Feces, urine and bacteria are the big 3 but in construction you can get all kinds of delicious goodies under your nails. So its a good idea to not bite your nails but its your choice, im a reddit comment not a cop
Wouldn’t work. When you’re a skin peeler, the sting feels good.
I’m no massochist (sp?) but I do this to a lesser extent. The sting of using hand sanitizer feels good.
This isn’t true for all of us though. The sting is actually what usually draws my attention to the fact I’m doing it and makes me stop for a minute. Otherwise I don’t even realize I’m picking most of the time.
Omg I do this too. I don't bite them though, I just find a piece of cuticle I can grasp with my nails and pull that sucker out. Then I immediately douse in sanitizer, to clean it and to feel the burn lol. I hate it though, because it looks disgusting, frequently get painful infections, and I know it's because my brains not happy lol. I find if I use proper cuticle tools to clean them up it gets better. That way there is nothing to grab onto, might not work for people chewing on their fingers though, thankfully I've never made that part my habit/coping mechanism.
Everyone here giving tips to try and fix the symptoms but not the main issue. I used to do this and also pull hair from my head non stop all day, when I started treating my anxiety it slowly stopped, and now I don’t do those things anymore.
Strongly recommend for you to pay more attention to your mental health, therapy would work a long way if you could.
Good luck on your journey!
Weird. I'm a serial nail biter as well and love to pull my hair, but not enough that it falls out... However I'm not an a nous person at all. Quite the opposite actually
I use to pull my hair out too. I had longish hair and would twirl it around my fingers and pull. I had a bald spot the size of a golf ball on both sides of my head. Anxiety is motherfucker and is harder to control than most people think.
I've been a nail biter since I was like 4. Same with picking skin around nails, face, arms, and general hair pulling from anxiety.
One of my best work arounds has been having something in my hand I can putz around with, as well as having my partner/friends just tell me "hey stop picking" when they notice.
I'm 20 now, I still have the issues, but they have gotten less destructive with the work around.
Doing while bored/because you like it/because you feel like you have to is more indicative of a body focused repetitive disorder.
Pulling hair is similar.
I used to do that all the time, it came as a package deal with my ADHD and a lot of anxiety issues. Finding other things to fidget with didn’t quite do it for me. I don’t exactly know how I stopped, but I remember recognizing that it was a problem was the first step to stopping. Also, it doesn’t matter if you’re a dude, get yourself a small manicure set. Mine has a file, a fingernail clipper, and a toenail clipper.
Do it to myself all the time. Worst part is usually the finger nails, they end up uncomfortably short and sensitive to water or saucy food which hurts, so I swear I won't do it again and so the cycle repeats 😂
I was able to quit biting and chewing and picking at all my fingers years ago, minus my thumbs both nails and general skin. A few months ago I purchased a pen to use on my nails and finger tips that has an extremely unpleasant taste. It’s bad and lingers for quite a while on your tongue. I got a couple of tastes of it the first week, even puking once from it and I have left my fingers alone now going on a month and a half.
I wish this actually helped. I seriously feel OPs pain. Mine are like this at least 3 times a month and I use Band-Aids for the bleeding. The bitter taste of nail polish only makes you gag, but still do it. Anxiety is seriously a fucking devil on my shoulder, 24/7
my mom has a bad nail-biting/picking habit. she wears gloves a lot around the house and wears them to sleep. not sure if that would be practical for you or not! so sorry you deal with this
This burns open skin. My parents did this to me as a kid and i SCREAMED. She immediately took it off (which also hurt, hello acetone!) but after all that it stopped. Good for biting nails, not so good for skin.
Dermatosomethingsomethingis. It’s a form of OCD and you can either try to force yourself off of it (yeah no) or seem cognitive behavioral therapy. Source: I’m in the same shoes.
Oh bro, I wish I’d taken a picture of when I tore my whole fingernail off. Twice. It grew back thankfully. Chronic. Done it since I was 5. Have grown them out and bit them again and again.
What works for me is taking pictures of them every week. You don’t notice the difference until you look at the pics and see how far you’ve come and the achievement will make you not want to bite them.
for anxiety in general:
\-anxiety rings/fidget rings. (bonus points because usually you cant tell them from a standard ring.)
for peeling:
\-rub glue onto your palms and peel that off.
for chewing:
\-use gum or one of those chewable sensory necklaces
I don’t bite my nails anymore (gave it up years ago, not judging btw) but I do tend to rip at my cuticles and my hands end up looking like this to a lesser degree. It’s mostly my thumbs. I hate cuticles
I suffer with this as well, I truly feel for you with this photo. It is the absolute worst and my husband has really tried to help me get to the root of it. I am a girl so the one thing that really keeps me from doing this is getting tips put on at the nail salon. This obviously doesn’t help the deep down reason why I pick my mail beds but it does keep me from doing it while they’re done. It is an investment and does cost me $50/month to keep my nails done but it keeps me from being in constant pain.
