Dermatillomania or Skin Pickers

In winter, many of us feel like bingeing on chocolate and staying indoors with a weepy movie. Stress increases as the sun diminishes, and everything seems gloomy. It’s a definite binge time for any negative habits, skin picking included.

We’re at our highest mood and lowest mood when winter hits, and the last thing in the WORLD you wanna do is to go for a walk, but scientists suggest that’s the best thing you CAN do. A good walk in winter can help kick-start your metabolism, increase your natural pain-killers or endorphins, and help you feel good about life.

SAD or Seasonal Affected Disorder, which results in winter depression, is believed to be related to lack of light. Light stimulates serotonin production, making us feel good; it also heals the skin and lifts the mood.

The more time spent outside of the house,
the better the chance of your skin healing.
Forget the treadmill, take your exercise outdoors. Commit to 30 minutes of chilled walking per day and you will greatly improve your health and wellbeing. The better you feel about yourself, the better able you are to keep your hands away from those scabs.

When you’re looking for Christmas presents, go that extra mile … don’t buy the first thing you see and hope the person will like it, keep walking, knowing that you’re lowering your stress and doing your skin a favour by exposing it to light.

Sunlight (yes, even in winter) helps your body to produce Vitamin D, which is great for the immune system and can improve back problems, as well as improving your skin.

Lightboxes can also help you feel better in winter. Avoid alcohol as it can deplete your vitamin supply and lead to depression and bad skin.

Central heating can cause skin to dry out, so keep a bowl of water next to every heater and use a good moisturiser.

Ditch the chocolate and enjoy some soup instead, but no matter how cold it is, make sure to drink plenty of water, as it will help keep your skin moist and prevent the dryness which leads to itching. Eat healthily and give your body all the vitamins and minerals it needs to regenerate healthy moods and clear skin.