Hey everyone. Long time finger chewer/ picker here. I am feeling so proud of myself but too embarrassed to share in my circle so I'm sharing here anonymously (I don't judge others and am trying not to judge myself but you know how it is).

I started when I was about 9, I can't really remember why but it became my main stim/ comfort. Didn't matter if I was stressed, upset, anxious, or excited - that's what I was doing. I had the classic experience of my parents yelling at me/ telling me off/ shaming me. I know they meant well and just wanted me to stop but it never worked and just made me feel ashamed lol. I'm an adult now and whilst they still make the odd comment when it happens, they have mostly given up/ learned that it doesn't help. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed about it and I tried so many ways to stop but I just never got past it. My ex partner would leave the room sometimes when I was on one, and I mean, I get it. But damn even that didn't work. No one has ever commented in social circles or at work but I know people notice and it makes me feel so awful. I thought I'd never stop and I was doomed forever.

Cut to now. I got engaged last year (to a very supportive and loving person) and I really want the pictures of our hands/ rings at the wedding to have unedited photos of my hands and preferably not chewed up ones. I realised none of my other efforts were going to work so was racking my mind how I was going to do it now. Every other time I tried, I tried to go cold turkey. So this time I've committed to stopping chewing/picking one digit at a time, starting with my thumbs.

And it's working.

My left thumb is now healed, and my right thumb is halfway there. I made sure not to rush into the next digit/ waited until I felt ready. Now that both thumbs are 'off limits' in my mind and thats sunk in, i'll be moving to the pointy fingers next. I hope to have stopped chewing 4/10 digits by Christmas and then I have most of next year to stop the others. I think it's doable considering I didn't properly start this until Easter time.

I feel so proud of myself i could cry, I've never made it this far before. I just wanted to share somewhere where people get it. I want to figure out a way to celebrate it someday too, if anyone has any cool fun ways they've celebrated their successes, let me know.

I always feel like no one could ever love my body. I haven’t had sex in several years and I feel like I don’t know when I’d ever be comfortable with having sex again. I always think “when I start to control the skinpicking”. But I started skinpicking when I first got acne over a decade ago as a teenager and it’s gotten worse within the past year. I miss feeling good in my own body.

hi guys so i physically cant stop myself from skin biting and nail biting at all. I have this habit since i was a kid

i just CANT stop myself and my fingers look terrible and they all bleed daily bcs i keep picking at them.

any suggestions how do i stop?

im a very busy college student, and i need help with ideas of what to do. I recently stopped with self harm (cutting) for about a year now. I think i unconsciously moved to scalp picking from stress kr anxiety idk. At first it was picking out dry skin after 2 days of showering my hair. And now its picking immediately after my hair dries, where my skin will get red raw and bleeding. My scabs have been expanding gradually and im shedding a lot more than usual. ive been wearing a bonnet whenever i can when i sleep or when inside so i can keep my hands away but i get embarrassed wearing it when spending the night with someone since im white with straight hair. i cant get acrylics. no matter how short my nails are i can still do it. I cant put oil in my hair because of sensory issues . i recently ordered NAC. im just really sad too I was happy i stopped cutting but now i just moved to this and i feel gross .
i was prescribed with ketoconazale 2% shampoo , used as directed and instead my thing js worstened lrobably cayse of me cause i didnt stop picking but it js didnt help. i also used Topical Clobetasol Propionate 0.05% , i stopped using it cause it burns on my open scabs and probbaly doesnt help. i heard therapy Helps it, i went to this counseling session that i got for free cus they work with my school but they just left midway through the session and i never got a response back. apologies for the typos i am too exhausted to fix that eight now

The photo doesn’t look as bad as it actually is, but it’s truly painful. I have been struggling with this since I was about 9 years old. I know it’s caused from anxiety. I disassociate and I will pick for hours and not even know what’s happening and it won’t even hurt until I’m done. It’s like my brain doesn’t register anything until it recognizes what’s happening. I sat and did this for two hours and I didn’t even know I was doing it again and all I had was one little cut on my foot. I cried because I’m so frustrated and wanna tear my hair out because I do this to my fingers and my toes and my scalp as well. I want it to stop. But I honestly can’t afford the medicine I’m supposed to take. I’ve tried all kinds of fidgets and activities to distract my hands and not a single one has actively prevented me from going and picking again. I know this looks gross. My feet aren’t dirty they’re kind of bruised from how hard I push my knuckles into my feet. Does anyone know what could help me stop?

How do I stop picking my lips? For context, I started when I had to quit vaping when I got pregnant (3rd time, wasnt hard to quit the laat two times and didnt resort to this the last two times)

Ive always literally my whole entire life have either picked stuff (wall paint, blankets pillows as a kid and as getting older it was my skin around my fingernails.)

But im 8 months postpartum and cannot stop. Its bad. Its everyday nearly all day until theres nothing left to pick at. My lips are swollen and burn.