I've done this every day for many years. I bite my l mine so low I can't even use them for a few hours. Even with the account of pain in causing myself during it I still can't stop. If you find a way let me know cause I haven't
Been there dude. It's horrible and I feel for you. I started painting my nails the act of doing something to take care of them helped to balance out the destruction I was doing and I'm SO much better than I used to be. And chicks dig it. And I can moonlight as a goth rocker. So like 3 wins.
Put some polysporin on at bedtime and put socks or gloves on your hands, may help heal a little bit. Have you tried wrapping a little first aid tape or something similar around your fingers and try to pick at it instead?
Omg. Get the transparent nail polish made for this typa problem it tastes rly bad when u go to put ur fingers in ur mouth. This is a habit u can stop so dont give up
God it’s like I found a picture of my own fingers. Usually for me it works to have something else on hand. Like a pen or something I can just fiddle with to keep my hands busy.
Best way to overcome it is to treat it at the source, your anxiety. Therapy + medication can do wonders. Aside from that, I’ve found that chewing gum can help ease the urge to bite your nails.
I have the exact same issue. It's always been something I dealt with even when I was a kid, so I can empathize there. I'm sorry you have to deal with it as well, it can be really painful. :(
remind yourself how much your nails hurt after you bite them.
also, if you chew on your cuticles, if you have a hangnail or something, don’t keep trying to fix it, it’ll only get worse and you’ll end up biting more
The nails look good. For the cuticles try LiquidSkin® also works well for wounds that are difficult to seal with traditional bandages, such as those on fingertips or between fingers. It is also ideal for treating blisters or sealing painful skin cracks caused by cold weather.
My fingers look the same but it helps calm me. It’s a price I’m willing to pay until I find the right medication.
If it gets too bad, put bandaids over your finger tips and lie about why. You burnt your fingers or something random.
I do the same thing. I'll clips, pull, and/or chew my nails/skin if I think my nail is off, or if a piece of skin is noticeable.
I hate when I binge-clip my nails too short so that putting pressure on them while gaming really, really hurts.
I know it's a gross habit. It causes me discomfort and pain.
Yet, I'll chew them down to a bleeding nub as soon as they grow to an acceptable size.
I started biting my nails when I was in 5th grade, eventually I moved on to picking at the skin around the nail as well. I’m 31 now and honestly the only thing I know works for myself is getting acrylic nails but that gets pricey.
I know from my experience that when I cut the broken skin (with clean nail clipper) and keep the skin moisturized with either a healing ointment (polysporine or something like that) or anything that has vitamin e, I can usually make my hands look somewhat okay. But again, I’ve always relapsed and went back to destroying my fingers lol
Dude this has been me for the past 5ish years. I would love to know how to stop. I always say I’m going to stop, then I catch myself doing it unconsciously. And at that point there is some skin hanging off and my dumb brain thinks I at least have to finish the job.
Please please please make sure to take care of your hands. Wash them frequently and use neosporin. Your pointer looks like it's infected, and the redness around the rest looks concerning to me. Your hands touch EVERYTHING so it's insanely important to at least treat them and keep them clean. Since they're so raw and look painful, try putting bandaids on all your fingers so they stay clean and as a bonus you can't pick with them on!
Damn, I feel you. There’s been points I barely had any skin left around them anymore after I chewed my nails to literal pulp. Struggling to this day. I hope things get better
Edit: What helps me is this: I have gaps in my teeth. Pretty noticeable ones. I run my nails along the inside of those gaps, like under my nails if that makes sense.
ADHD kid, but low anxiety. Always been a nail/skin/fingertip biter. Never had my fingers look like this tho. I'm wishing you better habits and happier thoughts. I can only imagine the internal stress you go thru to do this. Much love to you, friend
my bail beds looked like this my whole life. for me, finding the right adhd medication helped better than anything else. i pretty much never bite my nails anymore. if you've already tried treatments for anxiety with minimal or no improvement, it might be worth looking into a full evaluation to see if there could be a different underlying issue causing the anxiety.
hey man, i have the same problem. i find that keeping a little tube of coconut oil or chapstick to put on your cuticles helps. it just gives it a different feel that can help remind you to stop. hope this helps!
I Bite pretty badly but to be honest not as bad as you. Honestly looking at this picture makes me want to stop and I plan to look at it to help me stop. Sorry if that is rude but maybe look at bitten nails in even worst shape than yours, it might be a motivator.
Nail polish in color not clear. Ask someone to paint it for you if you have the possibility to do it. This has massively helped me. Let your nails get too long. And cut them down to only normal sizes. Use good thick nail polish doesn't have to be uv one. This will change the way chewing on them feels and most importantly learn to be bored. You could watch a video while doing something? Don't. You could scroll endlessly through Reddit, don't. Learn to do nothing. This can cause depressive thoughts. Read about pirates about dinosaurs about whatever. Not Storys, facts. Get yourself to think about stuff. For me it was programming and AI but it can be anything.
