does anyone pick their thumbs?

I am 13 years old, and I do this to the outer sides of my thumbs. I have been peeling since I was 8 years old, and REALLY want to stop! I have never had a manicure because I know it would draw attention to the ugly peeled skin. I am also a competitive swimmer, so when the skin gets soaked, it turns soggy and white! People are noticing it, and I tell them that they are just blisters from canoeing, but that is a major lie. I told my best friends to tell me to stop when they see me do it, but we are no longer in the same class. This habit affects the way I hold things, grip, and write. At night, I put polysporen with a bandaid and it seems to heel very well, and then I peel again. Are there any other easy solutions? I'm only grade 8, my parents or doctor don't know, so it can't be anything I have to go to the store for, thank you!

WOW!!! SO I AM NOT TOTALLY CRAZY AND ALONE!!!! I HAVE PICKED AT MY FINGERS AND SKIN ON MY FEET AND LIPS SINCE I WAS YOUNG. WHEN IN MY TWENTIES I WOULD FIND A PIECE OF DEAD SKIN ON MY HEEL AND WOULD PICK UNTIL I WAS TOO SORE TO EVEN WALK. SEEMS LIKE IT SUBSIDED FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. THEN I GOT A LITTLE PLANTERS WART. THE SIZE OF BLACK PEPPER ON MY PINKY. I WOULD PULL IT OUT AND IT WOULD LEAVE A TINY HOLE BUT WOULD BLEED EVERYWHERE.. ANYTIME I THOUGHT IT WAS POPPING BACK UP I WOULD START THE HOUR LONG TASK AT PICKING IT TILL IT OF COURSE BLED. I ALSO HAVE SUFFERED FROM ADD FOR MANY YEARS AND JUST NOW AS A 39 YEAR OLD STARTED SEEKING TREATMENT. I STARTED ON VYVANSE AND LITERALLY THE WEEK I STARTED ALONG CAME THE FINGER SKIN PICKING. I WILL HIDE UNDER THE COVERS AT NIGHT WITH MY CELL PHONE LIGHT AND TWEEZERS SO MY HUSBAND CANT SEE ME. IT BECAME AN OBSESSION. I WOULD HIDE IN THE BATHROOM AT BREAK AT WORK. I CANNOT FIGHT THE URGE TO PICK. ONCE I HAVE TORTURED MYSELF... I CAN HARDLY WASH MY HAIR OR TYPE ON THE KEYBOARD AT WORK.. I HAVE TO PUT BANDAIDS ON ALL MY FINGERS..VERY EMBARRASING. I READ SOMEWHERE ON THIS SIGHT THAT STIMULANTS INCREASE AND SOMETIMES CAUSE THE URGE TO PICK. I ASKED MY DOC TO PUT ME ON WELLBUTRIN XL IT CONRTOLS HABITS (SOME TAKE TO QUIT SMOKING) AND IT HAS EASED IT UP A BIT... BUT STILL PICK SOME. I MAY HAVE TO HAVE THE DOSE INCREASED. IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE SUFFERING... YOU ARE NOT ALONE. IF I FEEL THE NEED TO PICK.. I GET MY PHONE OUT AND PLAY A GAME THAT REQUIRES ME MOVING MY FINGERS... GOOD LUCK TO ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE.. I HOPE YOU GET HELP SOON

I knew there were others out there who did it .i first remember picking at the sides of my thumbs in 6th or 7th grade. The teacher would come to my desk to help me, and I was afraid he would see how awful it looked. Later, I would peel my toenail.s. I won't get descriptive, I still tend to do the thumbs IF I don't have on my gels nails from the salon. They are thicker than real nails, and it stops me. If not, look out. I will make irritation on my gums with my fingernail and irritate that to make pain. WHEN STRESSED! Every day. Think about it., I'm 53 now, I started doing this when we had family dysfunction in our home. I'm creating pain. This is like cutting! Same thing. Yep. Same thing. I just do not make it ever visible like others. Gum line.....?

I peel my thumbs and I peel my lips too. In fact, I have been doing that ever since I was probably 7 or 8 (I am 38 going on 39 now). Because of the peeling, sometimes, my thumbs and my lips would bleed too. At the same time, also because of my decades of experience in peeling, I can manage to peel off just outer skin (or the dead skin) without bleeding. Unless my lips or my thumbs are bleeding or if my skin touches any citrus juice (ouch!), I don't feel pain at all. I have not noticed a particular pattern in my life when I peel my lips/thumbs though. Starting about 3 to 4 years ago, I have been peeling my fingernails too. So, technically, I don't need to any fingernail clippers because I can peel them off when they get long enough.

I do, all the time. I don't even realize it sometimes. It makes me feel stupid for going to get manicures, but when I really want one, I ask them if they can do a treatment of some kind because it's SO dried out as well. - I also keep my hands busy, by playing games on my phone or text someone. - Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream and Aveda Hand Relief. I am literally in love with that stuff, both of them! !t makes my hands so soft and because they are both oil based it's really hard to pick when your hands are partially oily and slippery. I hope this helps!

