does anyone pick their thumbs?

I've been picking my thumbs since I was little. I'm 36 now and I can still at any given time, especially in the winter, look down and see purple peeling nail beds and skin all down the sides. We tried medicated lotions and band aids but nothing works. I will agree, the only time I don't pick is if I'm wearing fake nails. I read somewhere there's a paint-on Nu-Skin or something that helps the skin lay down and regenerate but I figure I'd just pick at that too. My boyfriend is noticing me doing it a lot lately, and I've started to actually become worried there's an underlying issue especially after reading thru this site. I pick my thumbs, all my fingers, hangnails, any bumps on my body, my face, acne, it's not good. My face clears up and the scars go down but I'll have another monthly small breakout and make it that much worse messing with my skin, without even realizing I'm doing it. I pick at stickers, fingernail paint, anything around. I've resorted to cutting my nails short and paying attention to what my hands are doing. I'm also doing fake nails again this week to see if that helps my need to pick go away. I'm relieved to know some of you have found yourself able to get past it and stop! Thank you!

Yeah I'm 17 and have the same problem and I only do it to my thumbs.Though there is no one I know or have ever met has this and I've tried to stop especially when I get embarrassed by my family commenting on it and making rude remarks.

i agree! im 12 years old and i have been peeliing my fingers since i was 6. In my first school, BridleWood Public School, nobody knew i was picking my fingers. In my second school, nobody knew i was picking my fingers there either! (i was in grade 4 that time). i stayed there for a month then i moved to Sts.Cosmas and Damian. Through Grades 4-6 nobody knew... til grade 7. Ms.Nocera saw me peeling my fingers and she told my friends about it! and now 15 people know i pelel my fingers! Whenever Teresa ( my friend) saw me peeling my fingers, she would go to the office and get me 3/4 bandages! 2 on each side so i wont pick my fingers! and if i keep this up i will get infection and im might need a new hand. (a perfect cream to heal your thumbs is PolySporin Anti-Biotic Cream) put it on everyday for a week also put bandages on after you put the PolySporin Anti- Biotic Cream on and after a week your thumbs will be good as new)

I'm 16 and I've been doing the same thing, but I can't remember when it started. It wasn't until recently I began to pick at just more than my skin on my fingers but also my eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and even my scalp. My family doesn't really notice any of this either. My mom saw the aftermath one day after I had a field day with my eyelashes, but that was only because I take eye drops 3 times a day, so she was bound to notice sooner or later. My mom told me it wasn't normal and to stop because my eyelashes are there to protect me, but her pep talk didn't help much, she even said I looked like a freak but it hasn't stopped me yet. I can't really control any of this though. I know what I'm doing to myself, but I don't seem to care at the moment I'm actually doing it. I've literally bitten down all my finger nails and my thumbs, and parts of my other fingers, are super raw and sensitive to touch, I'm scared that I'm messing my fingers up, but I keep finding myself picking even though I have no nails to pick with now. I read somewhere that it's a way to keep your hands busy and your mind quiet, and they're right. The moment I was picking at my thumbs I was watching TV, and when the show was over I had a bunch of skin and nail bits all over my lap. It's getting worse, I know it is, but I don't really wanna tell anyone because they won't do anything anyways besides tell me I'm not normal and to stop, and to be honest, I wish it would be that easy. To just stop and be "normal".

I do this constantly to my thumbs as well. The only thing that seems to help is carrying around mini finger nail clippers. If I can clip the hang nail or skin before picking, I can sometimes stop.

I have read so many of these comments and am utterly shocked and relieved at the same time. I am 40 years old and have more or less mutilated my thumbs to the point of no return. I have torn the cuticles, nail beds, nails and skin all around my nails to such a deplorable state. I can barely remember when my thumb nails didn't look this bad.... I have trashed my cuticles so badly that when my nails do grow, they are dented, ridged, deformed and horrible. I always have band aids with me to cover them up in emergency. The state of my nails/skin is so embarrassing and awful, I feel so ashamed. The rest of my nails are actually quite nice so it makes me even more self conscious because my thumbs truly stick out like a sore thumb!!!!! (excuse the pun, but it's fitting here) I really want them to grow back and have 10 lovely fingers, but I can't seem to stop. It's horrible. I recently got engaged and everyone wants to see the ring and all I can focus on is hiding my thumb by nearly making a fist. I've tried the fake nails, clear polish, etc, but nothing seems to really help. I always go back. I really feel awful about this. My father seems to have nearly the same problem, but he just rips the skin off the sides along the nail so that his thumb nails are arched and really narrow (but equally ugly). Has anyone tried anything with any success out there?? I'm so desperate to fix this...