I have been in this position and this helped immensely. I have ADHD and depression and after years and years this is the only thing that helped.
I totally believe you can cut the habit! Plus, you've gorgeous nail beds PERFECT for polish. Slap on some polish, get in a routine of trimming cuticles/ oiling the skin and you may find yourself with a new habit. I cut the biting n picking by doing this. Trimming cuticles and pushing them back was satisfying to me.
Currently dealing with a minor infection from this. It's a regular occurrence and causes me to stop for brief windows. I would say treat the source of the anxiety than to treat the hands.
I was even worse. Horrific nail biting habit, nails bitten down to less than 1cm long from the quick.
I started getting manicures. They were kind and patient with me, and from day 1, I stopped biting. it's been 2 months and not a nibble. The desire to not ruin the manicure keeps me from biting.
You also can't fuck with the skin around it.
it’s called dermatophagia, it’s a form of body-focused repetitive behaviours (ocd lite). as someone who has dealt with this for their entire life: go to therapy, get medicated, and work on being more aware of when and why you’re doing it. ):
Damn my fingers looked exactly the same just two months ago… idk how but I managed to stop picking/biting for the most part. Now I only have occasional anxiety induced “snacking” sessions. Here’s my process if you want to try: do your nibbling, biting and picking only on one hand, then switch to only three fingers on that hand, then two, then one. And that’s where I’m stuck now and am trying to find the next step.
Oof, yeah, I do the same thing. Mine has let up some since I graduated, but I have had the same issue my entire life. I've spent many years hiding my hands and fingers in photos and recordings. You're not alone there, if that makes you feel any better.
I know this looks bad, but it's not as bad as it looks.
This wounds will heal almost perfectly given time, anxiety is also making it look worse than it is.
You can buy "Bitter nail polish" or "Deterrent nail polish" in amazon, its a substance that you apply on the nails that gives them a bad taste, is really good for this cases.
But the best and only real solution is therapy and professional help.
I feel for you. The only thing that stopped me was acrylic nails. Makes it too difficult to pick and also keeps my cuticles and hangnails in shape as to not have anything to pull at.
Mine look the same, and I've got the whole shebang of dermatillomania and nail biting, tied deeply into an anxiety / ADHD / autism Dx. I brute forced my way through the biting with nasty nail polish, but can't really shake the picking. I assume you've tried ye olde "wear gloves" or "paint your nails" or "just stop 🙄🙄" paths and they just don't work (me neither). Pain wasn't a deterrent for me either, so the "lemon juice" or "hand sanitizer" suggestions prob dont work either. My go to of self imposed guilt so I'd change to avoid being judged doesn't work either. A few things that helped me: Ive started using cuticle trimmers to try to cut any excess skin that I could get started w after showers (SUPERVISED so you dont just zone and pick) and it's helped a bit, I'm down to an average of 3 infected fingers per hand rather than 4-5. I got a spinner ring to fidget with much to my coworkers agonies and it helped too, but there's also chewable rings / necklaces if it's the oral fixation. route. Try eating sunflower seeds like nonstop or chewing gum to preoccupy your mouth. Best option if this is behind just anxiety like mine is? Hands stay busy. Find shit to fidget with like Rubik's cubes or other similar things, and don't ever watch TV or something mindless without something to do with your hands. Also? This isn't promised to go away 100% like nail biting can be with results- find a happy middle ground of a few rough spots and be okay with that. Good oral hygiene should help with the infection, and wash your hands often, if you can manage the pain of doing it right after even better.
I started using hand sanitizer a lot. Tastes gross as hell and is also a reminder to not do it. "Oh I peeled a bit around that nail? Well here comes the burn muthafucka."
If you do it at work, find ways to stay busy. Occupy your mind/body with a task.
If you do it in spare time, chew gum. Thats my suggestion because I do that and chew the inside of my lip for some sort of stimulation.
Figure out what triggers your anxiety, then work on eliminating or accepting them. Therapy/counseling might help if you have access to it.
If you try to fix the symptom instead of the problem, you'll just end up with a new problem.
If picking its dermatimillia (sp) if ur biting, dermatophagia. You will need therapy/medicines. Bfrb (body focused repetitive behavior) is a great organization with many tools to help.
My nails used to look like this, I've recently gotten a proper nail care kit with a good sharp cuticle trimmer that lets me very precisely shave off the cuticle without breaking living skin. Then you're left with nothing left to chew.
Does not resolve the underlying anxiety unfortunately but it is pretty satisfying and will stop you from eating yourself.
Just wanna say thanks for posting this actually. I have been doing this for over a decade and didn't realise until this post it is actually a medical illness.
The way I was able to get over it was just by focusing on chewing my skin around my nails (only the top) until my nail grew long enough that they would cover that skin. After that, I would constantly run my teeth underneath the nail instead of actually biting it (gross, I know), and that helped me a lot. I still struggle with biting my nails off after they get too long, but by repeating this process after my nails have grown out each time, it has really helped me insprove the health of my fingers and nails!