Hey there. I'm a 18-year-old woman and I'm having the same problem. I have been picking skins on the inside of my fingers for more than 10 years. Sometimes they get really bad and hurts a lot and I can totally understand your feeling. Wish that you can feel better soon.

I've been having perfect success with just wearing a common key ring on both my thumbs. They send the first micro second of attention down a different neural path. I got the idea from asking my dreams.

Hi people, I wish to give a little advice about thumb and finger skin picking/biting. I have been picking and biting for years and my skin is mostly scar tissue. It is really embarrassing and yes, it has a lot to do with life's stresses.

I find that I only pick if there is a rough bit or broken end of skin. If my skin is smooth around my fingers then I don't really get that urge.

What I find helps a lot is using latex (or similar) gloves and intensive hand cream. Use a liberal amount of hand cream and rub it well in to your thumbs and fingers and then put the gloves on and do this before you go to sleep, thus getting quite a few hours of treatment. Obviously the more you can do this the better and also whilst you're awake and wearing the gloves, this will stop you from the habit too.

Good health people, I hate stress, try your best and enjoy as many things as possible big or small :-)

Hello I am 16 years old and I have picking the inside of my thumbs ever since I was young. I used to do the inside of my left and right thumbs but I am able to stop and let my thumbs heal. So I decided to stop picking at my left thumb. I can rember younger that I would pick at the top of my nail but over the years it has moved down to the joint. I find myself doing it when I'm nervous bored and daydreaming without even knowing it. To be honest I have no meaning to stop because I am and have let my thumb heal.

Hello. I'm 35 and since I was a kid I have picked the skin around my thumbs. I sometimes think it's getting worse because now I'm leaving the "skin crumbs" on the couch or in the car. It's so embarrassing when I need to sign something and I forget to hide my thumbs. Sometimes I can't sleep because I'm awake picking at them. Sometimes I don't even know I'm doing it and my mom or husband will smack my hand. I was treated for OCD as a young adult and don't know if this is considered an OCD issue. Iv also noticed a bite the inside of my cheeks now. I'm so happy to know I'm not the only one picking at my thumbs. Any suggestions on how to stop? Iv tried band aids but I think they just make it worse.

I am 23 and also thought I've been alone in this for my entire life. It's very relieving to now that I'm not alone, and that there is a root cause for my problem. I remember when I was little, my mom bought me a lanyard to wear around my neck, just so I could use that as a barrier for when I wanted to pick the sides of my thumbs...needless to say it didn't help. Nowadays, I do my best to keep this habit hidden from everyone, though my girlfriend does know that I do this, just not to what extent... I've tried all my life to stop picking, and have actually gotten to the point where instead of picking, I actually press hard enough on the scarred, dried, section to provide a certain kind of sensation that alleviates any desire to pick. However, if a piece of dried skin is hanging off, it's game over, and yea, the picking process begins anew. Also, not sure if anyone else picks the same areas, but I also pick below the thumb print area, in the middle of my thumb, as well as the webbing between my thumb and index finger.. basically anywhere I can get my skin dry enough to pick, mostly by constant rubbing.

Hey man, I'm 19, and I was just sitting here wondering if I will pick my thumbs forever also. I've been doing it since I can remember. I never really thought about it when I was younger, but the older I get the more self conscious I become about them. I'm happy I came across this forum. Let's me know I'm not the only one.

P.S., I can relate to looking down at my thumbs and thinking "damn, I did a number".

hey
i've got this habbit of picking the sides of my fingers (especially the thumb). I cant resist it even though i know that its not a good thing do do.
The skin along the sides of my thumb has become pinkish white and looks raw all the time.. as soon as it heals i start with my job again and go on picking till i reach the knuckels :( sometimes it becomes bloody also and looks awful. people ask me what have you been doing..
Recently i met a man in metro who saw my thumb and what he told me left me shocked. he said his wife had the same habit and her thumb had to be cut off to stop the infection from spreading. And then later one by one all her fingers were half cut because the infection had spread to other fingers also.. and She died.
I m scared.. is it true?
he said that infection spreads through the nails and since that part of ghe skin is raw it is more susceptible to infections..

I destroy my thumbs and just my thumbs I have for as long as i remember im 22 now i think i do it cause i used to get this reoccurimg germ thing on my thumbs where my mom had to pop it and put cream there idk what it was .
I dont really get embrassed by it ever except when my hands are wet they look gross or holding someones hamds i tuck my thumb in .. i thought it was just a quirk forever like nail biting.ive never met anyone else that does it..i do it when im bored or stressed and somerimes wirhour even noticing i try to keep my nails but it doesnt work . I get mine raw too they hurt even bleed sometimes..sometimes ill eat bite the bit chunk off ..idk what to do either but ur not alone

Hi, I pick the skin on my thumbs and other fingers but not on my fingers as often. Have done this many years. Question: could we be picking the skin off because of the bacteria that are on our skin? I know this is a weird question, but, I've noticed that when I take antibiotics, I don't pick them as much. Hmmmmm.......