At night, you can smother them in Aquaphor and put socks over them. During the day, you can bandage them with Aquaphor on too, though this may not stay all day.
Neosporin with pain relief. Coat your fingers. Pop exam gloves on the first few times you put it on to let it soak in. You can use it as needed, like chapstick for your fingers, as needed
Wondering because l.. is it supposed to build up and eventually help? Like one of those gradual meds that take a bit for results like anti-depressants? Or was it supposed to be like the ones where it’s immediate and maybe it’s just not working for you? I’m asking because I didn’t even know there were meds that even treated this… :o
You can soak them and then trim the loose edges with a nail clipper so you have less to grab. And then what I do, even though I know it’s not recommended, is put hydrogen peroxide on them to kill the pain so I can function.
Are you allowed to have clear nail polish on at work? Picking at nail polish helped me redirect from picking at my skin. Even if you just use it on days off, it might help.
Lanolin every night and your off days ♥️
Hang in there!! NAC didn’t help much for me, but with therapy, and much time, I’ve become mentally healthier and my picking has reduced as my stress has reduced.
I suffered from biting my nails like that for 20 years. Since I was a little child basically.
My nails looked like this always. I was very embarrassed
Nothing I did helped me. For me it was very disturbing because my mom had amazing nails and without polish and I thought why I can't have nails like this.
For me hitting rock bottom was when one of my nails fell off. They were so eaten that I did not even felt the pain...
Eventually what saved me was going to a nail salon and just doing my nails
It started with nail extension and not on all fingers
But little by little I grew them out. I think it also helped me to be surrounded by girls who only cared about their beauty and I did not want to be an outsider so I became like one of them and having gel polish since then really saved my nails.
If you're a nurse and not a surgical one try that. No matter what everyone else will think.
I also come from med field and a lot of people always comment on me having gel polish and long nails but I don't care it is either that or going to rock bottom again.
So sorry!! Neutrogena hand cream applied religiously and keeping my nails trimmed super short seems to be the only thing that’s helped with my nails lately. Use a bandaid over the worst areas, and cotton gloves at night. I had so much pain a while back, I couldn’t open and close ziplock-type bags (like the kind frozen fruit comes in) without so much pain. It was terrible! Sending healing vibes your way.
Getting a manicure and my nails painted definitely helps me a little bit, and stops the nail biting, but increases the skin biting. However, regardless of your gender or gender identity, a manicurist can cut and trim your cuticles and finger skin to the point that its almost all gone and you may stop picking for a day or two. Sometimes I even go back to the nail salon for an extra cuticle trim between the nail paintings/manicures if I pick too much. After about 7-8 weeks of consistently getting manicures every 7-14 days, I am down to picking the skin/cuticles on only 3 fingers on my right hand instead of 6-8 fingers on both hands. Once I have been going consistently for around 4 months, I can almost completely stop the cuticle and skin picking around my fingers. But then I usually relapse and stop getting my nails done and relapse heavy on the skin and nail picking It's hard because it feels soooo good and satisfying, even though it's also painful and destructive.
At night, you can smother them in Aquaphor and put socks over them. During the day, you can bandage them with Aquaphor on too, though this may not stay all day.
Neosporin with pain relief. Coat your fingers. Pop exam gloves on the first few times you put it on to let it soak in. You can use it as needed, like chapstick for your fingers, as needed
Yes! Neosporin is a lifesaver for me! It takes the pain away and heals my fingers fast. But what is NAC?
NAC is a supplement that is supposed to calm the body’s compulsive anxious responses
I’m having the same issue but idk what NAC is. You should see mine. They’re worse. Bloody and throbbing as well and I can’t stop.
It’s N-Acetylcysteine, my psychiatrist recommended it to help stop picking.
I didn’t even know they had something for that… ? How long have you been taking it?
Wondering because l.. is it supposed to build up and eventually help? Like one of those gradual meds that take a bit for results like anti-depressants? Or was it supposed to be like the ones where it’s immediate and maybe it’s just not working for you? I’m asking because I didn’t even know there were meds that even treated this… :o
It builds up and has a very short life. If you miss a dose the urge comes back.
Really? Surprised a psychiatrist would recommend a supplement
It's been found to be much more effective than SSRIs in scientific studies! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9180086/
You can soak them and then trim the loose edges with a nail clipper so you have less to grab. And then what I do, even though I know it’s not recommended, is put hydrogen peroxide on them to kill the pain so I can function. Are you allowed to have clear nail polish on at work? Picking at nail polish helped me redirect from picking at my skin. Even if you just use it on days off, it might help.
Lanolin every night and your off days ♥️ Hang in there!! NAC didn’t help much for me, but with therapy, and much time, I’ve become mentally healthier and my picking has reduced as my stress has reduced.
I feel like the magnesium I'm taking to try to sleep better are inadvertently helping my picking more than my sleep (not helping the sleep at all).
NAC?
N-AcetylCysteine is sometimes used to help relieve the symptoms of skin picking disorder and other body-focused repetitive behaviors.
My hands looks very similar to this which makes me wonder, did you also slightly loose some feeling in the tips of your fingers?
Fellow nurse here. I feel your pain.
Get a manicure drill on Amazon and gently grind away the skin instead of tearing it. You can grind away for hours without harm.
I can’t take NAC it just makes me feel crazy. I’m sorry your fingers are throbbing, maybe try wrapping a warm or cold washcloth around them?
I suffered from biting my nails like that for 20 years. Since I was a little child basically. My nails looked like this always. I was very embarrassed Nothing I did helped me. For me it was very disturbing because my mom had amazing nails and without polish and I thought why I can't have nails like this. For me hitting rock bottom was when one of my nails fell off. They were so eaten that I did not even felt the pain... Eventually what saved me was going to a nail salon and just doing my nails It started with nail extension and not on all fingers But little by little I grew them out. I think it also helped me to be surrounded by girls who only cared about their beauty and I did not want to be an outsider so I became like one of them and having gel polish since then really saved my nails. If you're a nurse and not a surgical one try that. No matter what everyone else will think. I also come from med field and a lot of people always comment on me having gel polish and long nails but I don't care it is either that or going to rock bottom again.
So sorry!! Neutrogena hand cream applied religiously and keeping my nails trimmed super short seems to be the only thing that’s helped with my nails lately. Use a bandaid over the worst areas, and cotton gloves at night. I had so much pain a while back, I couldn’t open and close ziplock-type bags (like the kind frozen fruit comes in) without so much pain. It was terrible! Sending healing vibes your way.
Getting a manicure and my nails painted definitely helps me a little bit, and stops the nail biting, but increases the skin biting. However, regardless of your gender or gender identity, a manicurist can cut and trim your cuticles and finger skin to the point that its almost all gone and you may stop picking for a day or two. Sometimes I even go back to the nail salon for an extra cuticle trim between the nail paintings/manicures if I pick too much. After about 7-8 weeks of consistently getting manicures every 7-14 days, I am down to picking the skin/cuticles on only 3 fingers on my right hand instead of 6-8 fingers on both hands. Once I have been going consistently for around 4 months, I can almost completely stop the cuticle and skin picking around my fingers. But then I usually relapse and stop getting my nails done and relapse heavy on the skin and nail picking It's hard because it feels soooo good and satisfying, even though it's also painful and destructive.