im 20 and ive been eating my finger skin all my life.

Posted December 24th, 2008 by jacksmome08

i'm 20 and i'm happily married and i have a 6 1/2 month old and i'm pregnant again. but all my life, i mean...since i can remember. i have always bitten and eatin the skin off my fingers, i used to bite my nails too but i stopped that. and i eat the skin on my lips sometimes and even scabs when i get them, i used to cut myself just to get scabs so i could pick them. my husband helped me stop that. the biggest thing i do now is just bite my fingers. and i like doing it, its weird, and my fingers look horrible but it makes me feel better. but i'm afraid of future problems with the skin on my fingers, cuz i've been doing it for years. and i haven't found a way to stop. even strong will doesn't help.

On April 27th, 2013 Lucas3004 said:

Hi all, had this for years! I can't believe so many other "wolf-biters" with this problem. I used to get to the point where my fingers would be so sore and bleed all the time. I took up classical guitar a few months back which I had to grow long nails to play effectively - I was so determined to do this! Eventually my nails grew and remained long enough to achieve my goal yet the skin problem still persists! My mind has now compensated my success with what I believe is an obsessive 'perfect' fingers goal by biting the skin evenly to give a perfectly smooth finish (much better than bleeding though!). I have recently started working in a laboratory and this is a major health and safety issue and I am determined to kick the habit!

On April 18th, 2013 Samuel12 said:

Yeah came across this site like most people,I'm 10 yes I'm ten but I bite around my fingers normally at school when I'm bored I've stopped biting my fingernails and my lips but now I started chewing on not just around the nail near the knuckle I have a horrid swelled split lump that I bite at it bleeds sometimes but I hate(like other people) showing it too friends they take the mick about it but about a month ago it turned yellow then turned back to the red swelling split lump on the middle of my finger I have even tried the bitter stuff you put on nails but that didnt make a difference I hate the lump and my bleeding stabbed fingers I usually start biting like I said when I'm bored and if I see some skin that's a little bit peeled it hurts like hell and I need help FAST the swelling lump is getting worse it won't heal even if I leave it plz any ideas?

On April 18th, 2013 Nerdgirl75 said:

I'm 37 and I've done this as long as I can remember. My husband tells me, "don't chew." I can't tell you how many times a day I hear, "don't chew." Even when he tells me, and I'm looking him in the face, I can't make myself stop. I wish I knew 1) WHY I do this? and 2) how to start healing. I read someone's comment about using cuticle scissors and a rough nail file. I have to try something because my fingers are embarrassing!

On April 11th, 2013 Jela714 said:

OMG !!!! i cant believe i have stumbled upon this site, im 28 yrs old married with 2 children and all of my life i have bittin the skin around my nail and my nails, and i chew the inside of my cheek behind my lip, i bite the skin around my nails so deep it bleeds all the time but i cant stop even when it hurts i have to fight myself not to do it, the skin grows back and its hard so im constantly picking it and biting it off so they never heel, i notice when i get my nails done with acurlyic nails it helps me not to bite ... but its just temporary, my husbands is constantly on me about it, ive tried everything but i cant he calls it a nervous habbit but i do it even when im not nervous, i would really like to stop but i cant control it, i too am embarrassed of my hands but i dont cover them up, i just dont let people stare at my hands for to long .. i wish there was somthing that could be done, but i am happy that i found other people that have exactly to the T ... what i do .. !! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE OUT THERE its hard to overcome this but not as hard as some things in life stay positive everyone....=) Bless

On March 27th, 2013 eleanor said:

Hi I'm Ele and I'm 12. I am a biter too, it used to just be my fingernails and then I stopped. But then I got into the habit of biting the skin around all of my fingernails, its only the loose skin that irritates me, and then I started back on my fingernails as well. At school I don't want all my friends to see so I keep my hands hidden but it's hard when I'm writing or typing something. I also bite the inside of my mouth just behind my lips, and that gets really annoying because my mouth gets really sore. I have tried willpower but it doesn't really help because my fingers take a long time to heal. Please help me before I go out of control!