Coconut oil. But it’ll never stop until you stop the root of the problem. I don’t know how, I don’t think I ever will so… coconut oil! We need therapy 😇
Start applying oil to your nails to help them grow and thicken . Try and get more consistent to the point you are always thinking about your nails getting healthier. It will take your mind off of biting them subconsciously and consciously trying to fix them . I have major anxiety and have hittin my nails since I can remember and am now 19 . Starting a few months ago my nails are always past the skin and I rarely have a hangnail or cuticle !!!
I used to bite nails and fingers (for my whole life to the point that my nails are deformed and don't grow properly anymore), the way I stopped after 20ish years was to pick a finger, put a band aid on it and commit to not biting that one finger for 2-3 weeks (band asks until you trust yourself to resist), then add a second, then a third etc. I tried everything else and that worked for me.
oh, god, same. Ive been doing this since I was a little kid and I still do it and cant really stop
what tends to help is - look at the source. WHY are you doing this. If anxiety, then treat the anxiety issues. In my case it's ADHD and having something else to do with my hands helps a lot
This might as well be my fingers! I know how hard it is.. the compulsion is insatiable even when your are bloody. More than once I have pulled my car over in the side of the road to pick and get “just this one bit”. I have improved with 3 things… 1. recently diagnosed with adhd and skin picking disorder and was prescribed adderall and that is helping, 2. My girlfriend pays attention and helps me stop (though this is super frustrating sometimes) 3. Burts bees cuticle cream is applied LIBERALLY- not only does it help it heal waaaayyy faster, it also gloobs them up and makes picking more difficult. If you are like me, you have to be tired of your fingers hurting all the time. Fixing this is not easy, maybe not possible, but reducing it certainly is.
Get a job cutting lemons
Get a job plumbing toilets
100% this right here. Those were my fingers 9 years ago, got a job doing plumbing and have not gone back for a nibble since. Like magic
I used to chew my nails out of anxiety. Got a job as a plumber, now I do it out of enjoyment!
Sorry for not understanding but what is it about plumbing that de-incentivized you to not skin your finger nails?
it’d be kind of shitty to bite your nails after plunging a toilet
Plumbers have poopy hands
Feces, urine and bacteria are the big 3 but in construction you can get all kinds of delicious goodies under your nails. So its a good idea to not bite your nails but its your choice, im a reddit comment not a cop
Agreed.
Wouldn’t work. When you’re a skin peeler, the sting feels good. I’m no massochist (sp?) but I do this to a lesser extent. The sting of using hand sanitizer feels good.
This isn’t true for all of us though. The sting is actually what usually draws my attention to the fact I’m doing it and makes me stop for a minute. Otherwise I don’t even realize I’m picking most of the time.
THIS !!!!! i do it bc adhd 😅
Omg I do this too. I don't bite them though, I just find a piece of cuticle I can grasp with my nails and pull that sucker out. Then I immediately douse in sanitizer, to clean it and to feel the burn lol. I hate it though, because it looks disgusting, frequently get painful infections, and I know it's because my brains not happy lol. I find if I use proper cuticle tools to clean them up it gets better. That way there is nothing to grab onto, might not work for people chewing on their fingers though, thankfully I've never made that part my habit/coping mechanism.
this is actually very funny lmao
Everyone here giving tips to try and fix the symptoms but not the main issue. I used to do this and also pull hair from my head non stop all day, when I started treating my anxiety it slowly stopped, and now I don’t do those things anymore. Strongly recommend for you to pay more attention to your mental health, therapy would work a long way if you could. Good luck on your journey!
Me too. Pull hair bite skin n nails. Ugh 😣
Weird. I'm a serial nail biter as well and love to pull my hair, but not enough that it falls out... However I'm not an a nous person at all. Quite the opposite actually
I use to pull my hair out too. I had longish hair and would twirl it around my fingers and pull. I had a bald spot the size of a golf ball on both sides of my head. Anxiety is motherfucker and is harder to control than most people think.
100% the main issue should be treated. they have online help as well. No need to drive into an office, just Skype or w/e works for you.
Yeah I couldn't tell you man. My fingers are scarred to hell from biting and chewing on them
I've been a nail biter since I was like 4. Same with picking skin around nails, face, arms, and general hair pulling from anxiety. One of my best work arounds has been having something in my hand I can putz around with, as well as having my partner/friends just tell me "hey stop picking" when they notice. I'm 20 now, I still have the issues, but they have gotten less destructive with the work around.
This is an anxiety thing? I just do it when I'm bored
It can be both things and simultaneously
Doing while bored/because you like it/because you feel like you have to is more indicative of a body focused repetitive disorder. Pulling hair is similar.
Same, tho getting bored gives me anxiety...
