When “Just Popping a Zit” Isn’t Just That:Why Estheticians Are on the Front Lines of Recognizing Skin Picking Disorder

When “Just Popping a Zit” Isn’t Just That: Why Estheticians Are on the Front Lines of Recognizing Skin Picking Disorder

By NASNPROtv | May 2025

What if that “pimple popper” client in your chair isn’t dealing with a breakout—but a mental health disorder?

As skincare professionals, estheticians often see what most healthcare providers don’t: the physical and emotional impacts of compulsive skin picking, also known as Excoriation Disorder (or Dermatillomania). And thanks to our new partnership with the Picking Me Foundation, NASNPRO is proud to be changing the conversation around this often misunderstood condition.

Recognizing Skin Picking Disorder

Why This Matters

Skin picking disorder affects 1 in 20 people—yet it’s rarely diagnosed, let alone understood. Clients may mask it as acne, anxiety, or simply being “bad with skincare routines,” but what they’re often experiencing is a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) rooted in psychological distress.

And guess who they open up to first?

You.

The spa chair has become a place of vulnerability, honesty, and healing. And that makes estheticians powerful allies in the early recognition and support of clients struggling with this disorder.

Meet Lauren McKeaney of Picking Me Foundation

This October 5th at NASNPRO Atlanta, we’re honored to welcome Lauren McKeaney, founder and CEO of the Picking Me Foundation, for a live session where she’ll share her personal journey as a recovering skin picker and break down how spa professionals can:

• Spot the signs of skin picking disorder

• Speak compassionately and without shame

• Refer clients to mental health support tools

• Maintain healthy boundaries as practitioners

Lauren’s advocacy is rooted in her lived experience, and her ability to merge humor, empathy, and realism is exactly what our community needs to better serve the humans behind the skin.

What You Can Start Doing Now

Here are a few actionable steps from the Picking Me Foundation's resources to prepare your practice:

🧠 Know What to Say:

• “Everyone’s picked something, but if it’s interfering with your life, there’s help.”

• Offer support tools like fidgets, fake nails, or coloring—not just skincare.

📋 Have Recs Ready:

• Direct clients to pickingme.org/onlinesupportgroup

• Use IOCDF.org to find a CBT-trained therapist

• Follow and use the hashtag #PickingMe to learn from community voices

🧴 Support Healing Skin:

• Encourage icing trigger areas

• Recommend hydrocolloid patches, bandaids, or occlusives

• Promote clean hands to minimize bacterial risk during scanning

You don’t have to be a mental health expert— your scope of practice says so...but you can be a compassionate connector.

A New Standard of Aesthetic Care

NASNPRO is proud to lead the way in advancing awareness for estheticians and spa owners who want to support whole person wellness—not just treat surface-level concerns.

This partnership with Picking Me Foundation is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more training, printable resources, and certification opportunities.

Join us on October 5th in Atlanta for a powerful presentation by Lauren McKeaney👉 Register at NASNPRO.com/conferences

🧼 You care about skin.

🧠 Let’s care about what’s going on beneath it, too.