What Is Dermatophagia?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
3. Causes
Dermatophagia is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and this means that the patient is unable to stop themselves from gnawing and biting at their skin. While such disorders can be very hard to understand, we do know that there are a number of potential triggers for them.
One trigger for the behavior is boredom, while stress and anxiety can also trigger it. Others might have a perceived blemish on the skin that they want to try and remove, while skin conditions like acne can also be a cause. People that are experiencing emotions like shame or guilt might also be compelled to start chewing at their skin.
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