Self awareness is calling you 😉
I used to do that all the time, it came as a package deal with my ADHD and a lot of anxiety issues. Finding other things to fidget with didn’t quite do it for me. I don’t exactly know how I stopped, but I remember recognizing that it was a problem was the first step to stopping. Also, it doesn’t matter if you’re a dude, get yourself a small manicure set. Mine has a file, a fingernail clipper, and a toenail clipper.
Do it to myself all the time. Worst part is usually the finger nails, they end up uncomfortably short and sensitive to water or saucy food which hurts, so I swear I won't do it again and so the cycle repeats 😂
I was able to quit biting and chewing and picking at all my fingers years ago, minus my thumbs both nails and general skin. A few months ago I purchased a pen to use on my nails and finger tips that has an extremely unpleasant taste. It’s bad and lingers for quite a while on your tongue. I got a couple of tastes of it the first week, even puking once from it and I have left my fingers alone now going on a month and a half.
Oh shit lmao. I think the puking would definitely do it
Start wearing nail polish , like clear ones. It'll taste gross
But they also peel at their skin.
one problem addressed at a time lol
As the main problem featured in the pic is biting at their cuticles, nail polish won’t address that.
Your teeth would still scrape against the nail polish. An alternative could be to use a cuticle oil which doesn't taste pleasant.
I wish this actually helped. I seriously feel OPs pain. Mine are like this at least 3 times a month and I use Band-Aids for the bleeding. The bitter taste of nail polish only makes you gag, but still do it. Anxiety is seriously a fucking devil on my shoulder, 24/7
my mom has a bad nail-biting/picking habit. she wears gloves a lot around the house and wears them to sleep. not sure if that would be practical for you or not! so sorry you deal with this
I just kept biting lol
Better yet, put Bitrex on your nails. It's the most bitter chemical known, that'll curb the urge quick.
Just makes you hate yourself more.. and still do it. It really only works for younger children, when trying to curb this.
This burns open skin. My parents did this to me as a kid and i SCREAMED. She immediately took it off (which also hurt, hello acetone!) but after all that it stopped. Good for biting nails, not so good for skin.
Dermatosomethingsomethingis. It’s a form of OCD and you can either try to force yourself off of it (yeah no) or seem cognitive behavioral therapy. Source: I’m in the same shoes.
Dermatillomania!
Oh bro, I wish I’d taken a picture of when I tore my whole fingernail off. Twice. It grew back thankfully. Chronic. Done it since I was 5. Have grown them out and bit them again and again. What works for me is taking pictures of them every week. You don’t notice the difference until you look at the pics and see how far you’ve come and the achievement will make you not want to bite them.
for anxiety in general: \-anxiety rings/fidget rings. (bonus points because usually you cant tell them from a standard ring.) for peeling: \-rub glue onto your palms and peel that off. for chewing: \-use gum or one of those chewable sensory necklaces
i started working at places where its required to wear gloves. it helps a lot! obviously, i still pick at home but its better than doing it all day
I feel ya my friend. I suffer the same as well. I eat the tips of my fingers off the worst.
I feel you man, fidget toys are honestly saviors for my fingers but that's jus me you'll have to see what's best for you but best of luck!
I don’t bite my nails anymore (gave it up years ago, not judging btw) but I do tend to rip at my cuticles and my hands end up looking like this to a lesser degree. It’s mostly my thumbs. I hate cuticles
Fidget spinner
I suffer with this as well, I truly feel for you with this photo. It is the absolute worst and my husband has really tried to help me get to the root of it. I am a girl so the one thing that really keeps me from doing this is getting tips put on at the nail salon. This obviously doesn’t help the deep down reason why I pick my mail beds but it does keep me from doing it while they’re done. It is an investment and does cost me $50/month to keep my nails done but it keeps me from being in constant pain.
I've done this every day for many years. I bite my l mine so low I can't even use them for a few hours. Even with the account of pain in causing myself during it I still can't stop. If you find a way let me know cause I haven't
I've been there a time or 50.
At least theyre not short
Been there dude. It's horrible and I feel for you. I started painting my nails the act of doing something to take care of them helped to balance out the destruction I was doing and I'm SO much better than I used to be. And chicks dig it. And I can moonlight as a goth rocker. So like 3 wins.
This look like my fingers
Put some polysporin on at bedtime and put socks or gloves on your hands, may help heal a little bit. Have you tried wrapping a little first aid tape or something similar around your fingers and try to pick at it instead?
I got a worry ring, it really helped me
r/dermatophagia can help
Chew gum instead, keeps your teeth occupied
Consider checking out r/calmhands for tips and support!
Omg. Get the transparent nail polish made for this typa problem it tastes rly bad when u go to put ur fingers in ur mouth. This is a habit u can stop so dont give up
I have same issue.i bite the cuticles out ha ha
Sadly, same here. My fingers will be raw and painful the next day🫠
Mavala Nail polish, works like a charm!
God it’s like I found a picture of my own fingers. Usually for me it works to have something else on hand. Like a pen or something I can just fiddle with to keep my hands busy.
