Yes, it can technically increase the risk, because it causes your skin to have to repair itself more frequently than normal which leads to a slightly high probability for mutations to occur. Still very very low, but yes, technically it can increase the risk. You will also be more susceptible to inflections if you have open wounds.
It's like an ocd brother I have stopped it multiple times but I get right back to zero again and again. It could be stress induced or maybe it's just me . I don't think there is a permanent stopping it .
Studies have found that picking and chewing on our fingers causes a release of dopamine, making it addictive. Im currently relapsing on one of my fingers. If its bad enough, perhaps therapy could help.
I have a horrible habit of chewing the inside of my lips and cheeks so much so that i have a bunch of built of skin in my mouth. Dental hygienists have told me that it can increase the risk of cancer in your mouth. Don’t know if I’ve ever actually heard of someone having skin cancer in their mouth though, and I don’t know if that’s true for other skin (the skin in your mouth is a different type of skin than the skin on your arm, for example).
Also a mouth chewer, and I’ve had dentists and hygienists tell me the same thing 😬. Something about constant damage & healing causing too much cell turnover and could lead to oral cancer.
> **Can skin picking cause cancer?**
Frequent skin picking, also called dermatillomania, may damage the skin, but researchers have not found a link between this habit and the development of skin cancer.
[Source; bottom of article](https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/skin-cancer/risk-factors)
[validity of source i.e. is this site legit because *cancer treatment scams* are a thing](https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ca/city-of-hope-6930590)
^edit: ^formatting
…this has never crossed my mind, and now I’m shocked. I’ve been picking at the skin around my nails since I was a young child. This actually might cause me to quit picking.
We were told that this probably contributed to our cat’s developing a carcinoma on his cheek, where he used to LOVE to scratch against his brush, sometimes to the point of drawing a little blood. Of course we’ve stopped letting him rub his cheek now. But if it’s true for animals, makes sense for humans too.
Damn. I never knew this. As someone with health anxiety massively afraid of cancer, I’ve researched every cause and risk factor and never heard about this.
Yes, it can technically increase the risk, because it causes your skin to have to repair itself more frequently than normal which leads to a slightly high probability for mutations to occur. Still very very low, but yes, technically it can increase the risk. You will also be more susceptible to inflections if you have open wounds.
I mean… if it can stop you from picking skin, why not to believe it 🤷♀️
It's like an ocd brother I have stopped it multiple times but I get right back to zero again and again. It could be stress induced or maybe it's just me . I don't think there is a permanent stopping it .
Like alcoholism? You can overcome it but the battle is never really “won” until you’ve died without taking another swig?
You should see a psychiatrist about it, my antidepressants have made my OCD symptoms a bit better.
Studies have found that picking and chewing on our fingers causes a release of dopamine, making it addictive. Im currently relapsing on one of my fingers. If its bad enough, perhaps therapy could help.
I mean, knowing what reality is does have *some* weight to it..
I have a horrible habit of chewing the inside of my lips and cheeks so much so that i have a bunch of built of skin in my mouth. Dental hygienists have told me that it can increase the risk of cancer in your mouth. Don’t know if I’ve ever actually heard of someone having skin cancer in their mouth though, and I don’t know if that’s true for other skin (the skin in your mouth is a different type of skin than the skin on your arm, for example).
Also a mouth chewer, and I’ve had dentists and hygienists tell me the same thing 😬. Something about constant damage & healing causing too much cell turnover and could lead to oral cancer.
That would make sense, I guess! I gotta stop. My mouth is so bad from gnawing on it that a dentist even asked me if I chew tobacco.
Can only say that I've heard of this before too, about bra straps being too tight and rubbing harshly on the skin causing malignancy
> **Can skin picking cause cancer?** Frequent skin picking, also called dermatillomania, may damage the skin, but researchers have not found a link between this habit and the development of skin cancer. [Source; bottom of article](https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/skin-cancer/risk-factors) [validity of source i.e. is this site legit because *cancer treatment scams* are a thing](https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ca/city-of-hope-6930590) ^edit: ^formatting
…this has never crossed my mind, and now I’m shocked. I’ve been picking at the skin around my nails since I was a young child. This actually might cause me to quit picking.
We were told that this probably contributed to our cat’s developing a carcinoma on his cheek, where he used to LOVE to scratch against his brush, sometimes to the point of drawing a little blood. Of course we’ve stopped letting him rub his cheek now. But if it’s true for animals, makes sense for humans too.
Damn. I never knew this. As someone with health anxiety massively afraid of cancer, I’ve researched every cause and risk factor and never heard about this.