Acne excoriée--a case report of treatment using habit reversal.

Acne excoriée is a self-inflicted skin condition in which the sufferer has an urge to pick real or imagined acnieform lesions and which results in a worsening and spreading of the acne. The condition differs from most artefactual dermatoses as the patient usually spontaneously admits the self-inflicted nature of the condition. Although this condition is considered to be a neurotic manifestation of the patient, traditional psychiatric treatments have proved unsuccessful.