At the weekend, I spent a night in a hotel. The room was non-descript: a bed, a lamp, a corner to chuck my suitcase in. But there was one detail of the design that caught my eye as soon as I shut the door behind me: a magnified shaving mirror.

For most people, seeing their face in such magnified detail is something to be avoided, only necessary when they’re touching up their make-up or, as the name suggests, shaving. But as someone with dermatillomania, having such magnified access to every blemish, bump or slight imperfection on my face feels like an invitation to pick.

It’s not something I want to do. Also known as skin picking or excoriation disorder, dermatillomania is a mental health condition where you cannot stop picking at your skin. It falls under the category of obsessive-compulsive disorders and is believed to affect around one in 20 people – one of those being me.

Dermatillomania: 5 expert tips for breaking a skin picking habit