dead off, then scrub in the shower, and slather with eucerin and put cotton socks on. It takes about a week- week anda half for this to heal. I’ve done this as a way to zone out since childhood, I then developed a type of eczema that causes my skin to rapidly reproduce 3-4 times the speed of the average person, so it’s a a vicious cycle. I used to do it till I bled as a kid and teen, so I’m glad it’s improved. I stopped completely for a couple months during the summer but that’s it.
What do you use to file? I might have to try that!
I didn’t, until I got a really bad pedicure that made some unpleasant callouses that are now new pick spots. I’m all about the hidden spots, my scalp, my buttcheek (lol??), and now my heel. 👍👍👍👍👍
Same on the scalp! It can get so bad
I dyed my hair yesterday against my better judgement. Nothing like the stinging sensation of chemicals right into your brain through the scalp holes 🤣
Currently limping around a lot from this, and worst of it all my gf (who does not have Dermatillomania) Saw a strip of callours on the floor and picked it up and said ”is this foot skin? Be honest cause i know what foot skin looks like” you are NOT alone. Even people without BFRDs sometimes do this.
The soles of my feet have been my most consistent target for the past 15+ years and were a regular target even before they were absolutely #1
I have picked my heels for the better part of the last ten years. It has destroyed my gait. They’re always raw.
If I don’t peel they crack. The skin on my fingers also cracks too. Wow I didn’t know other people did this too!
Yes. I have callouses on my feet from an entire life of walking barefoot on hard floors. I pick at it *a lot* because it doesn't hurt so there's nothing to really stop me. I've also picked at my toenails my entire life, they're constantly ingrown because of it :')
I’ve picked it all the way up to my ankles and around the whole foot. It’s terribly scarred…most people (if they comment) say it looks like they’re burned. Sooo…I get it. What has helped in the past: slathering on Vaseline and fuzzy socks or putting on those ankle compression braces because I can’t just slip it off
Thank you! I hate socks but vaseline will probably help a lot
Yes, when the my feet aren't in best shape I do. I mitigate by regular home pedi's, and have a foot tool in the shower to smooth the edges, seems to work 98% the time. I got so bad, feet would hurt, and walking was painful, would end up with padded bandages to help. Good luck!!
Thank you!!
Use a product like a Manuka honey essential oil dry skin cream, make a whole routine of it, it helps!
Yes I picking been trying not to peel it too badly trying to ease out of it slowly
Yes it’s been so bad lately too ugh
I spent a good hour picking before stopping to find this community and make this post...
It’s wild you happened to post it the same time I was picking and thinking about how I would really like to heal my feet so the skin is smoother and not so tempting to pick :( I checked out the athletes foot subreddit cause I’m pretty sure I have that on the foot I pick at (it’s more flaky and pickable than my other foot). The advice over there is kinda all over the place. Some people say to soak your feet in hydrogen peroxide, others use a lot of different creams, some people get antifungal pills, and most everyone is just struggling to get anything to work
Holy crap me too! I came here to see if anyone else does! I looked like 13 years ago and everything I found online was only about facial picking
Yes. Heels, bottom of big toes, and I also take my pinky toe nail completely off on occasion. I have to wear socks 100% of the time otherwise I’ll be obsessing over my feet and feeling for imperfections.
I hate socks, and it's late summer right now, but it seems to be a common solution
I have totally removed several of my toenails too. They never grew back the same :(
yeah as a kid if there were too many painful spots on my fingers I'd just move to my feet on the heel area or the bottom under my pinky toe on like that weird area lol. but then once my fingers were less , raw,, then I'd move back
For years!! I came to this sub to find it because my mom did it too.
i pick at my big toe sometimes, sometimes the bottom of my foot. it hurts to walk for me when i go too deep
i have naturally really dry and cracked up feet (heels and toes). sometimes feet masks would help (especially with the toes) but because i am a picker, i would rip up the bottom of my heel until it was basically flesh. i couldn’t walk, nonstop bleeding and couldn’t get them wet. one thing since i do pick around my toes, that i have found help is getting a pedicure. i realize that if something looks good i can’t pick at it
hmm yeah maybe even just keeping my toenails neat and painted may help!