The Science Behind Skin-Picking

The Science Behind Skin-Picking

Skin-picking, hair-pulling, and nail-biting are more common than most people realize.

Psychologists group them under “body-focused repetitive behaviours” (BFRBs), and research suggests they affect up to 5% of the world.

Why do these behaviours stick? Because they serve a purpose.

When you notice a rough patch of skin or a strand of hair that feels out of place, acting on it creates a small sense of relief. For a moment, things feel smoother, more orderly, or less tense. That tiny reward is enough for the brain to register the behaviour as useful. Over time, the brain begins to call for it whenever you feel stress, boredom, or discomfort.

The problem is that it doesn’t address the real issue. The stress remains, and the behaviour can leave marks, thinning hair, or scars. Because the brain has learned to associate the act with comfort, the cycle repeats, sometimes for hours a day.

Struggling with this habit? Start with awareness. Paying attention to when and why the urges happen helps reveal the pattern. For some people, it’s linked to stress or fatigue. For others, it’s tied to environments like mirrors or bright lights. Once the trigger is clearer, it becomes easier to experiment with alternatives.

The next step is asking yourself: what do I actually need right now? If it’s about sensation, you might need a fidget or something textured to keep your hands busy. If it’s about stress, you might need a few minutes of breathing or stretching. If it’s about thoughts (“this hair feels wrong”), you might need to remind yourself that fixing that one thing isn’t worth the long-term damage.

Change is rarely instant. But each time you interrupt the loop, even briefly, you teach your brain that there are other ways to cope. With practice, the new responses start to feel as natural as the old ones once did.