ive been picking and biting the skin around my fingernails since i was like 8 years old. nothing seems to help to stop it. ive tried band aids - they fall off after washing my hands and hold water inside and that wrinkled skin is even easier to pick. hand cream/lotion - dries off in like 2 seconds and i hate it (also worth mentioning that i have sensory issues). cutting my nails short seems to stop the scratching but i still bite it. KT tape works for a while because its stronger than bandaids, but im embarrassed to walk around with blue tape on my fingers and it still falls off after 3 or 4 hand washes.

reminding used to work for a while - i did it a little less when my partner was reminding me but now i just do it everywhere they wont see me do it, in the bathroom, or anywhere we're not together.

whenever i look for advice on the internet i always come across advice that you just need to paint your nails. im a guy. i wont paint my nails for that. and before someone suggests it - ive tried clear nail polish before. but i applied it really poorly and hated the way it felt so i scratched it off.

any other ideas? what should i do to stop??

Think of your skin as a garden. It needs time and care to bloom beautifully 🌸🪴

I’ve been picking my skin (both thumbs) for over 15 years now and it’s been a battle for me to stop. I have scars now and I don’t think they’re going to go away.. people would look at my thumbs and let me know that my thumbs were bleeding and ask what’s wrong with them. It didn’t bother me much and honestly i didnt think there was anything wrong with picking the skin until recently. Then i also told my doctor about it and my mental health. I’ve been on depression med for about 6mo and stopped taking it for about a week. I also noticed that I stopped picking my skin for about a week or two. I mean i still pick on my thumbs without realizing it but i stop immediately. I don’t know how long this would last.. but im also still kind of hesitant to accept that it’s something I need to stop..? Anyone thinking this way?

Hello, I’ve been skin picking for over 3 years now. I just recently found out that I do in fact have dermatillomania. I mostly pick at my fingers.

I notice sometimes when I pick to the point where I start to bleed, that it is very difficult to get it to stop bleeding and clot up. Any advice on how to fix this? I have a job where I’m constantly using my hands & my job provides first aid but my boss has been laying into me for using supplies for something other than emergency.

I’m a barista, and I’m often one to clean the coffee mugs, the espresso machine, and several other things with this chemical called Cafisa…. If anyone in here knows what that is, it’s strong as can be. It also works best with scalding hot water to clean. It has dried out my hands COMPLETELY, and since I have dermatillomania, it’s total hell since my fingers are my fixation. I have the option to wear gloves, but it’s impossible to grasp things with them, on top of them being made out of latex (I’m allergic).

Any advice on how to fix extremely dried out fingers/how to stop this???

Does anybody else really like the intense burn after disinfecting a patch of picked skin? It’s crazy. I’ll pick, then use a lot of the disinfectant, then let it semi heal over and then pick again within an hour to disinfect YET again.

It’s a mix feeling of frustration, satisfaction, shame and the lack of willpower to stop.

Here’s a quote for today!

~first steps~ You don't need to see the entire path to take the first step. You can take the first step with fear and doubt. You can take it with hope and trust... Too often we think we need to have it all figured out and planned before we can start. But the truth is, the best journeys taken aren't planned from start to finish. They take unexpected twists and turns to lead us where we need to go. They take longer than we think they will. They teach us things we could have never prepared for... So when you find yourself at the foot of a path, don't worry about everything ahead. Just take the first step, you will find your way. - Nikki Banas | Walk the Earth

I've dealt with this problem my entire life. I remember bonding with my best friend in preschool over the fact we both pick our nails. I'm 21 now and still struggle and idk how to stop because even when I try really hard I'll crack

I chew my lips til they bleed and peel the scabs off. I chew the inside of my cheeks, I have mounds on the corners of my lips which is my favorite chewing spot. I hate pictures of my hands because my fingers are always bleeding and have chunks out of them. My nails never grow past the tip of my finger before they're being bitten or ripped off.

Pimples on my face? Plucking them right off. Calluses on my feet? Don't need to exfoliate when I can just peel it off. It's so bad. I even use tooks like nail clippers to make a piece of skin I can pull on if I have no where to start from.

My boyfriend is constantly swatting my hand away from my mouth (I told him to do this if he catches me) cause I'm always biting my nails and skin on my fingers

I seriously can’t stop. I don’t even care that the scabs are on my face. I usually make it until around 4pm before I end up picking them all off; one in the corner of my mouth, one underneath my lip, and I even have one above my ear on my scalp where I turned a mosquito bite into a scab.

I’m a 33 year old male and am really struggling with this condition. I feel like it is initiated by stress. The longer I can keep myself busy, the longer I go without picking.

I live rurally and don’t have insurance so I pretty much try to self medicate myself, with mixed results.

