Excoriation Disorder
Also known as a skin-picking disorder, excoriation is a type of mental disorder described as the continuous picking of skin, scabs, and bumps. An uncontrollable impulse often signifies an underlying mental condition, like depression, anxiety, OCD, and stress. Experts explained that patients diagnosed with this disease do it to alleviate stress and for self-grooming purposes. Sometimes, it is a manifestation of BFRB or Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior.
Excoriation disorder is a vicious cycle. First, patients pick their skin, creating scratches and wounds. They then pick these wounds over and over again, preventing healing and eventually turning them into scabs. This frequent skin picking creates an avenue for harmful bacteria to penetrate the skin, causing diseases like necrotizing fasciitis.
The flesh-eating bacteria may enter the skin while the wound is raw. And since the skin is repeatedly damaged, patients with excoriation disorder may feel numb to the pain, making them ignore the first signs of necrotizing fasciitis. Because of this, most patients do not immediately seek medical attention, giving the bacteria more time to grow and multiply.