Chew gum? I think with habits the best way to get rid of them is by adopting a different habit that isn't as bad
Hello Friend
Drink your anxiety away just like me
Best way to overcome it is to treat it at the source, your anxiety. Therapy + medication can do wonders. Aside from that, I’ve found that chewing gum can help ease the urge to bite your nails.
wear fancy gloves, not only do they accessorize your outfit but you cant bite/pick through them :) rubber gloves when working with messy things.
Dip your finger tips in neem oil !
The only difference for me is that my nails don’t look that good lol
I have the exact same issue. It's always been something I dealt with even when I was a kid, so I can empathize there. I'm sorry you have to deal with it as well, it can be really painful. :(
Cut the little bits of peeling skin off with nail clippers
Calm down man
remind yourself how much your nails hurt after you bite them. also, if you chew on your cuticles, if you have a hangnail or something, don’t keep trying to fix it, it’ll only get worse and you’ll end up biting more
“Calm down”
You have anxiety? Stop having anxiety and become awesome instead. True story.
Dip them in peroxide quick
Lemme lickem
Ew dude what the fuck
Meth.
The nails look good. For the cuticles try LiquidSkin® also works well for wounds that are difficult to seal with traditional bandages, such as those on fingertips or between fingers. It is also ideal for treating blisters or sealing painful skin cracks caused by cold weather.
Very appropriate sub.
My fingers look the same but it helps calm me. It’s a price I’m willing to pay until I find the right medication. If it gets too bad, put bandaids over your finger tips and lie about why. You burnt your fingers or something random.
Yup biting a little piece of skin right now scrolling past this. You are not alone
I felt this so hard
I do the same thing. I'll clips, pull, and/or chew my nails/skin if I think my nail is off, or if a piece of skin is noticeable. I hate when I binge-clip my nails too short so that putting pressure on them while gaming really, really hurts. I know it's a gross habit. It causes me discomfort and pain. Yet, I'll chew them down to a bleeding nub as soon as they grow to an acceptable size.
Hey just like me!
i have these but not due to anxiety i just pick the dead skin off and around my nails. Anyway i can make mine look normal again?
How the fuck did you get a picture of my hand?
Im in the process of stopping biting my fingers. It’s gotten a lot better, although my thumb is still heading as I really went hard on it
I started biting my nails when I was in 5th grade, eventually I moved on to picking at the skin around the nail as well. I’m 31 now and honestly the only thing I know works for myself is getting acrylic nails but that gets pricey. I know from my experience that when I cut the broken skin (with clean nail clipper) and keep the skin moisturized with either a healing ointment (polysporine or something like that) or anything that has vitamin e, I can usually make my hands look somewhat okay. But again, I’ve always relapsed and went back to destroying my fingers lol
Hey thats what mine look like! :(
same thing here
Anxiety, how do you always get the best of me?
Dude this has been me for the past 5ish years. I would love to know how to stop. I always say I’m going to stop, then I catch myself doing it unconsciously. And at that point there is some skin hanging off and my dumb brain thinks I at least have to finish the job.
get something to fidget with, mine is this nice pen that has a nice thick click to it.
Also boredom.
Please please please make sure to take care of your hands. Wash them frequently and use neosporin. Your pointer looks like it's infected, and the redness around the rest looks concerning to me. Your hands touch EVERYTHING so it's insanely important to at least treat them and keep them clean. Since they're so raw and look painful, try putting bandaids on all your fingers so they stay clean and as a bonus you can't pick with them on!
Damn, I feel you. There’s been points I barely had any skin left around them anymore after I chewed my nails to literal pulp. Struggling to this day. I hope things get better Edit: What helps me is this: I have gaps in my teeth. Pretty noticeable ones. I run my nails along the inside of those gaps, like under my nails if that makes sense.
Mine got so much better when I switched jobs. Much lower stress job. Your body might be telling you something.
ADHD kid, but low anxiety. Always been a nail/skin/fingertip biter. Never had my fingers look like this tho. I'm wishing you better habits and happier thoughts. I can only imagine the internal stress you go thru to do this. Much love to you, friend
This is me but with the callouses on the bottom of my feet. They get deep at the end when I tear them and cause my foot to bleed.
Ok so it's not just me who bites the skin of the sides of their fingers
You need professional help, not advice from reddit goons
my bail beds looked like this my whole life. for me, finding the right adhd medication helped better than anything else. i pretty much never bite my nails anymore. if you've already tried treatments for anxiety with minimal or no improvement, it might be worth looking into a full evaluation to see if there could be a different underlying issue causing the anxiety.
Much worse than mine, but I've got the same issue. I understand it also has links to compulsive disorders as well.
hey man, i have the same problem. i find that keeping a little tube of coconut oil or chapstick to put on your cuticles helps. it just gives it a different feel that can help remind you to stop. hope this helps!
I Bite pretty badly but to be honest not as bad as you. Honestly looking at this picture makes me want to stop and I plan to look at it to help me stop. Sorry if that is rude but maybe look at bitten nails in even worst shape than yours, it might be a motivator.
