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jacksmome08 , 24 Dec 2008

im 20 and ive been eating my finger skin all my life.

i'm 20 and i'm happily married and i have a 6 1/2 month old and i'm pregnant again. but all my life, i mean...since i can remember. i have always bitten and eatin the skin off my fingers, i used to bite my nails too but i stopped that. and i eat the skin on my lips sometimes and even scabs when i get them, i used to cut myself just to get scabs so i could pick them. my husband helped me stop that. the biggest thing i do now is just bite my fingers. and i like doing it, its weird, and my fingers look horrible but it makes me feel better. but i'm afraid of future problems with the skin on my fingers, cuz i've been doing it for years. and i haven't found a way to stop. even strong will doesn't help.
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kgolden1234567890
November 03, 2011
I have had a LOT of luck with the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, which is sometimes sold as N-acetyl L-cysteine, for my 11-year-old daughter who severely picks her skin (arms and legs). I'm hoping that everyone on this group will check it out. We started out at 1200mg each day, 600mg in the morning and 600mg in the evening. Then we worked up to 2400mg, 1200 mg in the morning and 1200 mg in the evening, within about 3 or 4 weeks. The study that was done in 2009 showed the best results were after 9 weeks of continuous treatment with this amino acid, also just known as NAC. We saw great results after 6 weeks. Please consider trying it. I am not a doctor, so please weigh out the risks for yourself. It has truly been a godsend. My daughter used to pick to the point of staph infections. She has scars all over her body. It works by regulating the URGE to pick. You can download the summary text of the 2009 study on this website - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19581567. The study was for hair-pulling, but skin-picking and nail-biting result from similar sets of urges.
chel26
November 03, 2011
I have just started using "Hoof Hands: Kick the Habit", which I have avoided doing for almost one year because I did not want to stop biting my fingers. I have used it for about 4 days now and have only tried to bite on a few occassions. The bitter taste of this stuff prevents me from chewing further. The only draw back is if your eating food with your hands, you can sometimes taste it if you dont get it all off beforehand. Also, I will sometimes rub my knuckles still around my mouth and then the taste will rub off on my lips...ewwww. But I guess that is the price I have to pay to get myself to stop. I still want to bite and am waiting for my skin to smooth out so they are not as easily "pickable". It works best to rub the stuff on first thing in the morning (after u shower) and then periodically throughout the day. It tends to last even after washing your hands. Also, it goes on like clear nail polish, so you can sometimes pick it off and it will still work because the taste doesn't get "pciked off" along with it!
amy straub
November 10, 2011
Hello all you other finger pickers. I am Amy and I'm 33. I have been picking at my cuticles for ever. I don't even remember when it started. I also chew on the skin I get off my fingers. I some times do it to the point that every finger is bleeding. My husband hates it when I do it and tries to hold my hand so I will stop. I don't bit my nails because they are to hard and hurt my teeth. I think the habbit started when I started getting hangnails. I now do it when I'm board or watching tv. One thing that helps is if I take the toenail clipers and clip the hangnail off. I keep neosporin next to my favorite chair so i can keep it on my cuticles when they get dry it gets worse. I still have not been able to give up the habbit. I just want to get to the point where I don't make my fingers bleed and hurt. I thought i was the only person who does this. Know one else in my family does this. My children have not picked up this weird habbit and I hope they don't.
chwityhaha
November 13, 2011
I have had this problem all my life. I will literally see a dry piece of cuticle on ONE finger bite that and then before i know it all of my fingers are bleeding. The only thing I've ever done that has helped is I will spend the time with a cuticle nipper and cuticle remover and make my poor fingers look as good as I can get them avoiding the parts of the cuticle that already have scabs. Then I will paint my nails and make them look nice as a sort of motivation to keep it that way. This is by no means a solution because I still pick my fingers I just find that if I make them look nice I can hold off the urge to pick longer. And if you don't trust yourself to not do further damage with the cuticle nippers (I didn't for awhile) then have a manicure. I hope this helps Also I know what you mean about it making you feel better I find myself picking more when I am stressed and for some even though it is painful it makes me feel better.
Angel421
November 14, 2011
All my picking started like this. Instead of biting my nails, I bite the skin around them. I've done it as far back as I remember. Now it's spread. To my hands, my arms, my shoulders and my legs. Its scary that it all started with something so small.
Henza
November 14, 2011
Are there any guys who do this apart from me? I've been doing this since I was a child (I'm 16) and I bite my fingers (the skin). I never knew it was a condition... It's so bad that my dad has offered me 500£ to stop, but I just can't. My dad doesn't understand that the wounds don't hurt and that it feels good. It feels so good and never hurts (I stop before it bleeds). They look horrible when they get wet. I even get a pencil and use the lead to open new 'gaps'. I really want to stop, any tips? Also have I got dermotillophagia? (I pick and bite) EDIT: I literally just cried after reading the other comments. So sad to see so many who have this condition.
