Skin picking: A problem among healthcare workers?

be fluid. HCWs frequently suffer from dry skin and irritant contact dermatitis on their hands due to wet work, which may promote SP. Dry, scaly skin, especially periungual, could trigger the need to pluck it off. Regular skin care and protection measures could therefore be of great importance to reduce SP in HCWs. Stress is known to be one of the main trigger factors of pathological SP 7 and may have contributed to the high proportion of SP in this cohort. In pathological SP, behavioral therapy is advised to reduce or avoid undesirable behavior. 3 In view of the fact that skin lesions can also represent an entry point for pathogens, greater attention should be paid to also minor skin lesions and their avoidance, especially in HCWs. To minimize recurrent skin lesions in HCWs, it is considered sensible to counteract factors that may promote and/or intensify the occurrence of SP with preventive measures. Further research is needed on the topic of SP among HCWs to adequately design and implement diagnostic as well as preventive measures in the future.