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Post by skin on Oct 20, 2002 22:15:23 GMT -5
My hands are a mess,....I pick even when I'm driving a car! I won't get phony nails as I have very strong nails (when I don't bite them and pick at my cuticles and fingers) and the few times I left my hands alone they were gorgeous,..........HELP!!!! I hide my hands all the time! Anyone else out there?
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Post by lizard on Oct 23, 2002 22:13:07 GMT -5
I too pick at my cuticles/fingers. I have been doing it since I was seven years old. The only time I succesfully stopped for any lenght of time was for my wedding this past July. I think I was terrified that my ugly hands would show up in the pictures. But even after successfully stopping for about a month, somthing triggered me to start again, and it is bad once again. I pick until I bleed, and then sometimes I even pick some more. I too will do it while driving. I hate it and want to be able to stop!!!
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Post by smoothie on Oct 25, 2002 10:25:49 GMT -5
Hi! I was thinking about learning how to knit or crochete,...something to do with my hands,...what do you think? Of course,...one can't do this while driving!!!
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Post by lizard on Nov 14, 2002 18:18:50 GMT -5
I think that could help for situations like watching TV. Then if you always remembered to start knitting when you first sat down, maybe your hands would be busy and you wouldn't be tempted to pick. I have tried playing with Silly Putty as a distraction. I need to buy more so I can have some in more places. It really helps, because you can almost pick at it just like you would pick your fingers. I sometimes use it while I drive - like on really long trips. Sometimes just wrapping it around a problem finger will help from picking more. But sometimes I start to pick while still playing with the silly putty. Why isn't there an easy way to stop?? Why is it so hard???
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Post by obnoxa on Dec 22, 2002 17:57:54 GMT -5
My hands are pretty bad, I can leave my nails alone but never the surrounding skin. I get alot of infections on my fingers, oh, and I am just as bad with my feet. The worst part is showering, everything stings like crazy!
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Post by Amy on Feb 10, 2003 23:58:52 GMT -5
I too pick my fingers and the cuticles around them. I will pick them until they bleed and are sore to the touch. Wow, I am a wreck I guess. I am on Paxil for Panic/Anxiety disorder that had my home bound for almost 7 months. I also am a HUGE skin picker in general. I pick acne, bumps, and about anything I can get my hands on. My fingers are always red around my nails and I have even changed the shape of my nails due to the constant picking. sigh.  |
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strokethekitty
New Member
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Posts: 6
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Post by strokethekitty on Apr 15, 2003 23:15:13 GMT -5
I've been picking my fingers since I was about 9. Recently, I was reading over my partners shoulder while she was on line looking for support for her Hair-pulling (trichotillomania). Someone on her support board suggested playing with a koosh ball. So I got one, and you know what? As soon as I caught myself picking, I grabbed it up, and at the end of the day, my fingers looked a lot better than ususal! It's worth a try.  |
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Post by Sea Siren on Apr 25, 2003 23:03:19 GMT -5
My fingers are the main area I target. It started with my thumbs when I was four or five but spread to the rest when I was eighteen. I do a lot of damage when I'm driving. Sometimes I don't even realize how much until I look down and see my black skirts/pants covered with skin. Gross I know. I used to have a boyfriend who would put band aids on my fingers and wouldn't let me take them off. He'd hold my hand whenever he saw me trying.. if you can keep yourself from ripping the band aid off it can help. Also, running your hand under water. It hurts but for some reason it always helps allievate my need to keep going until I finish.. Anyway, I hope this helps.  |
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Post by obsessed on May 9, 2003 8:39:55 GMT -5
I can't believe I have found this board. What a relief! I have picked the skin around my fingers, on my feet and on my lips ever since I can remember. Right now, my main problem is my fingers. A few weeks ago, I was having problems with my lips but they are healed now. In the past, I've also picked at my scalp and my feet have been so bad in the past that I could hardly walk. The shame is unbearable at times. Especially, with my daughter. It is hard to make a 12 yr old understand why I consistently pick and make my hands so ugly. I'm 35 now and I do recall doing this as far back as elementary school. I thought I was the only one in the world that did this and that I was a total freak! I'm so thankful to have found you. I've been reading all of the posts and feel so much better.