MissusS
November 16, 2011
Hey Guys!! I'm 30 years old and I also have been picking at my fingers (and sometimes lips) ever since I can remember! Its always my thumbs, fore fingers and middle fingers on both hands, even as I think what to type here that split second I stop typing, I pick, and hate hate hate it!!! I get cross when I make them bleed, and I'm sick to the back teeth of having disguisting looking fingers!! I always try to hide them or position my hands/fingers so people cant see the rawness of them. My husband constantly moans at me to stop, but this has been going on for 25+ years and I dont know how to stop!! Please if anyone has any suggestions on how to stop would be greatly apprieciated!!! HELP!!!!!! I'm at my wits end!!! :-(
Anjellytube
November 19, 2011
I'm A 14 Year Old Girl And I've Been Doing All This Since I Was Like 4 And I Can't Stop Biting My Nails Off And My Skin I Even Take Off My Lips Skin Off And Even My Skin From Inside Of My Mouth And I Even Take Off My Skin From My Toes And My Nails From My Toes And I Use To Eat To Eat My Nails And Skin But Now I Only Bite It Off And Throw It On The Floor I Only Eat My Skin From Inside Of My Mouth And There Was Only Like 3 Times That I Stopped From Biting My Nails And Those 2 Or 3 Times I Only Stopped For Like 2 Or 3 Weeks But Than Later I Started To Again And I Just Can't Stop For Ever But I Just Have To Stop My Dad Get's Pissed And My Nail's Look Ugly, ):,'
sammygirl
November 29, 2011
Well i have been biting (and eating) my nails since probably the 4th or 5th grade, but I stopped this summer. I still pick and eat the skin around my fingers but they never bleed. Usually, to stop me from doing that, I remember this gross scene from Black Swan where the ballerina was ripping skin off her cuticle and ran all the way to her knuckles (I'm seriously shuddering just thinking about that). Even though I know that that was fake, it was a prop hand or something, it really creeps me out so that works! Also, I got support from my mom, who told me that she would consider buying acrylics when my nails reached a certain length (FYI, I never got them because I don't need them! :D ). I also did stuff to keep my hands away from my mouth and face or distract myself from eating them. For example, I would eat snacks when I wanted to bite my nails or I would draw some project. Even when I was watching TV, I would try to cross my arms or even sit on my hands!! Putting nail polish never worked for me, 'cause I would keep trying to bite my nails and the polish would chip and peel easily. Sometimes rubbing garlic on my nails, eating a lollipop or chewing gum would work. I hope this helped anyone who is reading this:)
nicrey21
December 09, 2011
I am nicole i am 17 years old and i have been eating and picking my finger(skin) since i can remember i bite them til they bleed i cant stop it started with my nails but i dont bite my nails any more my mom and pyschichist think its anxiety and i think my anxiety has to do with it but i take medicene for it and it does not effect my finger biting i awas so happy when i saw im not the only one with these habit or whatever you wanna call it kids at school call me alien fingers and i dont like to hold hands with my boyfriend or write in public because people notice the redness of it and i also bite my lips too :( i really wanna stop does anyone know of ANYTHING i can do to try to stop i have tried mittens but i have the iphone and i cant text with mittens ive tried creams and i mean they work at night but its annoying to have greasy fingers at school and on my phone and everything i touch
dermatillomania
December 15, 2011
The OCD Center of Los Angeles offers individual therapy for the treatment of adults, and adolescents with Compulsive Skin Picking (Dermatillomania). Uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to teach clients with Compulsive Skin Picking to learn to respond differently to thoughts about their skin, and to resist the urge to pick. There are four therapists on staff six days a week, including evenings and Saturdays. If you would like to discuss treatment options at the OCD Center of Los Angeles, you can call (310) 824-5200.
r0manticxxx
December 21, 2011
hey, i'm tiff and twenty, i googled "cuticle picking" and came up with this website. i have had this problem for quite the while when a friend noticed how gross my nails were looking and yelled at me. like most of you sometimes i don't even realize i'm doing it, and usually stressed. it's annoying because while i'm doing it it's enjoyable, but after i look in disgust. i want to get my nails done but have been told by the nail place that i should let them heal first which is kind of humiliating. i am now putting neosporin on my fingers & band aids. i used to do it to all my fingers, but lately i only really pick both of my thumbs. i really hope the band aids help, i notice how band it is since whenever i go to pick i feel the band aid rub up against my mouth or finger. the band aids are pretty torn up at this point but they're helping, we'll see how this works i guess. it's really nice to see how everyone's so honest about how they feel since i feel that way as well. happy holidays everyone
AndrewDC
January 05, 2012
I'm almost 36 and I've been doing this since I was at least middle school age (12?). For the past several years Ive been getting more and more self conscious about picking my nails and the skin my fingers- when I was in law school I'd realize that, after a class, I would leave a noticable area under my seat of nails and skin that I had picked off. That's sort of gross, you know? Plus the oozing/bleeding fingers. Not super professional looking. Im probably about ready to do something about this. Basically, every time Im concentrating on something, my fingers just default to picking at stuff. Usually its my own fingers but its also paint, basically anything on a smooth surface that I can scrape off. Why the hell do I do this? It makes it hard to read actual books because I cant hold the book and pick at the same time, and I just cant stop picking when I read. The internet is better because the keyboard/mouse keeps my fingers busy. It also explains why I can play video games for hours and hours: I concentrate deeply and my fingers are occupied the whole time. Anyways, thanks for being honest about your problems. Thats a really good thing and I appreciate it.
