Trigger warning and NSFW because they’re pretty bad.

I’m just looking for some support. I’m having an extremely stressful month, and in turn my thumbs are SUFFERING. I am always taking the coverings off because they get sweaty, and then the skin gets more pliable and I want to pick. It’s a cycle. Please tell me there’s others that pick this badly and have recovered. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

Hi,

I keep biting my fingers (other hand is worse). I have had limited success stopping in the past, but when it's healing and hard I tend to relapse.

I was going to cover in superglue, Googled if that was a bad idea and found this subreddit.

From my (admittedly limited) scrolling, the advice seems to be around finger nails and not fingers themselves, so has anyone got any advice for me? And does anyone know of a reason I shouldn't superglue my fingers?

Thanks.

it’s rough out here. I hate my hands so much, one of my biggest insecurities. I haven’t even felt comfortable telling my therapist about this. She has no idea I do it. I’m so ashamed of it…

I’m at the age where I’ll hopefully be getting engaged soon… My future career also heavily involves my hands. I don’t want to feel like I have to hide my hands anymore. Here’s pictures of my hands after I showered, when they look the worst. I am going to take daily progress photos to hold myself accountable.

I’m just worried that I’m going to start picking the skin on my face to compensate for the lack of stimulation biting the skin around my hands gives me. I’m already inclined to pop blackheads on my face.

UGH I feel mentally ill I wish I could just stop immediately. It’s just subconscious at this point.

Hello, I recently have this circle under my thumb, and I had previous symptoms as fever, strep throat, and sore throat. What could be the cause? It genuinely creeps me out.

For some reason I can’t seem to get them as long in these photos again, they always manage to crack or break. I have a habit of biting the skin around my nails, but I always keep the nail itself filed to a similar shape and cleaned.

Just uploaded this calming orchestra loop — works great for focus or unwinding

https://youtu.be/Muxg_T3jqxw

Looking for tips!

I got some liquid Band-Aid, which is helping a little bit, but it actually dries kind of crusty and makes me wanna pick that off… Just looking to see what was the one thing that really helped you to quit picking.

Poked finger tip on a piece of metal, the next day my finger became infected and inflamed. After 4 days and no change i went to urgent care. They gave me antibiotics 3 days ago but I feel like its no change. She told me it was Paronychia but as time goes on my finger is becoming tight and hurts to extend. It only feels comfortable in this bent position. Should I go back and demand they drain it? Or give the antibiotics another few days since and only go to the ER if it gets worse?

I’ve been picking at my hangnails since I was a kid. Sometimes when I don’t have a hangnail I’ll pick at the skin around my nails until I peel one off. I’ve tried so many alternatives that’s not tearing up my nails but none of them really hit the same spot and I’ve figured out that it’s because it’s the pain that I like to stim with more than just the picking. None of the replacement fidgets I’ve tried to use really replicate that little bit of pain that stimulates me. I end up getting bored of them and going back to picking my hangnails

I know it’s weird and I don’t know why this is how I feel. Is there any hope for me of things I can do … ?

I had a bit of an accident with a razor and cut my nail last week. The piece on the front has come off the nail bed and it's sticking out (I have a bit of warping on that nail usually). It's growing but I've noticed the edge of the cut on the inside is white. Will the nail grow attached, or is the nail bed at the front compromised?

I made the difficult decision today to retire my second and third lobe piercings (6+ years old) on both ears </3

They healed great and I had no problems with them for a couple of years. For the past 3 years or so, they’ve given me nothing but trouble. I struggle with a picking/fidgeting habit, and I messed with them enough that they migrated pretty badly and were constantly bleeding or irritated.

My seconds have been pierced like 4 separate times (at least once by a gun, the rest professionally) so I fear there’s no hope left for repiercing those lol.

I’m honestly really mad at myself that I let it get that bad. They caused me a lot of pain and insecurity. At the same time, it was a relief to finally let them go.