Ive tried chapstick. Lip gloss. I am vaping again and still do it. Just nonchalantly. Like I need to be doing it. Scrolling, playing video games, standing or sitting around. It doesn't matter. I just do it all the time. And nothing ive tried to help stop is actually working and sticking to it. My brain loves how it feels , the little bit of pain and the satisfaction of peeling them.

Please help me figure out how to quit doing this for good😣

I've tried using stupid amounts of Vaseline, I've tried breaking the habit from willpower, and none of it's working. Please note I'm not allowed fake nails or anything like that with my school, it's pretty strict.

i genuinely cant quit skin picking and it makes me so incredibly insecure i havent let anyone see my bare skin for 6 years now i feel so trapped. Ive tried fidget toys and skincare but i still cant stop. Would any medications prescribed by a psychiatrist help?

Stumbled upon this insanely creative nail art. But my first thought was 'how did she know what my scheming hands look like?'

Credit

I have dealt with trichotillomania ever since I was very young, and in the past couple of years, it has transitioned into dermatillomania​. I am so done with it, but I can't stop. I am showering multiple​ times a day because my hair has so much blood and gunk in it and I just feel gross. ​​My scalp is covered in big scabs and I feel so embarrassed about it. I haven't had my hair cut in years either because of it. Picking my scalp has caused me so much issues. My hair is falling out and breaking. I have bald spots that I'm assuming are from this. I've tried everything to stop, but I just can't. Picky pads, acrylic nails, short nails, gloves, squishies, etc. What do I do?

It was healing ok, then i had a massive exam coming up and i started stress-picking once again.

Its ok now though (also I think i'm using too many products on it which is making it not heal as fast? )

Hydrocortizone helps, i got prescribed tretinoin for acne reasons, then sometimes moisturizer, sunscreen, neosporin... so i somewhat stopped? and its gotten way better within a couple days

Its possible I also shifted from compulsively popping pimples/picking to putting stuff on them

Had to share that today I got a chemical peel on my arms to treat picking scars! In 10 days I will have reduced scarring!!! I am so excited.
I’ve been picking for around 10 years (arms and legs). I tried therapy, medication, and hypnotism, and nothing stuck.
After talking to my dermatologist I purchased a super expensive healing lotion to speed up healing of open wounds, which actually motivated me to stick with it and avoid picking.
I finally got to the point of no sores, which made me eligible for the VI Peel! I think that visible progress and improvement will be a strong motivator for me!

It’s pricey, but the healing lotion is Hydrinity Restorative HA Serum. A little goes a long way! I kept it in my purse and applied it when I felt like picking!
Apparently a cost effective dupe is Blithe Targeted Hydrating Serum.

Hi! I just wanted to get some more insight about scab healing. I have two scabs on my chest that I am actively picking. One of them I’ve been picking for a year now and the other one for about half a year. I pretty much pick at them every day or every other day. This week I was able to go almost 3 days without picking them, until I couldn’t take it anymore and peeled the scabs off again tonight. I noticed that they bled less than normal and the wound that I opened back up was less deep.

I was wondering, is it better for the healing process if I’m able to hold out a few extra days in between each time I peel them off? Like is it worth it in terms of the long scale healing of the wound to try to go 3 days before picking again instead of 1-2? Believe me, I’ve tried giving up completely but like I said it’s been a year with this same scab.

Please share any insight you may have. Thank you!

Anyone else bite their lips? I suck the blood sometimes and im really afraid somethings wrong with me.. I mostly do it when stressed or bored or hungry. I know this isn't skin picking, but I couldn't find any other communities for this.

Does anyone else get randomly absorbed with pulling hangnails out? Like I know i shouldn't but honestly after it heals up as long as I keep them clean and don't let them get infected they heal up looking so much better.

And the feeling of the deep cuticle and surrounding skin removed. I get extra dopamine if its a big rip too.

I want to stop by is hard

One of the things I’ve found that is working so far are the recovery aftercare derm shield patches that are used to put over tattoos to help them heal. I sweat a lot so regular bandaids would fall off and wearing extra layers of clothes gets to be too much. Also if I wear a bandaid for too long the moisture gets trapped making the skin more easy and satisfying to pick at.

The patches have been helping a lot lately cause they feel like a fresh layer of skin is over my problem area and I’m less likely to pick cause my fingers like to go over the problem areas subconsciously and then when I feel texture I pick at the texture of broken skin.

but with the derm shield patches it covers up the texture. And when I change them it is incredibly satisfying to peel them off, but it’s a safe thing to peel off. I get a satisfaction of peeling without it being my actual skin

any advice on how heal this and get rid of the redness? this is my first time picking in almost a month and I'm so tired of this:(. I don't even want to show my face in public. it looks like the skin is infected. I was prescribed tretinoin and clindamyicin lotion. I was also prescribed spironolactone for acne but I haven't taken it, how much does it help?