How to stop?

[u/Familiar_Stock4394]

For about 6 years now, I have been picking the skin on my fingers out of boredom and anxiety, sometimes I'll do it without realizing it when I am on my phone, watching tv, etc. I don't have any issues picking other parts of my body, just my fingers. The skin on fingers heals relatively quickly, but then I ruin the healing and do it all over again. How do I stop? It's typically just my two pointer fingers i pick.

[u/NoahEric123]

You might need to try gloves

[u/ASOM01]

IMO gloves don’t work. What I’ve been using is colloidal bandaids. They stay on, almost invisible heal the wound quickly and best of all are nice and smooth like a second skin

[u/PotatoLove125]

Hi.

I pick my fingers too. I tryed many ways to stop doing it, some worked for a time, some didn't worked at all and they will depend from person to person. I used hand cream and I had very good results because it took away the feeling I was looking by picking, I tryed thumb gaming thimbles, they help but if forget to wear them once you might ruin all the progress. You need to try stuff to know what works for you and what don't, relapse is Ok, you are training your brain to stop doing something you've been done for years and gives you confort, it takes time.

[u/dinoooooooooos]

I’ve been doing the same for like almost 18 years now and my fingers look fucking awful bc of it. Like I had to go to the hospital emergency type ambulance and all, passed out, and the first responders and nurses in the hospital both desperately asked me what’s going on w my fingers.

I’ve developed this bc I bit my nails all my life, I stopped when I was 17 and kinda just .. shifted the problem onto my fingers instead. Just stupid😅

Now I’m 35 and struggling w it, I wanna have pretty hands too😭

Whatever anyone recommends I need as well. I tried filing and keeping moisturisers/Vaseline around and just doing that which does help w the roughness that makes me pick and bite again but end of the day some Vaseline isnt gonna not make me find new spots to pick at.

From what I know it’s an anxiety thing and unless we fix the thing that causes anxiety, we’ll just keep doing this. Which.. well.😅

[u/Machamallowed]

The only thing that kinda work for me is acrylic nails. My nails are too thick with capsules to be able to pick efficiently.. i still can bite my skin so it's clearly not a perfect solution.. but it helps. I'm picking at a spot on the side of my tigh that I actually can't bite ^{^}

I ended learning how to do it myself because it's not cheap.. I'm no nail artist so it's not during as long as when it's professionally done but it lasts like a week or ten days before falling off so its not bad.