PrincessPanic89
05-12-16, 23:35
Apologies if this is in the wrong place.
I suffer from dermatillomania (excessive skin picking) I will pick skin, spots, scabs, any kind of lesion on my body. I have to pick it until it's gone, otherwise it drives me literally insane and I can think of nothing else and I will pick even if it hurts to do so or I know it will leave a mark or scar.
I have been cheek biting since I can remember (I'm 27 now) This is a similar thing. I will bite and chew the uneven loose skin on the insides of my cheeks until the skin is even again. Usually this results in sore cheeks, bleeding etc. But I can't not do it. I often find myself doing it without realising but when I do realise I still can't stop and I HAVE to finish.
A long time ago, my then dentist told me I must stop as biting the inside of your cheeks causes oral cancer. Instead of stopping, I just stopped going to the dentist. However a few months ago, an old cracked tooth became inflamed and I needed a root canal. It was a new dentist this time so I wasn't so nervous but she too commented on the state of the inside of my mouth. She said that although it's rare, biting your cheeks/lips can cause cancer due to cell mutation. I have white patches on my cheeks and lips where the skin is attempting to grow back but it's a never-ending cycle. Obviously I'm scared that I will get oral cancer and I also get upset sometimes at how badly I'm treating my poor body.
Does anyone else have this habit? Have you ever successfully stopped and if so, how? I just want to be able to let my skin heal itself without destroying it before it's even finished, it would be so nice to have smooth cheeks that aren't always painful from having been bitten :(
I suffer from dermatillomania (excessive skin picking) I will pick skin, spots, scabs, any kind of lesion on my body. I have to pick it until it's gone, otherwise it drives me literally insane and I can think of nothing else and I will pick even if it hurts to do so or I know it will leave a mark or scar.
I have been cheek biting since I can remember (I'm 27 now) This is a similar thing. I will bite and chew the uneven loose skin on the insides of my cheeks until the skin is even again. Usually this results in sore cheeks, bleeding etc. But I can't not do it. I often find myself doing it without realising but when I do realise I still can't stop and I HAVE to finish.
A long time ago, my then dentist told me I must stop as biting the inside of your cheeks causes oral cancer. Instead of stopping, I just stopped going to the dentist. However a few months ago, an old cracked tooth became inflamed and I needed a root canal. It was a new dentist this time so I wasn't so nervous but she too commented on the state of the inside of my mouth. She said that although it's rare, biting your cheeks/lips can cause cancer due to cell mutation. I have white patches on my cheeks and lips where the skin is attempting to grow back but it's a never-ending cycle. Obviously I'm scared that I will get oral cancer and I also get upset sometimes at how badly I'm treating my poor body.
Does anyone else have this habit? Have you ever successfully stopped and if so, how? I just want to be able to let my skin heal itself without destroying it before it's even finished, it would be so nice to have smooth cheeks that aren't always painful from having been bitten :(