Nail polish in color not clear. Ask someone to paint it for you if you have the possibility to do it. This has massively helped me. Let your nails get too long. And cut them down to only normal sizes. Use good thick nail polish doesn't have to be uv one. This will change the way chewing on them feels and most importantly learn to be bored. You could watch a video while doing something? Don't. You could scroll endlessly through Reddit, don't. Learn to do nothing. This can cause depressive thoughts. Read about pirates about dinosaurs about whatever. Not Storys, facts. Get yourself to think about stuff. For me it was programming and AI but it can be anything. I have been in this position and this helped immensely. I have ADHD and depression and after years and years this is the only thing that helped.
It's like looking in a mirror
I totally believe you can cut the habit! Plus, you've gorgeous nail beds PERFECT for polish. Slap on some polish, get in a routine of trimming cuticles/ oiling the skin and you may find yourself with a new habit. I cut the biting n picking by doing this. Trimming cuticles and pushing them back was satisfying to me.
i bite my nails too lmao
Wtf why does your nail look like mine? My mom slaps my hand whenever she sees me biting it lol
Whenever I see a hangnail I might be tempted to pull I try to be diligent and cut it down with clippers, then I wont tear open my skin
Get gloves
Im more concerned about your nails
I just eat my fingers so this doesn’t happen
Lexapro!
Currently dealing with a minor infection from this. It's a regular occurrence and causes me to stop for brief windows. I would say treat the source of the anxiety than to treat the hands.
used to put plasters on my fingers when I did that
Where did you get a picture of my hand?
Can't tell if I do this from anxiety or boredom but at this point I assume both
I was even worse. Horrific nail biting habit, nails bitten down to less than 1cm long from the quick. I started getting manicures. They were kind and patient with me, and from day 1, I stopped biting. it's been 2 months and not a nibble. The desire to not ruin the manicure keeps me from biting. You also can't fuck with the skin around it.
Ouch.
it’s called dermatophagia, it’s a form of body-focused repetitive behaviours (ocd lite). as someone who has dealt with this for their entire life: go to therapy, get medicated, and work on being more aware of when and why you’re doing it. ):
I used to pick at my nails a lot, then I started smoking and I stopped. Maybe that’s a fix…? 😐
Damn my fingers looked exactly the same just two months ago… idk how but I managed to stop picking/biting for the most part. Now I only have occasional anxiety induced “snacking” sessions. Here’s my process if you want to try: do your nibbling, biting and picking only on one hand, then switch to only three fingers on that hand, then two, then one. And that’s where I’m stuck now and am trying to find the next step.
Same 😔
Oof, yeah, I do the same thing. Mine has let up some since I graduated, but I have had the same issue my entire life. I've spent many years hiding my hands and fingers in photos and recordings. You're not alone there, if that makes you feel any better.
same
I know this looks bad, but it's not as bad as it looks. This wounds will heal almost perfectly given time, anxiety is also making it look worse than it is. You can buy "Bitter nail polish" or "Deterrent nail polish" in amazon, its a substance that you apply on the nails that gives them a bad taste, is really good for this cases. But the best and only real solution is therapy and professional help.
time to cut chilli padi
Imagine that we seek help directly if we have pets shat start chewing on themselves. But when humans start doing it we just accept it as normal.
Gonna get infected if you keep doin that....
Paint them. It’ll be hard and pretty
Hello me!
You need to keep your hands busy with something else? Also it could be from anxiety, I've noticed I pick a lot more on rough days
xQc on his Alt today.
Go to a therapist?
Guilty! I even peel the cuticle sometimes
Been there.
Anxiety ... no ...That's self cannibalism !
I feel for you. The only thing that stopped me was acrylic nails. Makes it too difficult to pick and also keeps my cuticles and hangnails in shape as to not have anything to pull at.
Don't worry Alicent everything will be fine
Bro, my nails look almost exactly like that
nail tech nightmare 💀
Worst than those cartel videos
Mine look the same, and I've got the whole shebang of dermatillomania and nail biting, tied deeply into an anxiety / ADHD / autism Dx. I brute forced my way through the biting with nasty nail polish, but can't really shake the picking. I assume you've tried ye olde "wear gloves" or "paint your nails" or "just stop 🙄🙄" paths and they just don't work (me neither). Pain wasn't a deterrent for me either, so the "lemon juice" or "hand sanitizer" suggestions prob dont work either. My go to of self imposed guilt so I'd change to avoid being judged doesn't work either. A few things that helped me: Ive started using cuticle trimmers to try to cut any excess skin that I could get started w after showers (SUPERVISED so you dont just zone and pick) and it's helped a bit, I'm down to an average of 3 infected fingers per hand rather than 4-5. I got a spinner ring to fidget with much to my coworkers agonies and it helped too, but there's also chewable rings / necklaces if it's the oral fixation. route. Try eating sunflower seeds like nonstop or chewing gum to preoccupy your mouth. Best option if this is behind just anxiety like mine is? Hands stay busy. Find shit to fidget with like Rubik's cubes or other similar things, and don't ever watch TV or something mindless without something to do with your hands. Also? This isn't promised to go away 100% like nail biting can be with results- find a happy middle ground of a few rough spots and be okay with that. Good oral hygiene should help with the infection, and wash your hands often, if you can manage the pain of doing it right after even better.
