...yeah right. I have told myself this since I was little. I don’t know what it is but I just love it. It feels good in an odd way. It’s an OCD, Onychophagia. And what is really odd it that I only do it on one nail. Here an there I’ll pick at the others, but one I always pick on. It’s pleasing for whatever reason. And on TOP of that I pick at my gums too! ARG! Gotta stop someday. 4 years ago

is it bad i cant even remember when i started? 5 years ago

I don’t know why I do it, it hurts and looks really bad, and makes the fact that I have grown my nails totally redundant! 5 years ago

Over the summer I had nice fingers and cuticles. I was proud to paint my nails and show them off. But since school has started, there has beena a lot of stress. It’s my senior year of high school and I’m more stressed than ever. I’ve noticed my fingers are also worse than they have ever been. It must be a nervous habit. That, cracking my knuckles and swallowing. i think I need to add a goal to my list: make a list of things that calm me down when I am nervous. 5 years ago

I forget how long ago it was when I stopped picking my cuticles, but I’m still not doing it.

It’s so nice to not have painful spots on my fingers. I hope you guys keep at it!

Still haven’t got that stupid manicure like I said I would. Lol. 5 years ago

I give up. Ok? I’m never going to have pretty hands. Even if I stop biting my nails and picking my cuticles, they will always be covered in paint or pen, or blackened with charcoal, or smudged with pencil. So basically, I give up on tryin gto have pretty hands. I don’t need to. 5 years ago

utter, utter failure. trying to get back on the horse, YET AGAIN. 5 years ago

i had a good run going for this one… probably at least a week or two. guess I get to start over again. 5 years ago

A close friend told me a few days ago that this habit of mine really freaks him out. Still didn’t motivate me to stop…

Le sigh. 6 years ago

still picked at my cuticles BUT i remembered to use cuticle cream again! yay! lets see if i remember in the midst of finals… 6 years ago

not so hot. I used cuticle cream, but I couldn’t even make it through one whole day without picking at my cuticles. I guess that really proves how bad of a habit it is. siiiiiiiiigh. I guess tomorrow is an opportunity to try again. 6 years ago

but I can’t stop! I do it so sub consciously sometimes, its terrible!! I think it goes along with biting my nails, so i supose I should try and stop the two together. It’s just soooo hard because its a nervous habit, a thinking habit, and a bored habit. That’s a good portion of my life right there. I’ve tried using creams, but I never remember past the first day to keep using them. Plus I just keep picking anyways. Does anyone else have any advice? 6 years ago

I really don’t even know what to say. I’m failing pretty miserably at this goal! I must say, my cuticles have been in worse shape than they are now, but they’re definitely far from perfect. I guess another strategy, besides gloves (which I am wearing now, by the way), would be to keep my nails short, which they are now. 6 years ago

I’m so shocked that there are so many others who are doing this too! I actually joined this site because of this particular habit of mine. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember…I can remember being in second grade doing this. Now, i’m 22, and it’s still a terrible habit of mine. Anyway, I’m working on grabbing lotion (actually, Vaseline, which is a great moisturizer!). I’m going to try wearing gloves at home when I’m doing something that doesn’t require my hands. I’ll keep everybody posted! 6 years ago

I can’t believe that other people have this problem! About 10 minutes ago on a whim I decided to google this problem as I was going to bed with aching fingers like I do most nights. I do believe it is an anxiety problem and genetic. My sister picks at her cuticles as well even worse, her fingers bleed often. I do it without even knowing it and my husband is always telling me to stop but I just can’t. I tell myself that tomorrow is a new day and I need to be aware of what I’m doing but after about 10 minutes of picking and they begin to hurt is when I even realize I’m doing it. I’m going to try that Lush product that megaddie suggested. I’ve tried the manicures, cuticle oil, constant lotion and acrylic nails but they are all temporary fixes. I want to stop this once and for all, I’m tired of being embarrassed about my hands, here’s hoping for pretty hands eventually! :) 6 years ago

I know this shouldn’t be such a struggle, but it continues to be a compulsion. Any time I have a moment of down time (and even when I don’t have down time), I am back picking at my cuticles. And once I start I cannot stop! Any one have any helpful suggestions? 6 years ago

Hi all, I’ve just found this neat site!

I have picked at my cuticles for as long as I can remember, and it is somehow comforting to know I’m not the only one! I’m 51, and I believe it is an anxiety thing or time-filler. I don’t think it’s genetic because I don’t know anyone else who does it, including family members. I find myself picking during the day if I am bored or in a stressful situation.

The best solution I have found is unfortunately the most expensive; get acrylic nails ~ this works for me because it accomplishes my goal of having nice looking nails, and the thickness of the nails precludes you being able to do a lot of damage to the cuticle by picking.

The next solution is cheaper, to simply do my nails regularly ~ this works because I find that after I take an hour to paint & polish, I consciously don’t want to screw them up, at least for a while.

The final solution is to buy the best hand lotion I can afford, keep it with me at all times, and use it all the time, especially each time I start picking. Somehow the feeling of moisture on my hands makes me feel better about my nail appearance.