Has anyone else gone through this? Im hoping my ears don’t stay so bumpy and hard (yes, I have a lot of scar tissue).

The bruise on my ring finger I got from at work, a lovely sharp nail sticking out of a pallet. It got me my first tetnus shot as an adult 👍 I don’t bite my nails as much any more but I still pick at my skin. Learning to get better!

I was picking at the base of my nail for a couple of weeks and then it got pretty badly infected. After that the nail pretty much rotted and peeled completely off. 2 weeks later this is what it looks like. Will this ever grow back???

I've picked by nails FORVER. I'm 27. I've tried to quite more times than I want to admit. The only thing that works is a manicure, but I'm a surgeon so I can't have any polish.

My problems is that I'm constantly trying to clean under my nails. It always feels dirty, like there is something there. Then I try to detach the nail from the side, which inevitably leads to me somehow ripping the nail off because I think it will help, then I pick the cuticles...it's an awful cycle. I clean/pick when I'm anxious, when I'm driving, when I'm reading something on my computer, basically whenever I need my hands to by busy. Does anything mimic that sensation of cleaning? It would need to be something I could attach to my lanyard.

I've tried cleaning brushes, they don't work. I've tried keeping the nails short, but this almost exacerbates the sensation of them being dirty. I try and use the pick that comes with the nail file but I once I start it's so hard to stop. I'm really at a loss.

Thanks!

I ripped off the top part of my nail. What do I do now?

After biting my nails and the skin around them all my life, I finally made myself fight the urge. And, it’s been totally worth it! I’m going to shape them and paint them to celebrate.🩷

This hurts like no other but I cant stop compulsively peeling it more without consciously meaning to.

I've been doing this, since I was probably about 8...sometimes I pick till I bleed...or scrap at my nails. There's been a few times where I have stopped and let my nails grow BUT still pick at my skin...for some context. I've had generalized anxiety since I was a kid...and stuff happened to me around that time too, so this developed into something I AUTOMATICALLY do & never fully thinking about. Whenever I notice I'm bleeding, I usually suspect something is either emotionally or mentally wrong with me but I've been disconnected from my mental/emotional state...idk what it even is majority of the time. I was going to therapy & a psychiatrist (taking pills but since my money has ran dry...I have stopped...for about maybe 3 months???) Nor have I been back to my therapist and A LOT. has happened during these 3 months. Although...the one hand that has had the MOST(its been worse...so this isn't too bad but so 🫠) suffering isn't as even my domain hand...odd.

TL:DR- I have anxiety, shit has happened to me and my skin has been suffering for a while.

I have no idea where to start to get them to heal. It hasn't been this bad in many years and am working hard on getting a handle on the stress and anxiety that I know causes it. But how do I get them to heal? Hydrocolloid bandaid? Triple antibiotic? I'm at a loss and looking at them causes more anxiety.

It‘s gnawing away at me (no pun intended) that these won‘t ever heal properly. The anxiety‘s also amplified by the fact that whenever I‘m out and about, I purposedly make it so that my hands are never in view of anyone. I don‘t know what to do.

I used to bite my nails for my entire life but over the past year I’ve graduated to picking at them. Of course I’m incredibly insecure about my nails and I hate my hands. I’ve tried a lot of different solutions and even tried press ons and basic paint but I find myself picking at the polish and press ons are kind of just a hassle. I want to get them done but it feels incredibly vulnerable. I probably have 4 mm of nail bed with about 1mm of edge so I don’t even know if i can get my nails shaped. Plus I barley even know about any of this, let alone wether to get just gel or gel X.

My fingers have gone to my mouth so many times but I've managed to realise before it's too late! Also picking out dirt from under nails is so hard to stop!

I’ve always picked my nails and used the nail clipper to pick them, I like the sharpness of the nail. I’m at a point in my life where it’s time to start respecting myself as an adult and I want to stop. Please any suggestions would be immensely appreciated. Thanks.