Mum who TEARS her face in eight-hour 'skin picking marathons' says she 'wants to die to stop her agony'
A MUM-of-two who tears her face to pieces in eight-hour 'skin-picking marathons' is desperate to be put in a coma to let her painful wounds heal.
Linda Smith claims the disorder has taken over her life, leaving her unable to date for more than four years.
Mercury Press
Mercury Press
The 50-year-old suffers dermatillomania, which compels sufferers to pick at their skin, leaving nasty wounds.
She has been plagued since she was a child, but has no idea what triggered it.
Her body is covered in wounds and scars and said she feels so hopeless that the only way to control her disorder is if she's "unconscious or in a straitjacket".
Steroid creams intended to get rid of some of the spots have caused facial hair to grow, according to Linda, leaving her having to shave her face every day.
Linda, from Pennsylvania, US, said: "It is very hard to deal with all of the time.
"This might sound extreme but I feel like I want to be dead already because it is just never going to stop.
Mercury Press
"I feel completely hopeless and helpless about ever being able to control, much less stop, picking.
"I honestly believe that the only way my skin is ever going to completely heal is if I am unable to touch it all."
Linda believes the only way she will conquer her condition is if doctors agree to put her in a medically-induced coma.
This might sound extreme but I feel like I want to be dead already because it is just never going to stop
Linda Smith
That way, her skin would have time to heal properly leaving no wounds for her to pick at.
"I think the only thing that would help me is to either be put in a straitjacket or have somebody watch me 24 hours a day and stop me the second I started picking," she said.
"I avoid going out. I wouldn't go out of the house unless I have to.
"I wait until after dark to put my garbage out and I don't date.
Mercury Press
"It is taking over my life. It affects everything.
"It is like the older I get the worse it gets. Now I'm lucky if I can go a few hours without picking at something."
Linda said the condition is a "mental thing", most probably a form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
MENTAL HEALTH What is obsessive compulsive disorder, what causes it and what are the signs you could be plagued by it?
"There's no logic to it," she added.
"That's the number one thing.
"Your brain is thinking I will tear whatever this imperfection is off my skin and then my skin will be perfect but it doesn't work that way.
Mercury Press
"It works the opposite way. My skin is never going to be good enough to please me.
"It is like you're arguing with yourself. I have had eight-hour picking sessions before. My face gets really bad after one of those."
The mum-of-two has been advised to stop wearing make-up to encourage her to stop picking her skin.
And she's decided to get tattoos to cover some of her scars.
So upset by how she looks from the wounds and scars, Linda has piled on three stone in a year after from being too embarrassed to go out.
Mercury Press
Linda said: "I will be less likely to pick if I don't wear make-up because I don't want my face to look like this.
"The only place that I don't pick is my chest and stomach because they don't break out.
"I've stopped caring about what the rest of me looks like because my face is so hideous.
IMPULSE DISORDER THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T STOP PICKING
Dermatillomania is a compulsive disorder that makes sufferers pick their skin, causing nasty wounds.
People with the condition can't stop themselves, and pick by habit.
They will excessively pick, scratch, gouge or squeeze healthy skin.
Typically sufferers will focus on their face and lips, as well as arms, hands and scalp.
Freckles and moles are also targeted for picking, and in some cases people will pick inaginary skin defects.
They will use their nails, but also pins or tweezers.
The result is bleeding and bruising that can cause infection and scars.
"I have gained 30lbs. I feel like I'm letting myself go."
Frustrated, she said she doesn't know where to turn.
People have asked if her condition is triggered by drug use, and her son has shuddered at her appearance.
"I have had it ever since I was a child, I have been picking for as long as I can remember," Linda explained.
Mercury Press
"I've always liked the feeling of picking things like the picking paint feeling. I do know that stress aggravates it.
"If I got a mosquito bite and there was a scab, I would be picking at it.
"I don't know why, I guess maybe boredom.
"If I'm watching TV my hands would be moving around feeling for something bumpy."
Linda has also been prescribed a steroid cream to help battle the spots caused by the picking but she claims it is causing facial hair to grow, which she now has to shave.
Mercury Press
Linda said: "It is a bit of a nightmare. It's very aggravating.
"I wish there was something I could do to clear the skin and get rid of the facial hair too.
"It makes you feel like a man when you have to shave your face.
"I've been having facial hair for ten years now but recently using the steroid cream on a daily basis the hair has been growing a lot faster."
HORRIFIC PAIN
Horror of eczema sufferer, 50, who was 'skinned alive' by her addiction to steroid creamPAIN IN THE BUTT
Do YOU suffer 'buttne'? That's acne on your bum - and THIS surprising wardrobe staple is to blame, says top docSPOT OF BOTHER
Is your shower routine giving you 'BACNE'? Kendall Jenner's skin doc reveals the one simple change you should make NOWMIRACLE CURE?
Boy, 13, so allergic to the sun he couldn't sit near a window is 'cured by £20 sun cream' - and it can help ease eczema AND prickly heat tooMAGIC MOISTURISER?
Mum hails £3.99 cream a 'miracle cure' after her toddler's agonising eczema disappeared in a WEEKWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
Comments
Post a Comment