I have picked the outside of my thumbs for years and years. In fact there is no skin on each side of my thumbs all the way to the thumb joint. My thumbs scars are exactly symmetrical. Today I picked both until the scars are red, so I googled this problem and am here. Today I received some especially distressing news so it wasn't an unconscious act as it usually is. I hate having these disfigured thumbs so I really thought about what MAY cure it........................................................................................................................................... 1. Realize when you are doing it and more importantly WHY? I picked mine because of bad news and I don't remember picking when I've had good news so I think it is important to address the root cause............................................................................................. 2. Always clip the nails that you use to pick very low. Since I use my index finger's nail on the outside cut it at an angle to reduce picking ability................................................................................................ 3. Put tape around your fingers until the urge to pick subsides. I have medical 1/2" tape by 3M that I have used. Now you will be picking at the tape which feels ridiculous but at least it makes you aware............................................................................ I'm still looking for a cure but today provided the most important finding for me - WHY am I doing this to myself? Anxiety, depression, loneliness, regret, despair. Picking my thumb skin won't help any of those symptoms unfortunately, yet I pick like it will. Time to stop.

Hi! I could never have imagined that there are umpteen number of people who suffer from the same problem! I started picking my thumb when I was seven... Both my parents were working so they never noticed! My sister was not too old either so even she ignored it! I used to hate my bad looking thumb... But could never stop! In 6th my best friend noticed it and said she would tell my mom..she told me not to pick again or she won't talk to me for a week.... I tried to stop but years went by but I just couldn't ...Now I'm 16..last year my mom and dad saw it and told my aunt who is a homeopathic doctor....since then I started asking myself how do I feel when I do it? Why do I realise when I've already done it... I noticed some of these things and told my aunt....1. I did it when I was idle like watching a movie or sitting in the class.... 2. When I peeled the skin I was so focused that my actual conscience mind was lost so deeply that I could only realise it when it started bleeding. THE FIRST THING THAT I DID WAS TELL EVERYONE AROUND ME THAT WHENEVER U SEE ME PEELING MY THUMB STOP ME!!!! because sometimes I myself did not know I'm doing it.... I applied a mixture of honey and turmeric and wrapped it with a piece of cloth just like a bandage... Trust me my thumb looked pretty ugly and the yellow tinge due to the turmeric made it look even worse but it heeled my thumb.... From then I regularly applied a homeopathic cream calendula and over it I applied petroleum jelly every night and the results were phenomenal! My dad used to say that If I don't stop then maybe they would have had to cut my thumb!! During my 2 months summer vacation I did this regularly and during the day applied pet. Jelly whenever my thumb felt dry and picky...now the 2 months are over! Just like all of u I never imagined I could see a perfect thumb ever.... i still apply petroleum jelly whenever it feels dry......but REMEMBER :GIVE IT TIME BECAUSE YOU,VE BEEN DOING IT FOR SOO LONG! I waited 2 months and did not pick in this time...... Whenever I felt the urge I covered my thumb with a bandaid or put pet. Jelly.... First of all tell ur family to stop u whenever they see u doing it...don't worry ! Ur no different !! If I can control myself for 2 months to finally see a normal thumb y can't u ??? Don't think because that satisfaction of seeing ur normal thumb is so much more than the one u get when ur picking... ALL THE BEST TO ALL OF U FROM MY HEART! :)

I am 68 yrs old and began picking the skin around my thumb nails probably as a young teen, msybrt even younger, I don't know when exactly.I really enjoy picking and tearing and try to do it gently so it won't hurt. Sometimes I pick and tear for hours at a time...even lying in bed. I tape my fhumbs every day and nite, but always pick the tape off so I can start again. Sometimes I tape one thumb and pick the other one. I really love to do this! It feels good to me My thumb nails are not normal because I have damage the nail beds. I have been doing this alot for the past several months, before that I did it rarely. I do not know how to stop and feel I need God to intervene. I smoked many years ago, and the picking is kind of the same, bad for me but I enjoy it as long as they are not sore . I am under treatment for bipolar and depression and this picking is getting worse.

Hi, I am in my thirties and I have been doing exactly the same as you for years. My right thumb is worse than the left. I am right handed and when my thumb is really bad I cannot even hold a pen to write. It gets so bad that I cannot bend my thumb and I know what you mean about being in agony. My right thumb is the worst as I bite the back of it but I also pick the skin on my other fingers - just on the sides. I have recently started picking my feet too which I am really ashamed to say. I have only recently discovered that our condition has a name! I am actually going to the doctors tomorrow to talk about CBT therepy because I realise I need help. Maybe you should consider the same... Good luck, you are not alone.

