What Is Dermatophagia?

By james

Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky

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People tend to pick up bad habits that other people find to be unpleasant. It can be difficult to stop a habit, however, much top the chagrin of other people that are around them. Most habits are quite harmless, however, regardless of how irritating they can be to other people.

Some behaviors that might appear to be habits can be somewhat worse, however. Some behaviors can result in the patient causing actual physical harm to themselves, while they can also sometimes suffer psychologically. One such behavior is dermatophagia, and it causes people to bite and gnaw away at their own skin.

1. Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior

Dermatophagia is a type of body-focused repetitive behavior. This is a kind of disorder that causes people to pick and bite at different body parts, potentially causing damage to them in the process. In cases of dermatophagia, the patient is usually picking and biting at their skin in particular.

This goes beyond what some people might consider to be a bad habit. Rather it is persistent behavior that can end up causing considerable distress to the patient. If the condition is recognized then it is important to get professional help for the patient as soon as the problem is identified.