On March 20th, 2013 Nikaxplante said:

Hi. My name's Veronica and I'm 15. I chew the skin around my fingers and I have been for a long time now. My parents always yell at me when I do it but I can't help it at all. I feel so embarrassed about my hands. I hate passing back papers in class because my hands look disgusting. I wear long sleeves all of the time so I can hide them. Seeing this forum makes me feel so much better that I'm not alone.

On March 18th, 2013 tdouglas26340 said:

I am relieved to know that I am not the only one that eat their skin off their fingers. I started picking and eatting the skin off my fingers when I was 12. I am now 34 years old married with 3 kids and I still do it. My husband, kids and friends always fuss at me to stop. It is a long and bad habit of mine. The way I started was by a cut on my thumb and pointer finger. After the cuts healed, skin was left around the area. I didn't like the way it looked or felt so I started pulling it off then biting it off. The skin kept growing back and everythime I felt it or saw it, I just had to bite it off. I know it is mental. When I feel the hard skin or see it, I can't help it. I bite it off to get rid of the skin and it grows back and I keep doing it. It is a cycle. My thumb and pointer finger is hard and discolored. I tried filing it and covering it with a band aid. When I have the band aid on, I don't bite my skin. I notcied that it is set in my mind to bite automatically because I put my finger to my mouth even with a band aid on...the great thing is I don't bite it. I notice keeping my hands busy keeps me from biting as well. I have eatten off layers and layers of skin...it look like I have a disorder and this may very well be a disorder that has not been diagnosed as one. I will call it Ictus Distal Phalanx disorder. Ictus is the latin word for bite and the other 2 words mean the upper part of your fingers. there are other names for the different section of the fingers but the ones I bite are the upper parts on all my fingers. Added to lighten the sadness of the situation. I will read other comments to see if there is some things i can do to completly do to stop. I am ashamed of people seeing my fingers and I hide them, I don't even like to hold people hands because they will feel my fingers. It's so bad I can scratch with those chewed skin fingers not my nails but the skin I can scratch with and it relieves the itch...saaaaddddd. I know.

On February 12th, 2013 lealew said:

I've been doing this for a long time, too. I've been able to tackle a few other addictions, so now it's time to tackle this one. I've been pretty successful so far and have discovered that the person who told you to buy cuticle or trimming scissors is right. I use those when there is loose tempting skin, but I've also found that using a rough nail file to file around all of my fingers as they gradually heal is also very helpful because they are so calloused and rough. Filing the skin not only keeps each fingertip (and sides) smooth, it also gives me something to do to keep me from picking and then biting. I did it as badly as you are describing, so you might try both of these approaches. As your fingers gradually heal, keep them filed and smooth and trim any excess with scissors. It will help, I promise. Good luck to both of us. I haven't bitten my fingers in three months and I seem to have finally hit on a helpful approach.

On February 8th, 2013 Rabia said:

somehow im a little glad im not the only one having this problem, but i feel sorry tho. for everyone else who has this. ive been starting ever since i was born by just putting my fingers around my mouth as i got older like around 3/4 i started putting my fingers in my mouth and chewing on them. now ill be 18 in march. and my fingers are very smooth and very pink like till the bottom of my fingers, they are very tight and i think ive lost lotta skin layers. cause its very smooth and very pink almost red. when i relax my hand and fingers they almost make a fist of theirselves, because my fingers have gotten so tight and it scares me sometimes. sometimes i eat it without even knowing that im doing it. even in my sleep im doing it. my parents have brought me to any docter in holland cause i live here in holland. but i am turkish. they said they cant help me and that i just have to keep telling myself to stop. my mom has put stuff like vaseline and all that kinda stuff but it didnt stop me then i pull them off and eat it afterall, and i cant stop it. when im eating it i know i shouldnt be doing it i tell myself in my head to stop and i even be like shit but its like my fingers and mouth has its own mind i just cant stop it and i wanna get rid of this im really done with it. ive been wondering if theres something like a clinic? id do anything to stop this habbit addiction or what ever this may be. i hope atleast all of u will succeed.

