Thank god for this web site

Hi I have been picking my fingers since a very early age im now 42 and though it was just me that did this, I pick and pick until i bleed and it hurts but I can't seem to stop doing it, I went on holiday for a week and when I came back my fingers were all healed so I thought right! i won't pick them any more but without even thinking about it they are back to red raw and look awful. With so many years of doing this my thumb nails are in an awful shape I always have to pile on the nail varnish to try and smooth it all out so no one will see them, the rest of my fingers and quite large at the ends due to years of scaring. To be honest I never thought I would find anything on the web to help with this but to my surprise I found this web site and am amazed at how many of us have the same problem, I know that my problem is due to stress and can always tell when im more stressed than other times, I have also realised that mine gets worse when I have my PMT Im not sure if any other women have this same problem? Im so releived that there are others out there that do the same thing I do, I honestly thought it was just a really bad habit that would never go away. People that see my fingers don't say anything but you can tell by their face that they find it disgusting, its embaressing but I can't seem to stop. I have suffered from social anxiety for most of my life due to a bad childhood and bullying at school (think that is where it started) and suffer with body dismorfia and it has been so hard to find some help to get these issues sorted, but it is good to know that my skin picking is related to my traumatic past and I'm hoping that once I can find some help then this will get better too. I just wish I could stop doing it.