Picking your fingers till they're sore or bleeding

I had something similar, but no where near as extreme. Try to sit there and think about it without actually doing it and then do something else to distract yourself when you start to think you can't cope without doing it. You'll be amazed how much scars can fade as well.

I do the same thing sometimes,but I can control it a bit better than it sounds like you can. Neosporin all around the tops,and keep them moistureized.

Yes I do that all the time!!! It's very aggravating to not have nice looking fingers because of it.

I think it's called, "Dermatillomania". http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatillomania
I've had this ever since I was very, very young. When I was a child, the doctors used to threaten that I would get gangrene and that they would chop of my little finger. Well, it never happened but it did seriously traumatise me. It hasn't really caused me any problems except people staring at my thumbs, which has made me become self-conscious, and sometimes random bleeding, which is very inopportune if I don't have any band-aids on me and I'm in a public place. There had also been inappropriate accusations from family members when I was a kid. I've noticed that for me it seems to be a coping mechanism. I'll do it if I'm stressed out or bored, sometimes I don't even realise that I'm doing it. Treatment wise, I never went to see anyone about it that I can remember. But, I have thought about brining it up with my therapist. If its causing you issues in your life, you might want to consult someone about it too. Just don't take the drugs!!!!

This is my first time visiting this site and it felt so good to know your not alone that their are other people out there that suffers thru the same promblem you do when it comes to picking my fingers. This is something that just started with me ever since I started taking larger amounts of effexor. It's hard to describe to my therapist what I be thinking about when I pick at my fingers. When I look at my finger I scan them for any nick or a problem I see and start picking at them but then it gets worse because after I start picking at my fingers they start to hurt and bleed sometimes but they feel and look awful so then I have to get the nail clippers and smooth it out that's how I think of it but really it's just a smoother quicker way of picking at my fingers. So once I finish killing my fingers I put bandages on them and for awhile it works I don't pick at my fingers but after the bandage gets wet from washing my hands I take off the bandage and then I get excited because it's this puffy fresh white skin that I can pull so the craziness starts all of over again. I'm stuck and I don't know what to do the only thing I could think about it try the bandages out to keep u from picking at them and when you need to change the bandage without a second thought quickly put on a new one. try to keep yourself busy I like to make pillows and sometimes I don't use my sewing machine I'll just sew the material by hand because I just drift off into another world where it's calm and soothing. So guys try out whatever you can to stop picking and good luck.

I also do this. I've done it since I was really young, the main area is on the sides of my thumbs. Then it sort of progressed to under the nails on my other fingers and areas of hard skin on the soles of my feet - and then my face. Skin picking became tangled up with anxiety issues for me and in my mind teens, particularly after the joy of spots was introduced into the mix, was causing me serious problems, preventing me from leaving the house in fact because I was red and swollen and blotchy and scabby and bleeding. Very nice

But, it all started with my fingers. I'm examining them now because for once, they are unpicked and smooth! There are three triggers for me: Nervousness; I'll pick at them sub consciously as some kind of response to anxiety. Boredom or habitual fiddling; for instance I'll go into the cinema and come out with bleeding thumbs; and after baths and showers. You'll know this of course, but finger-pickers' digits react real badly to getting wet. The dead skin around where you've picked recently will be soft and begging to be peeled off. Once I start picking off those soft white dead bits I'll just carry on in a little frenzied reverie, even using nail clippers to pick out bits under my nails and that. Pretty sure it's rooted in an OCD of some kind.

I can't offer you much advice apart from being very strict with yourself after bath time. That's when it's worst for me. On all other occasions, I can only think of giving yourself a substitute to fiddle with, something pickable like blu-tac or an eraser. I also always keep a couple of plasters, or band-aids if you're american, with me in case I'm out in public and wind up with bleeding thumbs. My problem has subsided slightly since I took a job as a waiter, it's an extra incentive to maintain my appearance, especially my hands x

well while you do it you can soak it in the alcohol

My sister ruined her nail beds by picking her cuticles. She wears bandaids in her thumb nails. You are using this to calm anxiety. It's also self-mutilation.

Ok this is what u do go to cvs or a happyharrys or something and get the nail polises that taste bad and put them on ur nals

sm but i do if scared excited nervous or weirdly hungry

Same here.

I am the EXACT same way as you! For me, it's an OCD/stress/boredom thing. I had stopped it for about a month (while I was on meds), but then I started all over again :( I'm not on the meds anymore cause I got laid off from my job and didn't have any benefits (and since I'm NOT on Welfare, the government won't help me out with meds!!!!). I'm working now but still no benefits, and I'm so much happier at my new job (my last one sucked and I worked with so many bitches and assholes who didn't appreciate me), and yet I'm chewing/picking again. I really wish I could stop!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure, but this could be an obsessive compulsive behaviour. If you truly can't overcome the compulsion to pick your skin, then I suggest that you look up the various treatments to help you bec ause all of this picking may leave you with scars and even possibly infections (unless it's not really bothering you.)

Or in ur stubs ...... Gross

Munchausens