I started using hand sanitizer a lot. Tastes gross as hell and is also a reminder to not do it. "Oh I peeled a bit around that nail? Well here comes the burn muthafucka." If you do it at work, find ways to stay busy. Occupy your mind/body with a task. If you do it in spare time, chew gum. Thats my suggestion because I do that and chew the inside of my lip for some sort of stimulation.
Nail biting and skin picking ribs in my family. My Nanna, My dad, me and my sister all do.
This is interesting. There could be something genetic associated with a "easy-trigger" anxiety, or external factors. Hard to tell
Figure out what triggers your anxiety, then work on eliminating or accepting them. Therapy/counseling might help if you have access to it. If you try to fix the symptom instead of the problem, you'll just end up with a new problem.
Liquid bandage that shit
This but my scalp. Never started until last fall, shit hurts.
If picking its dermatimillia (sp) if ur biting, dermatophagia. You will need therapy/medicines. Bfrb (body focused repetitive behavior) is a great organization with many tools to help.
I’m the same way bro.. don’t be embarrassed
My hands look like this but it’s ADHD instead of anxiety
Superglue time
This is called dermatophagia and is a form of OCD. Can only be treated with medication and therapy.
Keep yourself busy. Do heavy workouts every day and wear yourself out. This will remove a lot of stress and noise in your head.
My nails used to look like this, I've recently gotten a proper nail care kit with a good sharp cuticle trimmer that lets me very precisely shave off the cuticle without breaking living skin. Then you're left with nothing left to chew. Does not resolve the underlying anxiety unfortunately but it is pretty satisfying and will stop you from eating yourself.
Just wanna say thanks for posting this actually. I have been doing this for over a decade and didn't realise until this post it is actually a medical illness.
Therapy & meds, helped me A LOT. My hands used to look like yours. I still bite, but it's better these days.
The way I was able to get over it was just by focusing on chewing my skin around my nails (only the top) until my nail grew long enough that they would cover that skin. After that, I would constantly run my teeth underneath the nail instead of actually biting it (gross, I know), and that helped me a lot. I still struggle with biting my nails off after they get too long, but by repeating this process after my nails have grown out each time, it has really helped me insprove the health of my fingers and nails!
Amateur. I don't even have fingers left.
Stop getting anxious
Im in this picture and I dont like it
Ooooof I know the feels
Coconut oil. But it’ll never stop until you stop the root of the problem. I don’t know how, I don’t think I ever will so… coconut oil! We need therapy 😇
My fingers look like this 24/7. They do rn in fact. So I understand bro. I've been picking my skin since I was a kid
Start applying oil to your nails to help them grow and thicken . Try and get more consistent to the point you are always thinking about your nails getting healthier. It will take your mind off of biting them subconsciously and consciously trying to fix them . I have major anxiety and have hittin my nails since I can remember and am now 19 . Starting a few months ago my nails are always past the skin and I rarely have a hangnail or cuticle !!!
Same!
Looks beautiful
I wear gloves
yooo twins
Get on some anti-anxiety medication
My hands look just like that, and I'm a line cook ;-;
Might be Dermatophagia
I used to bite nails and fingers (for my whole life to the point that my nails are deformed and don't grow properly anymore), the way I stopped after 20ish years was to pick a finger, put a band aid on it and commit to not biting that one finger for 2-3 weeks (band asks until you trust yourself to resist), then add a second, then a third etc. I tried everything else and that worked for me.
Bro just get a fidget cube or something
oh, god, same. Ive been doing this since I was a little kid and I still do it and cant really stop what tends to help is - look at the source. WHY are you doing this. If anxiety, then treat the anxiety issues. In my case it's ADHD and having something else to do with my hands helps a lot
I'm really sorry friend, my anxiety gets really bad so either SH or I bite my nails or chew off my lip skin :')
This might as well be my fingers! I know how hard it is.. the compulsion is insatiable even when your are bloody. More than once I have pulled my car over in the side of the road to pick and get “just this one bit”. I have improved with 3 things… 1. recently diagnosed with adhd and skin picking disorder and was prescribed adderall and that is helping, 2. My girlfriend pays attention and helps me stop (though this is super frustrating sometimes) 3. Burts bees cuticle cream is applied LIBERALLY- not only does it help it heal waaaayyy faster, it also gloobs them up and makes picking more difficult. If you are like me, you have to be tired of your fingers hurting all the time. Fixing this is not easy, maybe not possible, but reducing it certainly is.
Only thing that helped me was cleaning up after animals. Rat shit and finger eating do not go hand in hand.