I pick at my cuticles like an insane person my biggest mistake was getting pointy tweezers, it made me go insane picking at my cuticles and I have now caused permanent damage to my nail beds🤦🏻‍♀️ im gonna hopefully post often to try and hold my self accountable and chill out

As part of OCD SoCal NFP's Online OCD Conf includes 1 day for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB)-related sessions (like skin picking, nail biting, hair pulling) on Sat. Nov 7

Use code CHANGEMAKERS for $10 off the ticket price (which goes up slightly on Nov 1) at https://ocdconference.eventbrite.com.

This is a great way to: (bold is the session title)

(1) Reframe Shame to Shatter Shame - a powerful healing session with clinical experts on shame and a lived experience expert on BFRBs (me). I'm proud to say that many attendees have shared that this talk positively changed their lives & I hope to to help you do the same.

(2) Learn Advanced BFRB Treatment Skills - from a team of top treatment pros & lived experience experts.

(3) Turn Private Struggles Into Personal Stories of Sharing BFRB in the Media - with 4 community members who've been featured in the NYTimes and other pubs to raise awareness.

(4) Learn Future Directions for BFRB Treatment - from a team of top treatment pros and researchers.

The last column has the BFRB sessions and if you are a treatment pro -- this is a CHEAP way to get CE credits!!!:
https://ocdsocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/1-Page-Agenda-2026.png

I have been struggling with skin picking for about 8 years (I’m 21F). It got really bad for my fingers in college, especially when I was stressed with a lot of work. While I’m sitting at a computer trying to write it is the worst and can be extremely distracting and distressing. I started using band aids or taping my fingers while I’m at the computer to be able to focus better, but they would always start falling off after a couple hand washes. I recently just tried using martial arts tape which I have found works really well, it is comfortable and stays on for a pretty long time. I have the brand Bighorn Athletics that I got from Amazon: https://a.co/d/0bqdWvMf
It comes in lots of different colors and widths. I got the 0.3 inch but think I’ll try 0.5 next time.
Hope this helps :)

I’ve just discovered that my left thumb nail is the result of Habit-Tic Deformity. Ugh!! After learning more, I’m not surprised. It’s become a bit of an anxious habit for me to pick and press at the cuticle on this nail. It began in the spring after three years of religious DIP manicures — every two weeks with no break. All my other nails have made it out alive but this one. I don’t feel comfortable using super glue on the cuticle like other threads suggest; that feels like it could leech toxins into the body. Aside from bandaids and self-control, has anything else helped anyone!?

Just trying to calm some anxiety, I have had a habit of thinking my nails look weird 😭

Hi, I woke up with this painful thumb bump I think it may be an infection it feels a bit hot is red white, and swollen, and is painful and throbbing pretty much constantly like I can feel my heart beating on it… I asked my mom nicely if it could be checked out at urgent care and she said no and just put hot water on it I feel like it’s getting bigger tho and it’s still super
I’m in pain and having trouble focusing on school. Please tell me what to do and if I should go to
Urgent care. Thanks.

The top thumb is my normal thumb; the bottom one is the painful one!

Last 2 pics are before pics.

Longest ive gotten to in a long time. I just filed them down with an extra fine nail file (been doing it for 25 plus years so theyre badly callused) and ive been putting on aquaphor. Ive gotten through the splitting phase (both my thumbs and right middle finger love to crack like 1 week in after filing) and now theyre just dry and flaky. The splits are healed too so now ill start lotioning after another quick file. Hoping to stop completely this time.

My goals for the next three months are:

Continue no bites

No metal tools

Glass files only

Focus on sidewall progress

Focus on overall nail health

Continue supplements (omega 3 and collagen seem to help most)

I've been a nail biter for nearly 25 years. My last relapse was in the summer. I know I can get through three more months! The changes won't be as dramatic but I'm hoping with time I can completely heal the scarring/damaged areas around the nail bed.