On December 13th, 2012 yuli22107 said:

I suffer from the same problem. Ive been doing it since high school. I absolutely hate it. I want to stop but i cant. Its not that i do it when im nervous or bored because i find myself doing it all the time. I probably do it less when im around people but i know i still do. I think its so unattractive and i would do anything to stop. i tried so many times but i always go back to it. some type of satisfaction. I dont know what it is and why. I hope that i can find a way to stop. People dont realize how hard it is and that i actually suffer!!! Anyway i find some kind of comfort that there are people that have the same problem. I wish there wasnt though :/

On August 5th, 2012 Chitown27 said:

So I've read through a lot of these comments. I used to be super embarrassed about my cuticle biting as well. It wasn't just that, however, I would literally eat my cuticles and the skin on my fingers and the skin on the crease of my thumb. Gross, I know. Not sure when it started because it used to be only my nails but once I started eating the skin it was something I couldn't quit and it was going on for probably ten years? I had the same issues, my skin was very noticeable when i went swimming or showered for awhile. People would be like "what's wrong with your finger? Why is it red?" which I always lied about. Finally one day I decided I'd had enough. Here is what you can do to stop: First, go out and buy yourself a set of nail clippers and also a cuticle cutter. Next, clip every loose bit of skin off of each finger. Any skin that you would be tempted to want to chew off. Make sure there aren't any hanging cuticles or "tough skin" that you would be able to pick at. Once you have that done, cut all your cuticles with the cuticle cutter. Along the top of your nails closest to your fingers. Then retrim any skin that it might've made tempting to bite. Once that's done, it's all mental. Anytime you look at a piece of skin you are tempted to bite, pull out your clippers and cut it off. If you happen to bite it off (try not to) then immediately take it out of your mouth and discard it. This for me was key. After becoming conscious of the fact that I wasn't getting the reward of eating that little bit of skin, every time it would end up on my tongue I'd discard it. Seriously, this is what fixed me. Now anytime I accidentally chew skin off I immediately spit it out just out of habit. My fingers are perfect now and it's been since January or so that I've been doing this. I feel so much better about myself and I'm no longer embarassed for people to see my fingers if I'm on a bus or train or something. Try it, it works!

On March 18th, 2013 tdouglas26340 said:

can your skin heal even if alot of layers are gone and is hard?

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

Hi, I went on this site about 6 months ago and was stunned to see how many people did the exact same thing as myself. I went to a psychologist to try and stop and she told me I'd probably never stop biting my fingers. I couldn't accept that and I didn't go back. I found a CURE!!!! It's been over 2 moths and I haven't biten. My fingers are healed and my compulsion dissolved within 2 days. Have you ever heard of energy medicine or energy psychology? Emotional Freedom Technique or E.F.T. is what dissolved my compulsion. All in all it took 15 minutes and I haven't had the urge to do it since. I read on this site a tip that some girl gave about using a nail file and filing the skin on your fingers in the direction it grows. I started doing that. It made it much easier but really it wasn't hard at all. I want everyone to try this. I also healed an old knee injury, have been losing weight AND have been treating my husbands fibromyalgia so he is free of pain. This is no joke. This works. I am now studying to become an Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner and hope to spread these techniques as far as I can. So, I can't explain it in writing but if you go to youtube and search EFT for compulsive behaviors you will find a wealth of information. The idea is that you tap on certain accupuncture points on the body while saying out loud phrases to reset your subconscious. The way I describe it is that my conscious brain and subconscious brain finally had the same intention and the electromagnetic pulse from the tapping is what made that connection. PLEASE go and help yourself. It will be the best thing you could ever do. I suffered from this disorder for 34 years and in two days it was GONE! POOF! I had so much guilt and shame attached to this compulsion and it rippled into the rest of my life. A weight has been lifted. I never thought I would see my hands like this. I am a new person. It seems very silly at first but keep an open mind and do it anyway. It's not the type of thing you have to believe in for it to work. If you do it it will work. Peace and Love Cara

On March 18th, 2013 tdouglas26340 said:

I will try this. Thanks for the information.