Hi all. Im 24 and i have been picking, biting and tearing the skin down the inside of my thumb since i can remember. I think it started when i was around 9 sucking my thumbs, and when they became soggy and pruned i began picking from there and its been an unstopable habit since then. My girlfriend is sick to death of me doing this and says it disgusting, but after only just doing some research now im amazed it has a name and at how many people also suffer with this. I hope to resolve this problem sonetime soon

I have been picking my fingers for years. It's like a uncontrollable urge to control if that makes sense. I do it because in my own mind I'm trying to make my fingers skin look smooth but I only make it worse. One pull leads to another and I never have pretty nails. There so short I can't even get a manicure. I pick the cuticles also and it's not just one finger its all of them. If there is a piece of skin that I can feel or see it starts until I am bleeding and in pain because the pulling is so close to the underside of the nail. I also pick at any ant or mosquito bite until my skin on the legs and arm form a deep hole then a scar. Every time the bite heals to the point a scab forms I pull the scab off so it will bleed then another scab will form. A bite that should normally heal in a few days turns into a few months and then I have an awful black scar. My legs and arms are full of deep dark scars, I have tried everything to get rid of the scars even prescription ointments to no avail. I have been on an antidepressant for most of my life but not for this, I do have an anxiety and depression disorder but never connected the two issues. I take citalapram for depression and was wondering if one antidepressant is better than another for this disorder or are they all pretty much the same. Undoubtably an antidepressant is not working for this on me.

I also have this same problem....it's terrible, and I've been doing it for years. So much so, that I have huge horizontal dents on my thumb nails, which are the worst. I know it comes from anxiety and it has progressed into a very bad habit. Most of the time, I don't even realize that I'm doing it, until I hurt myself. All of my fingers are typically red and swollen from agitating/picking them. Any advise is welcomed. I'm afraid that even if I stop, my nails will not grow back smoothly.

I have picked my thumbs since I can remember. I am now 40, and wondering what took me so long to google this condition. I have tried many things, including an rx that actually helped tremendously. I had almost normal (well, relative to my norm) thumbs and nails after about 1.5 yrs, but the rx caused a drastic increase in my prolactin hormone (the one that makes women lactate), so I had to stop taking it. I had my son a few months before I started taking the drug, and the my obgyn said it can take up to 18 months for milk to dry out completely. So, it took me way too long to realize the hormonal effects. After I quit taking the medication, I quickly resumed my reign of terror on my poor thumbs. It is such an embarrassing thing...my nails and the skin are horrific. While I am not happy to hear others have this same compulsion to pick their thumbs, it is comforting to finally know I am not the only person who can't stop.

I have picked my thumbs since I can remember. I am now 40, and wondering what took me so long to google this condition. I have tried many things, including an rx that actually helped tremendously. I had almost normal (well, relative to my norm) thumbs and nails after about 1.5 yrs, but the rx caused a drastic increase in my prolactin hormone (the one that makes women lactate), so I had to stop taking it. I had my son a few months before I started taking the drug, and the my obgyn said it can take up to 18 months for milk to dry out completely. So, it took me way too long to realize the hormonal effects. After I quit taking the medication, I quickly resumed my reign of terror on my poor thumbs. It is such an embarrassing thing...my nails and the skin are horrific. While I am not happy to hear others have this same compulsion to pick their thumbs, it is comforting to finally know I am not the only person who can't stop.

I have picked my thumbs since I can remember. I am now 40, and wondering what took me so long to google this condition. I have tried many things, including an rx that actually helped tremendously. I had almost normal (well, relative to my norm) thumbs and nails after about 1.5 yrs, but the rx caused a drastic increase in my prolactin hormone (the one that makes women lactate), so I had to stop taking it. I had my son a few months before I started taking the drug, and the my obgyn said it can take up to 18 months for milk to dry out completely. So, it took me way too long to realize the hormonal effects. After I quit taking the medication, I quickly resumed my reign of terror on my poor thumbs. It is such an embarrassing thing...my nails and the skin are horrific. While I am not happy to hear others have this same compulsion to pick their thumbs, it is comforting to finally know I am not the only person who can't stop.

I also pick at the inside of my thumbs as well and my fingers, at the top by nail. They hurt so bad. They do bleed at times too. I had to wrap my thumb with a bandaid and ointment to keep it from hurting so much. I know I do this when I am bored and or anxious. But it's gotten worse over the past several months. What I also notice is how my heart rate goes up and then I get more anxious. It is such an awful feeling and the pain is so bad in fmy ingers. Then I become obsessed with the pain. Going to try medation excerises and working out to ease my stress level. I am so glad I ran across this site. I thought I was the only one. I am hoping I can get a grip on this soon. Aveeno lotion helps sooth the pain, although when you apply the lotion it may hurt for a few seconds and then it goes away. Do this over night and your fingers will feel better.

I am 13 years old, and I do this to the outer sides of my thumbs. I have been peeling since I was 8 years old, and REALLY want to stop! I have never had a manicure because I know it would draw attention to the ugly peeled skin. I am also a competitive swimmer, so when the skin gets soaked, it turns soggy and white! People are noticing it, and I tell them that they are just blisters from canoeing, but that is a major lie. I told my best friends to tell me to stop when they see me do it, but we are no longer in the same class. This habit affects the way I hold things, grip, and write. At night, I put polysporen with a bandaid and it seems to heel very well, and then I peel again. Are there any other easy solutions? I'm only grade 8, my parents or doctor don't know, so it can't be anything I have to go to the store for, thank you!