A woman suffers from a rare condition that makes her pick her own skin off.

Alys Mann, 34, has dermatillomania, which causes her to spend up to three hours a day scratching and picking at her own skin.

The condition makes sufferers unable to stop themselves from carrying out a certain action - often without realising.

There is no cure for the condition but Mrs Mann, from Felinheli, North Wales, hopes to start cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to get her condition under control.

She said: 'I don't want to pick my skin or hurt myself but I can't help it. It's like when people bite their nails.

'Afterwards there is a brief feeling of elation, but then I feel guilty and ashamed.

'I do it without realising, like when I'm just watching TV or something.'

The mother-of-two's first memory of picking off her skin was when she was nine-years-old, when she recalls scratching a scab off her knee at school.

'I think that was the first time I picked but I didn't get really bad until my early twenties,' she said.

'I mainly pick on my legs but I also do my chest, face, arms and anywhere else I can reach.

'I want all my skin to be smooth so if there's anything that's rough like a trapped hair or scab then I will pick it off.

'Then when it scabs back over I want it to be smooth again so I'll pick it again. It keeps going until I am left with a scar.'

Mrs Mann has learned to come to terms with her condition, but she is worried her children will be affected by seeing her scratch herself. 

She said: 'I saw my daughter picking a few spots on her face and I worried she had it. I've always been very upfront with her though so I think she'll be okay.

'I'm hoping by the time my son gets a bit older I will be better.

'Aled (her husband) hates that I pick and will tell me to stop, but it's not that easy.' 

She added: 'It's hard because I can't take the kids swimming and I can't wear shorts because of the scarring of my legs.

'I'm hoping that when I can get referred for CBT I can stop picking and maybe get some laser treatment to remove the scars so I don't feel as self-conscious.'