It's nice to see that some of you have found relief with different therapies, medicines, or vitamins. Personally, I have tried Prozac and some behavioral therapy in the past with very little luck. I'm going to try the inotrinol (sp.?) and see if that has any affect. If anyone has tried this, how long did it take before you began to feel a difference? Just knowing there are others out there that have similar problems is such a relief and gives me more hope that I can eventually control these "uncontrollable" urges.
Thank you!
Dana
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Post by capecodbaby on Sept 21, 2003 14:55:44 GMT -5
Hello fellow finger & cuticle pickers, I too also have had this problem with compulsive picking... I had a terrible time with picking at my cuticles & fingers - I would do it til I bled & were so painful & then they would be sore & simply horrible looking ! I too quit picking my hands for my wedding in fear for the hand closeups pictures looking horrible... it worked temporarily... but shortly after the wedding, i started biting again  So far, I have been much better with my finger/cuticle picking by going to see a manicurist every 2 weeks... that way my hands looked so pretty that i didn't want to bite & also the thought of seeing my manicurist with tattered hands kept me from biting ... So I am glad to say that I haven't bitten my fingers & cuticles in a long time & I don't miss my sore hands anymore... But, now I am stuck on biting & picking my poor dried lips... so i will heed some of your great advice & work on fixing this problem.... umpffff ... It is a battle - many people don't understand why we do the things we do - I'm glad that I have found others who have the same problems & who have found success best wishes to all & here's to a life without picking... - capecodbaby |
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April
New Member
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Post by April on Oct 2, 2003 5:40:51 GMT -5
I have been picking my fingers since I was about 4 years old, and I am 52 now. I've tried all kinds of things and nothing has worked for long. i also pick my feet and I used to pick my lips. I have managed to stop from time to time for up to six months, but I always start again. I am glad I have found this support board, I used to think I was the only one who did this.
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Post by jennifernancy on Nov 11, 2003 9:51:40 GMT -5
I am so glad I found this board!!
I am constantly biting the skin around my fingers - I cannot stop. I have gotten better over the years but recently have started again.
I have never thought the problem was serious until I realized other people have it too - I have never seeked therapy or meds, should I??
I am going to try to stop on my own, it is almost subconscious when I do it...any tips on how to stop would be greatly appreciated.
I am tired of hiding my hands, I am tired of bleeding on everything. HELP!!!
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Post by OboeThumb on Nov 12, 2003 12:15:03 GMT -5
Hi! I was thinking about learning how to knit or crochete,...something to do with my hands,...what do you think? Of course,...one can't do this while driving!!! I've found that knitting is a big help -- especially while waiting for my slow computer to pull up sites!! I pick while driving too! Some things I've tried were keeping tape or rubberbands on the steering wheel to pick at them instead  But I still do it. Even in my stick-shift car, where you'd think I have enough to do with my hands! I've been picking since I was a teen. I don't even realize I'm doing it half the time. My mom claims that once you hit menopause the urge goes away, which I seriously doubt. My hubby and even my 4-year-old daughter are always telling me to stop picking. When I wear bandaids, I even find myself picking at those. I know how youall feel, I'm so tired of having bleeding, swollen cuticles. And yes, foot person, you are not alone either. ;)I totally know what you mean about a stinging shower or bath! So nice to find out I'm not alone!  Good luck everyone! |
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Post by OboeThumb on Nov 12, 2003 12:18:03 GMT -5
P.S. A good, easy knitting book to get started is Evie Rosen's "Teach Yourself to Knit".
DOes anyone know what is a good cream or salve for when knuckles get calloused from picking? Thanks ahead of time! ;D
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Post by Tricia on Jan 18, 2004 9:54:51 GMT -5
I have been picking at my thumbs for years and years. I don't even have nails on my thumbs and when they start to grow back i pick, pick until they are swollen and sore, so then I get the nail nippers and clip off any nail i can see so I can't pick. I can't seem to control this and it is such a stress releiver. I wear bandaids to work and can't wait to tear them off and pick when I get home...LOL I feel like a nut case!! I have never told anyone about this except for my family members, I tell other people it is something I was born with, sort of like a birth deformity. Isn't that sick?
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But I still do it. Even in my stick-shift car, where you'd think I have enough to do with my hands! 
Good luck everyone!