But I’m still working on this problem, and have never understood why I have such dry cuticles, in spite of doing all the right things.

Feeling for all of you! 6 years ago

Hmmm…I seem to notice a lot of discourse regarding the genetic characteristics of this affliction called cuticle picking. Just to speak for myself here – I don’t think the “picking” is the genetic part. Anxiety runs in my family and I believe that is the biological facet of this horrible habit, for me anyway. I’ve started wearing gloves at night – if only I could just wear gloves all day…because that wouldn’t be the weirdest thing ever… 6 years ago

It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one on this earth with this gross habit! I’ve done this since I was a kid and feel (by my own diagnosis) that it’s part of an anxiety disorder. When things are stressful, I pick and pick and pick. It’s very embarrassing to me, and my husband doesn’t understand. He always tells me to stop picking. I’ve been to nail places a few times who have commented on it, and that is the worst! I wish I could stop, but it seems to be some weird release for me. Ugh… 6 years ago

I;ve stopped picking at my cuticles for a week now and they look much better. I am using this cuticle cream religiously but when I wake up in the morning (since I haven’t used it in hours) my cuticles are very dry and cracked. They still look a bit swollen and pinkish. Does anyone know how long it will take for them to be “normal”? Anywho, I am so proud I have stopped for this long! It’s the longest I’ve ever stopped. 6 years ago

I have been picking at my cuticles sicne I was very young. My mom does this as well but 10 times worse that I do. Se is adopted and I wonder, does her biological mother do it too? I hate it. Getting fake nails helped me for a while but as soon as they come off I start up again. I really want to stop. My boyfriend tries to help to remind me when I am picking because many times I don’t even realize I am doing it. However, sometimes I am so annoyed at myself for continuing it that i snap at him and that is unfair. If anyone has any tips on how to stop or why we even do this in the first place I would really like to hear them. Thanks! 6 years ago

I honestly have never seen anyone other than myself doing this. It annoys ppl, and I am sure it grosses them out to no end. I try to stop, but I just keep going at it. I dunno, gives me satisfaction, like the people who have that disease that like to pull out their hair? 6 years ago

I HATE THAT I DO THIS. I DEVELOPED ARTHRITIS IN MY RIGHT THUMB SO BAD THAT I NEEDED SURGERY. NOW MY OTHER THUMB IS SHOWING THE SAME SYMPTOMS. MY MOTHER DID IT AND MY SISTER DID IT. I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS SOMEHOW GENETIC.

I HAVE FOUND THAT HAVING ACRYLIC NAILS HELP. THE NAILS ARE USUALLY TOO THICK TO BE ABLE TO MANEUVER ANY PICKING. THE TRICK IS TO KEEP THE NAILS ON. UNLESS YOU HAVE WORKED ON CHANGING THIS BEHAVIOR, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A NEW SET OF NAILS APPLIED AS SOON AS THE OLD ONES ARE REMOVED! AS RIDICULOUS AS IT SEEMS, IT IS BETTER THAN WALKING AROUND WITH BLEEDING CUTICLES OR BANDAIDS! 6 years ago

I’ve had mixed success with this one. I was going strong for about three weeks, and then BAM I started up with it again. I don’t really know what triggers it. Once I start, I have a really hard time stopping. 6 years ago

In Less than acceptable condition, or downright gross:LEFT thumb
RIGHT thumb

Could look better:RIGHT index
RIGHT middle
LEFT middle

Tempting me:LEFT index 6 years ago

I’ve never bitten my nails.. but I have this ridiculous habit of picking my cuticles. And not just a little pick every now and then.. no, no.. I have to pick so badly that my damn fingers start to bleed. How attractive. Sitting at my desk at work grabbing for Kleenex because my fingers need stitches!!
Gotta stop this! 7 years ago

It’s hard, it sucks. I was able to kick the habit by rubbing my cuticles instead of biting/picking. I had been doing it for most of my life.

After a long time of not picking them I picked them again and it hurt enough I don’t want to EVER pick them again.

I find I do it out of boredom or stress. I also helped me to find something that would busy my hands so I couldn’t pick at them. Video games, typing, and writing are pretty good hand busying activities.

I promised myself I would finally get a manicure if I could stop it. Still haven’t done it, lol. But now I won’t need to be embarrassed about any sores on my cuticles. 7 years ago

I love knowing others are dealing with this habit, too. I’m trying to keep lotion and cuticle oil on them as often as possible, but as soon as I stop keeping them moisturized, I start picking again! I’ve even worn fake nails for a while, which helps, but then I have them removed and start all over again. Maybe someday… 7 years ago

I thought that i was the only one who had a problem with this, I have been doing it since i was a kid and dont like how it look and want to stop already. 7 years ago

This is a real struggle for me. Some days I don’t do it at all. But once I start picking, I can’t stop all day! I also get angry if anyone mentions that I’m doing it. My strategy for the past few days has been to keep lotion on my cuticles so I don’t notice hangnails as much. It’s been pretty effective so far. 7 years ago