AcneNet Article
Excoriated Acne

“Excoriate” means to scratch or abrade the skin. When a person spends hours in front of a mirror squeezing and picking at every blemish, the condition is termed “excoriated acne.” All of this picking and squeezing often causes red marks where the skin becomes irritated and usually leads to permanent scarring.

Excoriated acne usually appears to others as a mild form of acne, without pustules or nodules. To the person with the acne, however, it may be intolerable for a variety of reasons. People with excoriated acne often wish that they could stop all that picking and squeezing, but an uncontrollable desire to get rid of their lesions compels them. This compelling urge to pick and squeeze at every blemish regardless of size is a medically recognized condition that should be discussed with a dermatologist.

Occasionally giving in to a temptation to squeeze a blackhead is not excoriated acne.

An educational program brought to you by the American Academy of Dermatology.