Excoriated skin shows up as scratched, raw-looking areas where the top layer of skin has been partially or fully scraped away. The marks are often linear (following the path of fingernails), though they can also appear as irregular patches, shallow sores, or crusted-over wounds depending on how the damage happened and how long it’s been going on. Excoriation involves the mechanical removal of skin layers, often due to scratching or rubbing, while maceration results from prolonged exposure to moisture, leading to softening and breakdown of the skin.

Context Explanation

Discover the symptoms, treatment, & causes of skin picking disorder (excoriation), a condition in which people repeatedly try to pick at scabs, scars, & other areas of the skin. Dermatillomania, also known as skin picking disorder or excoriation disorder, is a mental health condition where you compulsively pick at your skin. This can cause injuries, infections and scarring, leading to stress, anxiety and a reduced sense of well-being. Excoriation disorder, more commonly known as dermatillomania, is a mental disorder on the obsessive–compulsive spectrum that is characterized by the repeated urge or impulse to pick at one's own skin, to the extent that either psychological or physical damage is caused.

Insight Material

[4][5] The exact causes of this disorder are unclear but are believed to inv... Excoriation disorder (also referred to as chronic skin-picking or dermatillomania) is a mental illness related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is characterized by repeated picking at one’s own skin which results in areas of swollen or broken skin and causes significant disruption in one’s life. Excoriation disorder is characterized by recurrent picking of one's skin, resulting in skin lesions. Treatment is with habit reversal training, glutamate modulators, and/or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Final Conclusion

Excoriation disorder, also referred to as skin-picking disorder or dermatillomania, is a form of self-injury involving picking and probing at a section of skin. The excoriation can lead to cuts, scrapes, sores, infections, and scarring if behaviors continue long-term.