On December 11th, 2012 yuli22107 said:

I wrote a cokment already but I wanted to reply to yours. I am going to look into this eft and I hope it works. I hate seeing my ingers this way

On December 12th, 2012 Dgrak said:

I wouldn't take that comment too seriously if I were you, it looks like spam to me. The fact that the same exact comment is posted at least 3 times on this page is a dead giveaway

On December 13th, 2012 yuli22107 said:

I dont think its spam cause theres no link to anything. She was just suggesting a method. A quite popular method too

On July 19th, 2012 monakeer said:

I am going through this post and thinking of its theme and trying to understand what is this post about finger skin all my life ideas.. At last I can have found something from this post which feels pretty good. So I cannot but am writing this comment to express my appreciation. http://stores.ebay.com/juliasdiamondsonline

On June 6th, 2012 spxc1219 said:

I have been eating at my cuticles for a while, not sure how long, but I'm 15 now and I have been trying to stop. If you want motivation to stop, I got a wart virus into the open sores on my fingers, and there were huge warts around my finger nails. It was horrible and they were impossible to get rid of. The only solution that worked was to get a shot in my fingers to kill the virus. It hurt so bad. My mom always yells at me and says "You're going to get warts again!" I just can't stop, I think no that won't happen again. I NEED to stop. Just last week a girl was like "What's wrong with your nails?" I was embarrassed and didn't know what to say. My fingers look all gross when they get wet and its embarrassing. I don't want my fingers to be all red and inflammed forever! My goal is to stop this summer and I'm going to first try putting clear nail poish around my cuticles and putting vinegar on my fingers every morning. It's good to know there's others with the same problem, and good luck to everyone!

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 24th, 2012 OiP82 said:

My post from similar topic* "I've been biting my fingers for few years if not a decade. I have not touched my fingers now for 4 days you know how!?!?! On our local news station they talked about "Flesh Eating Bacteria" I started to do research on this topic and found out that if you have a small scrape or scar this bacteria can attack you and you either die or have your arms or legs amputated. I naturally freaked out and told my self that I can stop. And so I did.. If you want to stop biting your fingers etc read up on "Flesh Eating Bacteria" and I'm pretty sure this will make you stop. My 0.02 cents =)"

On May 21st, 2012 Kaitlyn713 said:

It's very comforting to hear other people go through the same issue as me. I started out biting my fingernails only, and then it spree to the tips of my fingers and now all the way den to my first knuckle. I keep telling myself I need to stop but I never can. Whenever my hands get wet, it becomes very obvious I have been biting my fingers, making it embarrassing to get my nails done or go swimming with my friends. I've tried soaking my fingers in stuff but nothing seems to work and I can't even talk about this with my friends or family (I am currently 13). I know it's a gross habit and I really want to stop. If anyone knows of any solution, PLEASE HELP!!

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 20th, 2012 serenity92 said:

I'm 20 & since my parents divorce back when I was a 5 year old kid I've always had the nervous habit of basically picking at the skin around my fingers & toes. At one point the anxiety of the whole situation got me so badly I'd be eating the skin at every hard point on both my hands and be biting my nails down to the point it looked like I had no nails whatsoever. It looked like I had a really skin condition and no one would want to hang around me. I changed my habits eventually and now I just eat the skin and nails on my fingers. But they look so gross and there's so little I can do. My father, while I was growing up, tried putting this foul tasting varnish on my nails to stop me from biting - but I still did it! I was so intent on biting my nails to the point they bled. I could never really get into playing basketball at school, which is something I really liked playing, because the nails would be so weak they'd break open making the delicate skin open to air causing great amounts of concentrated pain. But to this day I still bite. I really want to stop & just have normal hands. When I bite now I just bite to make them look relatively even but they just end up worse. There's got to be some kind of remedy for all of this because not even the strongest will will stop me from this habit I so desperately despise.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 19th, 2012 bloodyknuckles said:

