If you're looking for a skin picking app or tool to help manage skin picking or face touching, you have more options than you might think. From real-time detection to wearables, habit trackers, and low-tech reminders, here's an honest overview of what's available and how they compare.
The short version: choose the tool that matches where your picking happens. If most episodes happen while you work, study, browse, or stream on your computer, a real-time skin picking app like Untouched is a strong first option. If picking happens across many settings away from your computer, a wearable or manual tracker may be a better starting point.
What to Look for in a BFRB Tool
Before comparing specific options, it helps to know what features matter most for skin picking and face touching:
- Real-time detection vs. manual logging: Tools that catch the behavior as it happens are more effective than those that rely on you to log after the fact (awareness matters most)
- Automatic vs. effortful tracking: The less effort required, the more likely you'll use it consistently
- Privacy: Any tool that monitors your behavior needs to handle your data responsibly
- Pattern insights: Data on when, how often, and under what conditions the behavior occurs
- Non-judgmental feedback: Alerts should build awareness, not shame
Real-Time Detection Tools
Untouched
What it does: Untouched is a skin picking app that uses your Mac's webcam and AI-powered face/hand landmark detection to identify when your hands move toward your face. It provides gentle real-time alerts and tracks your patterns over time.
Strengths:
- Real-time detection catches automatic behavior you wouldn't notice on your own
- All processing happens locally on your Mac. No video is sent to any server, ever.
- Tracks frequency, timing, and trends automatically
- Runs in the background without requiring active effort
- Free to try
Limitations:
- macOS only (requires a Mac)
- Only works during computer use (doesn't cover bathroom, bedtime, or other contexts)
- Requires webcam access
Best for: People whose picking or face touching happens primarily during computer use (which is when most automatic behavior occurs). Especially useful as a complement to habit reversal training.
Wearable Sensors (Keen2 by HabitAware)
What it does: A smart bracelet that detects hand-to-face movements using motion sensors and provides a vibration alert.
Strengths:
- Works in all contexts (not just at a computer)
- Discreet, looks like a regular bracelet
- Companion app for tracking patterns
Limitations:
- Motion-based detection can produce false positives (alerts when you're not actually touching your face)
- Can't distinguish between intentional touching (applying skincare) and unconscious touching
- Requires charging and wearing consistently
- Subscription-based pricing
Best for: People who need awareness support throughout the day, not just during computer use.
Habit Tracking Apps
General Habit Trackers (Streaks, Habitica, Loop)
What they do: Allow you to log habits, build streaks, and visualize progress over time.
Strengths:
- Simple, low-barrier entry
- Gamification can provide motivation (streaks, rewards)
- Work on any device
- Many are free
Limitations:
- Require manual logging, which means you only capture episodes you notice
- Don't detect the behavior automatically
- Can reinforce all-or-nothing thinking (broken streaks feel like failure)
- Not designed specifically for BFRBs
Best for: Supplementary tracking alongside a primary awareness tool. Good for logging non-computer-related episodes manually.
BFRB-Specific Apps (SkinPick, TrichStop)
What they do: Apps designed specifically for skin picking or hair pulling. Include features like logging, trigger tracking, and sometimes community support.
Strengths:
- Designed with BFRB users in mind
- Include relevant trigger categories and tracking fields
- Some offer evidence-based tips and strategies
Limitations:
- Still rely on manual logging
- App ecosystems can be small (less active development)
- Some are outdated or poorly maintained
Best for: People who want a dedicated logging tool with BFRB-specific features.
Low-Tech Options
Not everything needs to be an app.
Scented Hand Cream
Apply a distinctly scented cream or lotion to your hands. When your hand approaches your face, the scent serves as a passive alert.
Colored Wristbands or Bandages
A bright wristband on your dominant hand serves as a visual cue. Bandages on your fingertips reduce picking precision and create awareness through physical sensation.
Environmental Modifications
Covering mirrors, adjusting lighting, and keeping fidget objects within reach are zero-cost interventions that reduce triggers directly.
The best tool is the one you'll actually use consistently. A simple wristband you wear every day beats a sophisticated app you abandon after a week. Start with what feels sustainable and build from there.
Building a Multi-Layer Approach
No single tool covers every context. The most effective approach layers multiple tools:
- Real-time detection (Untouched or a wearable) for catching automatic behavior
- Manual logging (a habit tracker or journal) for episodes that happen away from detection tools
- Environmental modifications for reducing trigger exposure
- Grounding techniques for managing acute urges
Getting Started
If most of your picking or face touching happens during computer use, start with webcam-based detection. If it's more evenly distributed throughout the day, a wearable might be a better first step. If you're not sure where it happens most, start with a week of manual tracking to build your baseline.
Untouched is free to try. It gives you real-time data on your patterns during computer use and runs entirely on your Mac with full privacy.