After years, hell, probably even decades of picking at my skin I really wanna quit it now. I know there's gonna be setbacks and hard times, after all I've been doing it all my life basically, mostly without realizing what my fingers were even doing, absentmindedly picking at everything slightly uneven, but I do wanna try my best. I've had acne issues ever since I was probably 9 years old and was never one to care for skincare shit (sensory issues would be my guess, as I'm autistic (makes the habit/compulsion/stim even harder to quit, I know)) but I really wanna wanna be done with it, it's enough. The last few weeks it has gotten out of control, making my skin look worse than, well, probably ever. My face, my chest, my back, my legs, my shoulders, my arms, everything is covered in scabs and scars. I always kinda thought "it wasn't that bad, I've got it under control" but the last weeks have taught me that's the opposite of true. I've started using skincare products (turns out, not so bad after all :)) and I have been able to reduce my picking a lot but never completely. I know there probably will always be something to pick at if my brain wants to find something, I just hope there's some kind of timeline, like, strictly sticking to the skincare routine and skipping the picking sessions for x days/weeks will make it easier? Is it a sole question of letting my skin physically heal for once or is it just as much getting over the mental part as well, is there a timeline for it, comparable to eg addictions, so I can tell myself if I manage to keep my fingers off the first x days, the worst part will be over? (Given I don't screw up at some point, obviously). Anyways, thanks for reading through all of this if you did and I hope I get to call tomorrow my first real "skinpicking-free" day :)

After years, hell, probably even decades of picking at my skin I really wanna quit it now. I know there's gonna be setbacks and hard times, after all I've been doing it all my life basically, mostly without realizing what my fingers were even doing, absentmindedly picking at everything slightly uneven, but I do wanna try my best. I've had acne issues ever since I was probably 9 years old and was never one to care for skincare shit (sensory issues would be my guess, as I'm autistic (makes the habit/compulsion/stim even harder to quit, I know)) but I really wanna wanna be done with it, it's enough. The last few weeks it has gotten out of control, making my skin look worse than, well, probably ever. My face, my chest, my back, my legs, my shoulders, my arms, everything is covered in scabs and scars. I always kinda thought "it wasn't that bad, I've got it under control" but the last weeks have taught me that's the opposite of true. I've started using skincare products (turns out, not so bad after all :)) and I have been able to reduce my picking a lot but never completely. I know there probably will always be something to pick at if my brain wants to find something, I just hope there's some kind of timeline, like, strictly sticking to the skincare routine and skipping the picking sessions for x days/weeks will make it easier? Is it a sole question of letting my skin physically heal for once or is it just as much getting over the mental part as well, is there a timeline for it, comparable to eg addictions, so I can tell myself if I manage to keep my fingers off the first x days, the worst part will be over? (Given I don't screw up at some point, obviously). Anyways, thanks for reading through all of this if you did and I hope I get to call tomorrow my first real "skinpicking-free" day :)

After years, hell, probably even decades of picking at my skin I really wanna quit it now. I know there's gonna be setbacks and hard times, after all I've been doing it all my life basically, mostly without realizing what my fingers were even doing, absentmindedly picking at everything slightly uneven, but I do wanna try my best. I've had acne issues ever since I was probably 9 years old and was never one to care for skincare shit (sensory issues would be my guess, as I'm autistic (makes the habit/compulsion/stim even harder to quit, I know)) but I really wanna wanna be done with it, it's enough. The last few weeks it has gotten out of control, making my skin look worse than, well, probably ever. My face, my chest, my back, my legs, my shoulders, my arms, everything is covered in scabs and scars. I always kinda thought "it wasn't that bad, I've got it under control" but the last weeks have taught me that's the opposite of true. I've started using skincare products (turns out, not so bad after all :)) and I have been able to reduce my picking a lot but never completely. I know there probably will always be something to pick at if my brain wants to find something, I just hope there's some kind of timeline, like, strictly sticking to the skincare routine and skipping the picking sessions for x days/weeks will make it easier? Is it a sole question of letting my skin physically heal for once or is it just as much getting over the mental part as well, is there a timeline for it, comparable to eg addictions, so I can tell myself if I manage to keep my fingers off the first x days, the worst part will be over? (Given I don't screw up at some point, obviously). Anyways, thanks for reading through all of this if you did and I hope I get to call tomorrow my first real "skinpicking-free" day :)

Hi guys. I have been struggling with dermatillomania for a while. But I am really trying to stop. To stop my skin from getting infected/irritated, what should I do after I pick my skin? Should I wash it with my face wash?