Ophelia_Incarnate
January 06, 2012
I'm 20 and have been biting and eating my skin since primary school. I went through a phase of using a craft knife to cut the hard buts of skin from the bottom of my foot. It was oddly THE most rewarding sessions ive had because they were large pieces of skin as apposed to the little titbits you get from fingers or lips. Ive noticed that I always seem to have an area for picking at, thats scabby, or "chewable" Even now I absent mindedly am chewing at myself. I paint my nails. but i just end up picking that off and eating that too. I cant eat a snack because ill rush to finish a mouthful so that i can eat whatever little bit ive noticed. I hate that I favour my own flesh to actual food.
lacey12
January 08, 2012
I used to bite my skin off my lips when i was around 7 for about a year until i blead really bad. I'm 13 now and I stopped that but now I'm always biting or picking off my nails and peeling/picking/biting my finger skin by my nails off! I start to do it when I don't even notice, I usually do it when I'm really bored or watching television. But i don't eat my skin or nails. I really want to stop because from reading what other poeple said about how bad their nails got, it just seems so horrible!! And i don't want mine to get that bad. Putting on finger nail polish doesn't help for me because i still end up peeling that off to get to my nail. I do it on all of my fingers, but not my pinky much. I can never get my nails done or anything because my nails are already so short that you can see the underlayer. I have been doing this for around two years, biting my nails, and about 1 year picking off my skin. Does anyone know what kind of condition this is? :(
acuna_evelyn
January 12, 2012
I never knew that biting the skin on my fingers was a conditon and honestly I've tried so many things to try and stop but I end up doing it without thinking. It sucks really bad and I end up hurting myself not being able to touch things a certain way or use my fingers for strenth. Ive been doing this since I was really little and I am 19 now. Is it true that finger biting can lead to insanity? So many people have told me you go crazy but Idk what to believe.
Superman
January 18, 2012
Im 12 turning 13 on febuary 1st i eat my fingertip skin since i was a baby i guess my fingers look crusty and dried blood i cant stop its so addicting i wish i never started to eat my skin :( Hope you try to stop if u stopped please tell me how!!!!!
thirteen13
January 24, 2012
Im 13 and a lot of people dont understand why i chew my nails down so short. I've always thought it was just a bad habit, and that i could stop whenever i wanted and that with everything else in my life I've just been too busy to really tend to my nail biting, until i met a friend who had the same problem this year. She would bit off the skin around her nail too, nearer her knuckles and i, becoming afraid that if i dont stop now, this will happen to me and will just get worse and worse. I have to sleep with socks on my hands at night so i dont chew them when falling asleep. Even as I type this I am tempted to start nibbling again. The addiction is just too strong, and after reading these stories, I've finally accepted that it is a psychological problem and im going to try my best to stop it. Starting today. Thanks guys.
caraboo21
July 19, 2012
Hi, I went on this site about 6 months ago and was stunned to see how many people did the exact same thing as myself. I went to a psychologist to try and stop and she told me I'd probably never stop biting my fingers. I couldn't accept that and I didn't go back. I found a CURE!!!! It's been over 2 moths and I haven't biten. My fingers are healed and my compulsion dissolved within 2 days. Have you ever heard of energy medicine or energy psychology? Emotional Freedom Technique or E.F.T. is what dissolved my compulsion. All in all it took 15 minutes and I haven't had the urge to do it since. I read on this site a tip that some girl gave about using a nail file and filing the skin on your fingers in the direction it grows. I started doing that. It made it much easier but really it wasn't hard at all. I want everyone to try this. I also healed an old knee injury, have been losing weight AND have been treating my husbands fibromyalgia so he is free of pain. This is no joke. This works. I am now studying to become an Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner and hope to spread these techniques as far as I can. So, I can't explain it in writing but if you go to youtube and search EFT for compulsive behaviors you will find a wealth of information. The idea is that you tap on certain accupuncture points on the body while saying out loud phrases to reset your subconscious. The way I describe it is that my conscious brain and subconscious brain finally had the same intention and the electromagnetic pulse from the tapping is what made that connection. PLEASE go and help yourself. It will be the best thing you could ever do. I suffered from this disorder for 34 years and in two days it was GONE! POOF! I had so much guilt and shame attached to this compulsion and it rippled into the rest of my life. A weight has been lifted. I never thought I would see my hands like this. I am a new person. It seems very silly at first but keep an open mind and do it anyway. It's not the type of thing you have to believe in for it to work. If you do it it will work. Peace and Love Cara
harrylewis00@h…
January 24, 2012
Hi my name is Harry, Im 12 years old and i cant stop biting my fingers i dont understand why i do it, i always try to hide my fingers when im near people because they look disgusting. My mom says that they can go septic and docs will have to cut off my fingers which scares me so i really want to stop so if any one can help i will appreciate it. i thought i was the only person who bites my fingers. Ive tried hand cream, ive tried wearing gloves and ive tried putting plasters on my fingers but they dont work

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