What Is Acne Excoriee?

Acne excoriee is a type of excoriation disorder. Excoriation occurs when the skin becomes damaged due to mechanical injury. This disorder involves picking and scratching at acne lesions on valid parts of the body. It is often very difficult to control. Many patients try multiple times to stop picking at their skin, but continue to do so.

The picking of lesions usually involves spots that are located on the upper extremities, such as the face, scalp, and back. The lesions are often small, but become larger and more inflamed when picked at. This is due to swelling of tissues and irritation of the skin due to picking.

It is common for patients with acne excoriee to not seek help from external sources. It is recommended and encouraged to seek advice from a trusted medical professional in regards to this disorder.

However, there are a number of home treatments available to help you cope with acne excoriee.

What Causes Acne Excoriee?

The main contributing factor of acne excoriee stems from psychological stress, including emotional stresses that may be from the acne itself. There are many other areas in a patient’s life that can affect their skin picking habits, including work and family stress.

Skin picking gives them a sense of relief and distraction. It is a way of coping not only with frequent breakouts, but also inner stresses. Fighting against acne excoriee takes both practical and mentally-demanding solutions to treat it

Why Is It So Hard To Stop Picking At Acne?

The same question can be answered with a multitude of things that others do to cope with stress. Emotional eating is one example. In the same way that eating may comfort you when you’re stressed, someone may find picking at their skin a comforting distraction that helps them deal with not only the acne, but stress in their lives.

Does Picking At Acne Make It Worse?

Acne is a chronic inflammatory condition that is caused by increases in sebum production, clogged hair follicles, and acne-causing bacteria. When the skin is picked at, this damages the tissues around the acne lesion. This causes breakage of the skin, disrupts the skin barrier, causes increased inflammation, and spreads acne bacteria around the face.

The acne-causing bacteria that primarily contributes to acne lesions include Cutibacterium acnes. This bacteria thrives in lipid rich environments. When the skin produces an excess of sebum and clogged follicles, this bacteria rapidly proliferates, expanding its colony and causing acne lesions to form on the skin. By picking at the skin, it spreads this bacteria around, allowing it to deposit directly into damaged tissues and causing more breakouts.

How Do I Get Rid of Acne Excoriee?

Therapy Sessions

First and foremost, it is incredibly important to seek advice from a licensed medical professional. Whether you seek advice from someone who specializes in skin disorders, dealing with stress in general, or someone who is familiar with acne excoriee itself, it will be beneficial to invest time into this route. Counselling sessions can give you the tools you need to combat stress and picking habits. In addition, therapy sessions give you a sense of accountability to get better and you can look forward to sharing your progress in reducing stress.

Exercise

It is understandable that not everyone will be willing to seek professional help. Both time and money are factors that may deter you from seeking help professionally. At home treatments for reducing stress involve living a healthy lifestyle. This includes consistently exercising your body. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that reduce stress levels, increase positive moods, and improve physical and mental well-being.

Get Your Nails Done

This may not be the best solution for acne pickers. And some men may not be interested. But it is worth mentioning that a tangible and very temporary treatment to acne excoriee is getting acrylic nails that make it difficult for you to pick at the skin.

Acne Treatments

Some patients experience acne excoriee simply from having acne. There may not be significant stressors in their life, or grand emotional reasons for their picking. It may just be the fact that they have acne and can’t help but pick at it. Therefore, treating the root of the problem means treating the existing acne and using treatments that prevent kre acne from occuring.

Acne treatments begin with a healed skin barrier. After incorporating products into your routine that heal the skin, you also need to add acne treatments. These include benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, salicylic acid, mandelic acid, and retinoids like tretinoin. All of these should not be used at once. But learning about your skin type can help you formulate a skincare routine that works for you.

References

Acne Excoriée – American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD)