Understanding Why Picking Skin Off Lips

Skin picking off lips may be brought about by a variety of reasons. There are a lot of reasons why people would stop and peel the skin off lips to the point of bleeding. Climate may be viewed as the cause why people pick skin off lips. Other causes of skin picking off lips are stress and anxiety, with its initial symptoms starting during childhood.

Almost everyone in their life may have experienced dry chapped lips. This may be brought about by overexposure to extreme weather. Extreme weather can be defined as chilling cold of winter, and the slow cooked burns of summer. Under both conditions, the lips have a tendency to peel. The normal reaction is to let the body to heal itself without exacerbating the situation. To counter act the dryness; they employ a chap stick or a lip balm.

People who are picking skin off their lips have no idea why they do this. Some answer it is out of boredom why they do it while some wants to smoothen the part of the lips that is parched. Picking skin off lips may have an underlying psychological explanation that needs to be examined and deciphered.

The habit of excessive picking, scratching off skin is defined as Compulsive Skin Picking. Other doctors call it the following: pathological skin picking, neurotic excoriation or dermatillomania. This behavior happens mostly in the subconscious that is why people are not aware they are picking skin off their lips. Psychiatrists classify this as an impulse control disorder.

Psychiatrists also observe that picking skin off lips is related to obsessive-compulsive behavior. It is a responsive action brought about by stress and anxiety. Picking skin off lips may be a stress reliever but they are unaware that they are pulling the skin already.

To treat this condition, it is important that the patient must know the level of awareness of his or her skin picking. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and drug therapy may be needed to treat this condition.