I have been biting my skin around my finger since I was in fifth grade. It all started with this idea that doing so would make me stronger. I used to wrap ribbons around my fingers so they wouldn't feel so sore and rough but then I would pick through the ribbons. My mom and my brother bite and eat their skin off of their fingers as well. I wear bandaids on all my fingers to help me not do this and because they hurt so bad some times but then, just like the ribbons, I pick the bandaids.. I am embarrassed to hand people things and I work in health care so I get worried about all kinds of things in that subject. I love to eat the skin it makes me feel so good to peel off a big chunk and chew it. It feels good on my fingers and if I don;t pick my fingers feel too tight or like they have too much skin on them. I know this sounds totally wacked.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 18th, 2012 paintsincerely said:

Hello.So glad to have found this site. I always felt like I was the only person who did this. I don't bite my nails. What I do is bite my knuckles. Ive done this since I was 10 years old and I am 27 yrs old now. A LONG time!! It is a nervous habit for sure. It also feels very satisfying. I bite off the little knuckle hair and the skin to wear my skin splits open and it bleeds. On my left hand i chew on my pinky and ring finger (which sucks because I was so worried about when I got married and didn't want any closeup photos of my hands with my wedding ring) On my right hand I chew on my pinky and the pointer finger. I never have chewed on my thumbs. and in the past I chewed on other fingers too but as of now its just those fingers I chew on. I always get embarrassed whenever people see my hands. i get nervous when someone at a salon wants to use a new lotion on my hands. They always say "what happened to your fingers?!" I just say its ezema because I am not about to tell some stranger that I bite my fingers! I feel like its made my hands look so much older and just gross. if I didnt have this issue I would have nice hands. I will share with you that I do have general anxiety disorder, depression and at some points panic disorder. Ive always been a nervous person. It sucks a lot. I am on an anti depressant and a benzo. I notice when I am at my happiest I don't bite as much. Thanks for reading and for sharing your stories.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 14th, 2012 eschaut17 said:

I am 17 years old and I have been biting my fingers since I was about 10 years old.. I thought that I was the only person in the world with this problem until I looked into it more. This habit has really affected my day to day life and especially in sports. I am an avid golfer and I have to put bandaids on all of the fingers I chew on because if I don't they Will crack and start bleeding golf along with basketball football any sport where your hands come into play. I have stopped biting for about a year and then it just starts right back up. I hope to shake the habit again soon.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 8th, 2012 Kevan55 said:

My name is Kevan and im 17. I've been chewing my fingers since i can remember... I've attempted at trying to quit a tremendous amount of times and its proven to be no use, especially since i take 70mg vyvance(ADHD meds{amphetamines}) and its honestly the most satisfying nervous tick. sometime i bite off all of the skin around my thumb, literally the entire top and back of my thumbs, and it will occasionally bleed. I moved onto biting my nails but that only lasts so long since now i have no nails and on top of that, my nails are half the size they should be and i will peel strips of the nail of kinda of like layers and now alot of them have dents and crevices and bumps and its just all messed up. But, I find it comforting to have found this site and more people with this issue. I have always been known for biting at my hands and it really is a nasty habit...hell i was burned severely on the palm of my hand and the scar is now excess skin and i always bite and eat that too...why is it so damn satisfying? hmm...well anyways, happy to share! thanks.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 7th, 2012 brieroxx22 said:

Hi. I have been a biter for all my life. In fact when I was little my dad used to soak my fingers in vinegar. Gross, I know. I used to just bite my nails but is stopped. I constantly have to paint my nails so I pick the paint off not my nails. After i stopped i started biting the skin off my upper, I am doing it right now actually. I have to constantly put chapstick on. I have tried all types of lipbalm, and chapstick, even lotion. A year ago i started to bite the thick skin at the tips of my thumbs. I later spread to the rest of my fingers. And you can only see when i take a long shower or a bath, but the tops of my fingers are all chewed up and I hate it. I do have a really busy schedule. and I am always busy. but believe in work hard, play/relax hard. It is more of a casual thing now than a stress reflex. my cuticles have completely healed though, and I am proud of that I am not longer getting that skin flaking of of them. But i can stop biting. When I found this site, I was so filled with joy.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 1st, 2012 evelynbubble said:

I'm 15 and i can't remember when i started biting but I've never even heard of anyone else doing it, i bite my knuckles, to the point where they split and they look so bad and make writing and sport uncomfortable but i just can't stop and my family and friends are always commenting on how bad it looks and it makes my breath stink and i get nervous handing people things, like in shops, in case they notice, also I've noticed if it's getting to an exciting part in a book or movie, I'll bite. Thanks so much, reading that other people do it too makes me feel less abnormal :P p.s i never comment on anything, but i wanted to share XD

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 1st, 2012 Stop_The_Chewing said:

Im 16 and I've been a "chewer" since I was 9. It has spread to the point where the top of my thumb knuckles are constantly red and swollen. To make matters worse, it has spread to my other finger knuckles too. There are only a few regular looking knuckles left. Everytime I go out in public I have to keep my hands clenched in a fist so people won't stare and ask questions. It is stopping me from making new friends and going out to social events because I am too scared to show everyone my disgusting hands. I am trying a new tip I heard from a doctor and It is having good effects so far. He told me to take a nail filer and smooth down the knuckles until they are red and at the bottom of the skin layer. After a week of doing this every morning they are starting to return to their regular shape and colour. TRY THIS! Finally, good luck to all you fellow sufferers of this HORRIBLE obsession. Good luck, and happy healing!

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

Thank you for your tip. This is exactly what most people should be doing. I mention you in my latest post. Here it is: Hi, I went on this site about 6 months ago and was stunned to see how many people did the exact same thing as myself. I went to a psychologist to try and stop and she told me I'd probably never stop biting my fingers. I couldn't accept that and I didn't go back. I found a CURE!!!! It's been over 2 moths and I haven't biten. My fingers are healed and my compulsion dissolved within 2 days. Have you ever heard of energy medicine or energy psychology? Emotional Freedom Technique or E.F.T. is what dissolved my compulsion. All in all it took 15 minutes and I haven't had the urge to do it since. I read on this site a tip that some girl gave about using a nail file and filing the skin on your fingers in the direction it grows. I started doing that. It made it much easier but really it wasn't hard at all. I want everyone to try this. I also healed an old knee injury, have been losing weight AND have been treating my husbands fibromyalgia so he is free of pain. This is no joke. This works. I am now studying to become an Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner and hope to spread these techniques as far as I can. So, I can't explain it in writing but if you go to youtube and search EFT for compulsive behaviors you will find a wealth of information. The idea is that you tap on certain accupuncture points on the body while saying out loud phrases to reset your subconscious. The way I describe it is that my conscious brain and subconscious brain finally had the same intention and the electromagnetic pulse from the tapping is what made that connection. PLEASE go and help yourself. It will be the best thing you could ever do. I suffered from this disorder for 34 years and in two days it was GONE! POOF! I had so much guilt and shame attached to this compulsion and it rippled into the rest of my life. A weight has been lifted. I never thought I would see my hands like this. I am a new person. It seems very silly at first but keep an open mind and do it anyway. It's not the type of thing you have to believe in for it to work. If you do it it will work. Peace and Love Cara

On April 29th, 2012 asianfreckles said:

