Camila Mendes reveals suffering from disorder that makes her hurt her own skin

Actress Camila Mendes, 28, who is successful on the Riverdale series, told Glamor US that she suffers from a disorder that causes her to break her own skin. Excoriation Disorder, skin picking in English, is a behavior characterized by the uncontrollable habit of touching, pinching or excoriating certain parts of the skin, which results in wounds and scars.

Camila said that she used to not wear makeup and had a complex skincare routine, which changed after starting filming for the series. The new routine, full of make-up for the scenes, changed her skin, which started to show more blackheads and pimples. So she developed the habit of manipulating her skin in an attempt to solve the problem.

“When I started spending hours and hours wearing heavy makeup on set, I saw that my skin was suffering and I knew I needed to do more for myself”said the actress

^{Camila Mendes wearing a face mask (Reproduction/Instagram)}

The Habit can become pathological when it starts to be associated with stress and dysfunctional behaviors, when they run away from the common and cause harm to the individual. This is exactly what happened to Camila:

“Whenever I get a pimple, I destroy it and pick at it until it bleeds, then it becomes a wound that eventually heals. That’s why hyperpigmentation is one of my biggest concerns.”, said the actress, who also said that using face masks and stickers for acne helped her to control the habit. She became the Creative Director of an American skincare brand.

The condition can be classified as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, according to psychologists and researchers Izabel Nilsa Brocco Coginotti and Aline Henriques Reis in the article Disorder of excoriation (Skin Picking): literature review. In the publication, the authors detail how emotional factors influence the manifestation of the symptoms of the disorder.

“It can involve a series of behaviors or rituals directed at a specific type of scab or bump. For some individuals, the behavior occurs in a more focused way (when seeking relief from tension). For others, automatically (the preceding tension is not perceptible). Or, it can occur in a mixed way. Feelings reported as triggers are related to boredom or anxiety and a growing tension that precedes the behavior of pinching or resisting this impulse.”, says an excerpt from the publication.

Also according to the publication, at the same time that carriers do not usually seek help, the scientific community and doctors still little debate on the subject. However, the condition can be treated, with dermatologists and psychotherapists being the most suitable professionals.

Featured photo: Camila Mendes. Playback/Instagram