Let’s do this together. Everyday I’m gonna post and this can be a checkpoint for all of us if you want to join in. Let’s support each other and share our progress for the next month!

i’m about to buy some aquaphor lip repair cuz it says for severely dry lips so if i put some of this on and leave it and don’t touch it will stop being chapped eventually? i can’t help but feel like once they already start peeling i have to finish the job. i don’t stop cuz they always come off so easily i can sometimes get my bottom lip in two pieces split in the middle.

ive struggled with what i think is dermatillomania since i was like 8 or 9. i could never understand why i was doing this and why i just couldnt leave my skin alone. i noticed i pick at the inner cheeks in my mouth my cuticles and skin horribly. im looking for ANYTHING that might help my skin heal from dark spots. also looking for a good skin care routine, i have no idea where to start

I just found this quote while googling the reason for dermatillomania (I just wanted to see if there was some reason I behave this way). It's from this site. i dont know, i read it and i just started crying. i literally just finished another picking session after promising myself i was going to do better, and every time i feel so bad about myself. i feel guilt, and shame, and every time i do it i regret it. this quote from this website truly made me cry because what i go through is not a choice. every night i dream of going swimming or having a sleepover and being able to go out with my natural skin, without makeup. i would do anything to stop. absolutely anything. and i WANT to stop so bad. and i always blame myself for doing this. however, it truly is not a choice. i don't want this. but something happens where i just do it. i HAVE to. sometimes i'll stop myself from doing it, go do something else, and the entire time i'll just be thinking about how i have to go back to the mirror and pop something. i genuinely cant turn it off. and i feel as though the first step to getting better is to realize that this isnt really my fault. instead of beating ourselves up over how we do this to our bodies, lets work together to find a replacement for the sense of relief picking gives us. please, remember to be kind to yourselves. this is something that i always forget. and, at the end of the day, i am always open to talk to anyone on here if you wanna let out some frusturation. im going through the same thing as you, and its so hard not to beat myself up about it, but remember, IT IS NOT A CHOICE. we got this! stay strong

edit: BYE i meant to say habit in the title

I'm losing it. I made my sister take a picture so I can actually see the damage I do and I have literal open spots all over my back. I don't know what to do.

My roommate gave me this generic target brand stuff and it has completely changed everything. It’s a healing ointment like it’s literally titled healing ointment and I put it on at night and wake up and it’s completely healed like all of my scabs closed. Of course I pick and open them up again but like PROGRESS

title says it pretty much. way to go! my holidays are probably ruined now.

I picked at my skin, lips, inner cheeks, you name it. But recently i’ve been picking A LOT on my legs and they look like they’ve been attacked very very badly. Ofc i tried covering them wearing pants trying not to think about it but we all know how that goes. One thing i tried which was better than any of the other attempts was Vaseline Im not talking about these fast absorbing creams im talking about that gooey greasy petroleum jelly. I put A LOT on my legs to make it impossible for me to squeeze or use tweezers hell even the absentmindedly touching we do i stopped it because of how much i hate the texture of being greasy.

Still tho i might pick before i apply it and there was a time where i was so stimulated that i wen and washed it off just so i can pick at me legs that’s a battle im trying to figure out but i just have to say that im picking significantly less especially the absentmindedly picking

Hi everyone, was diagnosed in january it was just finger and arm picking at first but over the past 2 months ive tried picking the skin under my breast (left specifically), i have marks, scars, bumps and actual holes due to how bad its been. I just wanted to know if anyone else has picked this part of their body and how you helped not? Ive currently been trying plastered/bandaids but i just keep taking them off. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and read my post guys!

would love to stop picking (obviously) and i found that having another repetitive stimming motion helps to satisfy the urge. ive been using knitting to keep my hands busy, but i get cramps and if i don’t have a project i can’t use it. i also found recently that chewing works on the urge, but i can’t exactly start chomping on objects in public like that. i’ve also struggled with biting nails, so that might be why chewing helps, but i don’t really want to further develop an oral fixation. does anyone have any alternative, non harmful, and lowkey stims i could use in public? thanks!

I’m starting to feel so hopeless. It’s like I’m too creative for my own good. First I get acrylics to stop it, then I figure out how to pic with the acrylics. Then I’m back to square one with natural nails but I want to do what I did with the acrylics so I start using fucking HAIRCLIPS. I am so addicted to the point where while dermaplaning I’ve caught myself trying to squeeze pimples or black heads with the damn razor. Everytime I figure out a way to prevent myself from picking, I come up with a new way to do it. Often times more dangerous each time. I hate how I look I hate my body right now I’m just covered in giant circular red scars that cover my chest and arms. I had to put makeup on my chest at my sisters wedding for gods sake. It’s not like I want to keep doing this. I hate this. I just zoned out for the last 2 hours in the bathroom and all I went in there for was to pee. I can’t trust myself anymore. I’ve started avoiding showers and procrastinating brushing my teeth just so I won’t be in there with the lights illuminating any little texture. I have found myself picking literally in my sleep, like I’ll be half awake and realize “hey, I’ve been scratching at my arm for the last few minutes looking for scabs and now I’m bleeding all over the bed.” Idk. This feels stupid I feel stupid. I’m probably going to delete this in the morning. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m at my wits end. I cannot function on a basic level as a human being anymore.

I picked my skin before an having my family reunion tomorrow and i feel so ashamed, i promised myself i wouldn't do it again but i did. I know it may sound silly but it makes me want to not go outside and just lock myself inside because of my skin