hi there! i'm michelle and i'm 17 years old. i read through the first page of these comments and i feel like i can totally relate with each and every one of you. none of my family members or friends do this and i don't think they would understand the satisfaction of this habit. each time i bite the skin, people just think that i'm biting my fingernails. i haven't ever confided to anyone that i'm biting the skin. when i was in elementary school, i started to bite my nails. i think it was because of a nervous habit. then, as i reached middle school, i stopped and instead began to bite the skin around my nails and eat it. i then started to use the nail clippers to clip off pieces of skin on my toes and eat it. the sad part is that the larger the piece of skin, the more satisfying it is to me. it's embarrassing when people see my fingers because they're red and swollen.... it's even worse when my hands are wet. i think this habit might be related to ocd (for me, at least). whenever i file my nails, i always have to file them until they are perfectly rounded... with no uneven edges. i hate seeing loose pieces of skin on my fingers and toes and i bite/pick at them in order to get rid of them. i then realized that when i did that, the skin would just grow back and the process would repeat itself. i've noticed that as a result of my biting, one of my front teeth is slightly uneven to the other. i also constantly pick at my eyebrows and eyelashes... which is known as trichotillomania (related to dermatillomania). i've tried to occupy myself in order to stop this habit, but it's been really challenging. right now as i'm typing this, my fingers find their way back to my mouth and i start biting. a lot of the comments i've read contained really good advice and i plan to try them out. i hope they work as well for me as they did with you! well, that's my story... thanks for reading! best of luck to you all! :)

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On April 29th, 2012 emily.bloch said:

hello, im embarrassed to say to myself that i do pick my skin around my fingers. I know that i really need help, but its just hard. I feel bad for my family to watch me because im only 12 years old. I always have anxiety because of school, like testing and then i just completely hurt myself. i have had 1 infection because of my bitting and it made me go to a doctor and everyone was scared. the reason why i am doing this is because i need help and i dont know anyone else who deals with the stuff i do. please if anyone reads this please tell me what works for you that helped. please i would love to see people reply to this.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On May 21st, 2012 Kaitlyn713 said:

I havent had an infection yet but im doing this for the same reason as you. In 13 and I can't even remember when I started biting. So far it seems like there have been no solutions. I'm so embarrassed to get my hands wet in front of other people because it shows my habit. I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my life but I don't know how to stop. I hope you find some luck :). I'm glad I'm not the only one doing this

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On April 14th, 2012 wolfdrivers said:

I am a 42 year old female and I can't believe what I am reading. As long as I can remember since a child, I have picked at my nails, the dry calloused skin on the bottom of my feet (especially my heels). I pick and eat scabs. I will bite and chew on my bottom lip and try to find as big a piece of lip skin that I can find and naw on it till I can get a piece I can pull with my fingers or my teeth. I have always thought of myself as some type of freak But after reading a lot of other people doing these habits, I think it is no different then the satisfaction people get from "cutting" or having anorexia, using drugs or drinking alcohol. It's a coping mechanism I think we develop from whatever drives us to doing these things. It's just what we do is considered disgusting and unspeakable. I have NEVER shared this with anybody, including both husbands I have been married to. I do it when I think no one is around. The bottoms of my feet look horrible, but I dont' know how to stop, nor do I really want to. It's just good to know that I am like many other people out there. Thanks to all of you sharing your stories.

On July 19th, 2012 caraboo21 said:

On March 19th, 2012 Dahlia said:

I just found out that this is a medical condition called Dermatophagia which is closely related to OCD, I advise you guys to look it up on Wikipedia for more information about this...

On March 19th, 2012 Dahlia said:

I have been eating/picking the skin on my fingers and mouth since I was literally 3 years old. I am now 13 and I still do. My father also does the same. At first I had started biting my nails but it spread to ingesting the skin and my skin on my fingers are so rough and sore. My fingers look horrible. If I paint my nails I chew it off. Nothing has helped that much. When my parents had gotten I divorce I had started doing it to my toes as well. I would take nail cutters and cut the skin from the bottom of my toes and eat it, which I don't anymore and i don't know how I stopped that but still remain the same with my fingers and mouth. But I have found one thing helpful. My boyfriend and family are constantly trying to get me to stop. Around thanksgiving I went on wikihow and i found a solution on a forum about stopping nail biting, but during that time I was having family troubles and I started again and have been doing it since. And now I do it whenever I'm bored or even subconsciously. I just want to end that habit now.

For information on the skin picking disorder (Dermatillomania), symptoms, causes and treatment methods, get the Complete Guide to Skin Picking Disorders.