I didn't know this subreddit existed until today and I'm feeling incredibly grateful that I'm not alone. I was desperate today, decided to cut the fingers off of gloves so I could still use my phone and as I'm scrolling with my thumb condoms 🤣 I came across this subreddit and wanted to ask for anyone's tips and tricks. I have ADHD so I often forget that I have fidget toys (or where I have left them) and my cat will often steal them lol i don't like gloves (cloth or otherwise) and I use glue on nails to stop the picking but now my thumb nails have an indent in the middle... I feel like I never actually address the problem or stop the habit, even when I have fake nails on. They just make it harder & minimize the damage but I'm still actively picking no matter what. So today I had the idea to try "finger condoms" or at least my makeshift version of them. So far I think this might be my most useful idea yet but I want to be prepared if this doesn't work the way I'm hoping it will so any and all advice is appreciated 🫶🏽

the first picture is from today.
the second is from august when i was doing well enough wearing press-ons... :(
i feel like painting them doesn't do enough. no matter what, when i'm PMSing i always freak out and chew/tear my shit up. it's like a monthly failure or reset.
i've tried fake nails, bitter polish, expensive manicures to make me feel bad about biting/picking, fidget rings, fidget toys, dbt/cbt... at this point i really might just wear gloves everywhere. it is so embarrassing and i'm so tired. :((
any advice would be helpful. thank you.
signed,
exhausted

This is the worst it has ever been for me. I am in pain. I'm ashamed.

Since starting ADHD medication earlier this year the habit has just gotten worse. The medication has improved my life in so many other ways but I'm not sure if it's worth it when I look at the state of my hands.

I'm pulling the skin off my fingers too. My phone doesn't recognise my fingerprint half the time because there is no fingerprint.

I wear gloves constantly at work to cover the mess and to stop myself from getting infections.

I feel at this stage only a physical barrier will stop me doing this. I'm heavily considering braces because my nails are too sore and raw for false nails.

🙂

1. Dating is hard with these. People talk about having nice nails at work all the time. I work a job where hand hygiene is literally key. I’m constantly using sanitizer and lotion. I pick and bite. I had 8 months of growth and fucked up last month and ruined it. It’s compulsive I swear. Once I mess them up, all have to go. Then the cycle just keeps going.

With polish, and without polish a couple days before. I usually just do a super neutral color because I don’t want it to actually stand out lol but I’ve been really into this color lately 🥹 I don’t have a crazy progressions pic but trust I’ve been biting them since I was a child so it’s not cute when it’s that bad, we will try to keep going 🤞🏻

I always wanted to wear black nail polish but it would always look weird on my weird little stubby nails. I’m so excited and happy to look at my nails now!

Hi, I'm Tomás. I make Gentleskin, a small iPhone app for skin picking. You log where on your body you pick and how many (or for how long), see your patterns on a chart, and when an urge hits there's a thirty-second wave to ride it out, or a field of kelp pods to pop.

You can add your own body parts, so some of it already works for other BFRBs. But it was built around picking, and I don't know how well it fits anyone else.

So if you bite or pick your nails:

- Would you track it at all? By count, by time, or neither?

- What would an app have to do differently for you?

- Or maybe you don't want something app-shaped at all?

If you're curious: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6789245158?pt=668857691&ct=reddit_calmhands&mt=8

More about it: https://gentleskin.app

The urge screen is free for everyone.

I haven’t messed with any fingers on this hand in a few days. The right side needs some work though.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Wanted to post a pic, because the confidence boost is real!

Having a layer of cemented down acrylics always helps me not bite and gives me at least 4 weeks to heal my nails and nail beds. This time, after I remove them, I will follow up by using the OPI Nail Envy Treatment to strenghten them.

I’ve heard of natural looking, colorless short acrylics for guys or really for anyone who doesn’t want the manicured look. Has anyone here tried those?

When I wear acrylics my hand fidgeting usually changes into something less destructive than biting. Like rubbing the acrylics against each other making it sound like an instrument, rubbing them against my lip, or scraping the inside of each finger one by one thoroughly with the acrylics. (The last one is actually a bit annoying.)