Hey My name is Rosalyn and i am taking this challenge. I used to think i was the only one with this problem. Its good to know im not alone. I have just started and im on day 6 today. Its really hard because ive been doing it since as far back as i can remember. But now im confident seeing how many people have been trying to stop, and have. I know i can do it! 1 month ago

That’s my name for it.. I’ve been biting my nails since I was a kid – not severe, all the way down to the cuticle so that they look deformed.. But then I was unemployed for nearly two years..

When I started working again two years ago, it was for a stressful company and my manager was an absolute JERK.. A real nasty waste of space.. Then the manager left and was replaced with another JERK..

So I’ve been under stress for the past six years (counting the two years before I got laid off – failing company, the two years I was laid off, and the two years since I got laid off)...

Not too long after I started working I started biting my right finger.. I wake up in the morning and would bite it.. Then I sort of figured out to bite it through my blanket.. but that only makes it worse cause it makes it possible to bite without leaving marks..

But it creates pressure which hurts, and causes calluses.. It’s not really visible unless you look for it. Problem is, I bite on my way to work, and on the way home.. and also at work sometimes..

It just looks like I’m doing an “oh dear” movement.. Like I’m witnessing something horrible..

I’m just tired of it and my callused finger – I’m worried I’ll cause bone damage or permanent skin damage. When there is a lull in the stress, like on long weekends, the biting goes right away…

I think that now that the economy is improving, if I get a new job that will help.. Or actually, maybe the JERK will leave for a new job since that is the problem!! 7 months ago

People are saying that acupuncture is working, but I am 13 and it would be quite strange for me to go there at this age. Is there a way I could stop biting my fingers without getting that type of a help? My fingers look horrible :P And also, is there anything that could decrease the time take for my fingers to heal? P.S I don’t bite my finger nails. 10 months ago

My fingers look amazing!! And to my surprise they have stayed amazing. my thumbs are normal like, normal normal! I started back up on one of my thumbs a few months ago and after looking at my healed thumb it was very disappointing what I had done to myself. So I took that for motivation and stopped again :)

I have only had an issue with ONE finger and the swelling not going down. I am sure why? But even my WORST fingers look fantastic and normal!!!! 10 months ago

I have been chewing the skin on my fingers for over 50 years.
There have been spells when I have been able to stop for very short term.
Wikipedia calls this Dermatophagia and suggests that it is linked with depression but that is not my experience.
I chew my fingers at all times.
Anyone make any suggestions? 10 months ago

I was a skin eater. I thought I was all alone on this one. I’ve stopped almost completely. I took an old nail file and I filed the skin until it was smooth. I was amazed with the results. I used to hide my hands all the time because people would ask about them, but now I can show my hands whenever I want to. I recommend doing this instead of paying to stop. Its amazing, and I’m glad I tried it. I really could say I’ve stopped. When I got my hands really wet, you could tell that I ate my skin, but now I can be happy with my hands when I take a shower, go swimming, etc. Please try this technique! It really works! 11 months ago

It’s been weeks since my first acupuncture appointment. I’ve been back a few times (4 sessions total) and haven’t picked hardly at all! My fingers are healed and beautiful. I don’t understand how or why it worked but I’ll take it! I’m waiting for a three month mark to cross this one off. I’ve picked for more than 10 years (probably more like 15) so it seems like it should be really confirmed before I say I’m cured! 14 months ago

i bite my fingers at least once every 10 minutes. i have tried to stop but i cant! i also recently foundoutthat biting your cheeks isnt what most people do :P ive been doing that for years now! i guess finger and cheek biting are like sisters or somehing. well i kinda hope i get over this stuff because im tired of people asking me whats wrong with my hands :P 15 months ago

I’ve heard that acupuncture is a successful intervention for compulsive behaviors in general. I had my first appointment on Thursday and I haven’t picked my fingers AT ALl since then. I’ll be making another appointment for this week and we’ll see if this is sustainable! 16 months ago

I cant stop either. i looked it up and wikipedia called it a form of ocd called dermotillophagia.ive been chewing my fingers since the second grade or at least tht is the frst time i can remembera kid in my class asking about my fingers. my boyfriend getsreakky upset when they get bad. im going to try the suggestions and see if i can stop. 16 months ago

Both myself and my brother are finger biters. Well he and his daughter (my 4 year old niece) came for a visit and she showed me one of her little fingers all bitten up. Nooooo! My niece and my brother have made an agreement to not bite anymore. Me too even though I haven’t been doing as badly with it, but I still do it. Think I will start by getting my nails done for New Year’s! 17 months ago

SO, i’ve more or less bitten the skin around my fingers for my whole life. only, until now, it hasn’t been a real problem; or at least i hadn’t noticed it as such.
like i’ve read for most of your cases, i do not bite the nails at all which is frustrating in a sense because thats the common problem, so everyone tries to solve that. but thats not what i/we do! its something i do when i’m anxious.
several months ago, i started again, only this time i’d do it more severely, till i bled and beyond. when school started up again, people started to notice because i would bleed on things.
people would look at my hands and tell me that i need to stop, that its disgusting. it was a blow to my self-esteem to be called gross, so i would feel more anxious, so i would bite more.
i think i can sort of say that i’ve stopped. the skin around my nails is healing. all i deal with now is resisting the temptation to peel the skin that hasn’t healed with my teeth, especially after a shower.
but, i think i found my cure in lotion. lotionlotionlotion. i have about 10 tubes around my house, in my bag, in my locker.. whenever i feel like biting, i occupy myself with lotion. i also put on lip balm. the lotion soothes the flaky skin so i’m not as tempted to bite it, and also provides a competing action for the biting.
some lotions i recommend:
(though its not a lotion) burt’s bees lemon cuticle cream
l’occitane hand lotions (just choose your favorite scent, they are pretty expensive but worth it! very light, very pretty scents, not greasy)
curel intense treatment for hands
palmers cocoa butter formula with vitamin e (just the regular bottle, i really love this one because i love the smell, its not expensive, available at almost any pharmacy, and has a beautiful texture, like butter!)
i don’t know if it’ll work for you but i know if you’re in a position like mine you’ll try anything.
i think what they should produce is a hand cream that heals hand wounds! i see “intense repair” and stuff on creams but they are all for dry skin. when your skin is bloody and hurting, you want something that will heal it!
oh and i know this is already long, but one more thing, instead of hiding it from people you should tell them! it was hard to hear that it was gross, but on the other hand, whenever i did it my friends stopped me! when other people are aware of the problem it becomes easier to solve.
i hope anything in what i said helps you with the problem, best of luck i know how terrible it is :( 17 months ago

I’ve really recommitted to this goal and am hoping to have mostly healed hands by Thanksgiving when I go home to see my family.

To make that happen I’m doing a few things.

1) I’m getting a manicure with parafin wax treatment once a week, on Thursdays. It helps them be pretty and not have any spots that ‘need fixing’ for a few days. The parafin wax seems to help even more than a normal mani!

2) I bought two putty balls that rock climbers use to strengthen their hands. I have one in my purse and one in my car and I squeeze and play with them when I catch myself picking. Driving, classes, watching a favorite tv show, and plane rides are my worst damage times.

3) I’m taking a picture of them every Sunday night so I feel like there are short term goals on the way to ‘good’.

So far they look better than the have in years with just 3 weeks of these things in place so far! 19 months ago