The Leatherface Prevention society

I don’t talk about it as often as I should, but my skincare obsession began as an attempt to curb a different type of obsession. Dermatillomania, also known as excoriation disorder, is defined by the DSM as “a disorder of impulse control characterized by the urge to pick at the skin, even to the extent that damage is caused.” In college, I would sometimes make myself late for class by spending 3 hours in the mirror “cleaning the dirt from my pores” (as I told myself). Like most people with the disorder, I hated what I was doing to myself but no therapist, medication, or mindfulness exercise made a dent in my behavior. A few years ago after treating myself to one of the best facials ever as a birthday gift to myself, a lightbulb went on: I could go a few days without picking my skin after a facial because during that time there was nothing to pick. Once I...