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Finallyfacingit , 18 Jan 2013

Fake nails not helping

Hi everyone, I've been struggling with picking for a long time and have finally decided to really buckle down and try to stop. On the advice of quite a few people I went out and got acrylic nails so I wouldn't be able to pick, but I've still managed to make a mess out of my legs picking obsessively at hairs. The corners of the nails still make it possible. :( they are effective for preventing damage from mindless picking and scratching but if I'm really determined, it's no deterrent, any other possible solutions? I'm getting desperate.
8 Answers
birdwatchingbabe
January 18, 2013
Hi, Fake nails did not work for me. Actually, I found it more tempting to squeeze at everything on my face, and the fake nails caused even more damage to my skin. I would recommend getting rid of the fake nails all together. I have heard of people putting bandages on their fingers or gloves but have not tried it myself. Good luck!
AbdourahmaneBo
January 18, 2013
Hey I think the easiest way to stop this habit is to keep your nails groomed.Hope this will help you.
Runaway_1
January 18, 2013
Hi, I wear false nails to stop myself, for the first week or so I find ways to pick but I find it much harder to pick, do you? If that's the case keep at it because eventually my picking slows down till I stop picking, this time round I'm wearing false nails and being aware of my actions at all times, that's helping me more as well, hope this helps
Finallyfacingit
January 20, 2013

In reply to by Runaway_1

Thanks for the replies guys! I think I've figured out that it is the square edges of the nails that is making it easier to pick. I'm going to try to reshape them and get rid of the edges. I think it's worth trying as I'm waiting for them to "wear down" it seems silly to try and melt them off so soon when they'll wear down eventually and then I can see if keeping them groomed helps more. Any advice on how to heal my real nails once these are off? I know they're going to be a disaster.
JulieBeautyOCD
March 04, 2014
Here is a comment I wrote to someone else a few weeks back but it also includes some other tips besides fake nails........I wish you all the best! I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I would even have to give my mom my eyebrow tweezers because I would pick with them. Here are a few things you can try I also made a youtube video you could watch with clips when I used to skin pick and explaining more of my story with skin picking. My youtube channel name is JulieBeautyOCD A Few Tips... 1.)Getting fake nails (at first they help a lot but over time you can get used to them and learn how to pick with them on) but they are great for the beginning to break the routine because it is a lot harder to pick with fake nails, 2.)Wash your face at night then right after put lotion on...when your skin is smooth the urge to pick is less and when there is lotion on you can't pick because its slippery. 3.) Get a feathered pillow and pull the feathers out when you get the urge to pick. 4.)Get a stress ball or some kind of activity to keep your hands occupied and distract you...I got some coloring books and would color to keep my hands busy haha 5.)Wear some gloves...cant pick with gloves on 6.)This might seem weird, but it has satisfied my urges when i wanted to pick. If you put a little Elmer's Glue on your hands and rub it around and let it dry then pick off the dry glue...I don't know how to explain it but it does help with those really bad urges. You get to pick off the glue and it doest hurt your skin the process. 7.)Breaking up your routine is probably the most important thing. If you pick at a certain time a day or night you should make sure your around people at that time or do a activity or watch tv to distract yourself. I used to put bandaids on my face after picking too. For my chest I recently got a light laser treatment (after 2 rounds) a lot of my scars/pigmentation faded. I wanna do my face next! For my face I try to wash it every night (which is easier said then done) and put lotion and Vaseline on. I have heard that vitamin E does help to fade scars. For makeup I use the Loreal True Match Foundation and Powder and it covers REALLY GOOD! I wish you all the best and if you ever wanna talk or are feeling down I'm here for you...your not alone I know what your going through and I truly believe that you can overcome this! I will be posting more videos soon...make sure to subscribe and stay in touch! xoxo 
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August 17, 2015

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