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I can't stop picking my fingers
I'm 20 and I've been picking since I can remember.. I used to pick scabs all over my body and I'm now left with horrible scars,my legs look awful but I've started destroying my fingers really bad recently, I've always chewed the skin down the side and the cuticles which used to leave my nails lumpy and horrible but recently they are horrendous. They are all red swollen and septic and keep oozing pus but even so this still isn't enough to make me wanna stop, I've tried occupying myself but I can always find time in my day to pick, I've tried covering them in plasters, wearing gloves, nothing stops me picking even the fact that with these infectious fingers knowing I could get septicaemia still isn't enough to make me wanna stop :( I don't know what to do my fingers look awful and its embarrassing :(
June 26, 2013
I know how you feel! It's almost a compulsion that you don't even realize you're doing until it's bad. I've been picking my face today and it was almost cleared up. Keep your nails short as you can so there aren't any edges you can use, and possibly wrap band-aids around your worst fingertips so you can't do damage with your teeth. I can't stand the way the fabric ones rub on my teeth so I use those. They don't come off easily either.
Is there a way you could motivate yourself to keep yourself intact for a while, like maybe having pics taken or something else you like? Reward yourself. That sometimes keeps me from picking if I know something's coming up, a function or something. Good luck!