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Picking/Eating my own skin?
First off, I'd like to say in so happy I found this site. I'm too scared to ask anyone close to me about this, in case they think I'm crazy.
Anyways, I'm a sixteen year old girl and have been picking/cutting the skin off of the soles of my feet (mostly my heels) and eating it for the past year or so. Some days the skin is so raw it's difficult to walk. I've also always bitten my nails, and chewed on the skin around my fingers. I feel like I need to stop this before it gets worse/more frequent, but I also suffer with anorexia b/p, and whenever I try to stop myself from eating my own skin, my restrictive habits get far worse. (I have mixed feelings about this)
I was also a self-harmer for a few years, but I don't think I'm picking my skin as a way of intentionally harming myself. I usually don't feel it, because the skin on my feet keeps growing back so thick (it's honestly awful looking) and I rarely go too far and make myself bleed (though it still becomes painful to walk)
I don't know what's wrong with me, or why I really do this or how to deal with it on my own. Any help would be much appreciated.
Hi,
I have gone through phases of doing this to my feet too. Generally my skin picking habits get focused on spots elsewhere, but I know how satisfying it can be to just si and mindlessly pull at the skin on your feet as it barely hurts at all. I am on my feet a lot for work so get blisters a lot and dry patches that are so easy to peel off. I have found rubbing dermatological creams on helps keep the skin soft and helps it heal. The thicker the cream, the better it is. Nothing is wrong with you, it is just how your mind deals with stress. Have you seen a doctor at all about things like anxiety or depression? I know everyone seems to mention it on here, but it is extremely common to be found alongside skin picking disorders. I am trying to keep my hands occupied with these little plastic twiddly things or I used to find pinging a hair band around my wrist useful. When it got bad, id try and ping the metal bit into the soft part of my wrist as it was painful, but didnt cause damage, just red marks. I have suffered from eating disorders, and struggle with it still when I get stressed. Honestly, I found hat other people started monitoring my eating, which is what helped me. Once i started having more regular meals and eating healthier, i discovered that i felt much better in myself so hurt myself less. I know this is a difficult thing to do though, I do appreciate that. Again, I would advise speaking to a doctor about that. It is not the most pleasant experience, but in the long run, it is helpful. It is best to try and figure out what works for you before you end up covered from head to toe in scars like I am. unfortunately, you have hit the age where this kind of thing is far more common than for any other age group. Another odd way i found usefull to stop picking at my feet that I have just remembered is tights! wear tights or socks and skinny jeans so that it makes it really hard to get to your feet. keep nails short and ven consider putting perfume on your feet - tastes vile and makes your feet smell good! win win! though dont put it on broken or raw skin :) best of luck xx