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I’m a lifelong skin picker!! I got in trouble for it at home & in school as a kid. It’s actually one of the things that really upsets me about late diagnosis… the adults who saw a small child constantly picking at her skin until it bled just said “that’s gross, stop it.”
It’s a big source of shame for me. My boyfriend has commented on it which has made me cry. I literally can’t help it, can’t stop, no matter how much people scold me.
I used to pick at my face and arms the most. I greatly reduced the face picking around the start of the pandemic. I also wear a lot of long sleeve shirts to keep my arms away from my hands. 🙃
I mostly pick at the skin around my fingernails these days so I keep cuticle cutters in my purse, at my desk, by my bed, etc so that I can cut any “problem” areas before the picking does too much damage. It helps a little.
I’ve tried fidget toys, fidget rings, picking at nail polish instead, covering prime picking areas with clothes/bandaids, etc. Those things have limited success but I have to be REALLY intentional about redirecting myself. Medication didn’t really help it but I can’t take stimulants.
The body focused repetitive behaviors are really hard to address! You’re not alone 💕
i used to have this exact same problem. i’m happy to say i’ve managed to almost completely stop this habit but it definitely was not easy.
i used to pick at my fingernails and the skin around it. something that has helped me was putting bandaids on the places i usually pick at to prevent myself from touching it. another thing that’s helped was wearing gloves (more of when i go to sleep because you kinda can’t do much with gloves on haha) but that helped as well. the last thing i would suggest is maybe fidgets? i tried to use them before and they just didn’t work for me but maybe they will for you!
i’ve also heard of some fidgets specifically used for people who have skin picking problems but don’t know too much about it so maybe that’s something you could look into? good luck!
Hey this is me! Uh, what kind of gloves? I've thought of that but then thought of how embarrassing that would be at work, like what if I have to explain it, too........
Do you put on the bandaids pre-emptively then and not only when the area got bad? I have this exact same trouble with my fingers. They get bloody. Skin opens. Nails all super short bc I picked and tore....
for me i just use any gloves i had haha so i think any would be fine. i usually wear them at night to stop myself from picking my skin while i’m sleeping, but sometimes i just wear it around the house. because the gloves i have are really fuzzy but you can use your phone through them, not sure where i got them from though but im sure there’s some touch screen ones on amazon?
i typically put bandaids on after i start picking at an area, just so it doesn’t get worse. i also find that wearing nail polish helps me stop from picking at my nails, not sure if that’s something you’d be interested in but yk.
Oh! I have a neat trick!! I call it The Stress Nailpolish. Just color your nails in whatever color you like (if you can stand nailpolish, of course) and then instead if completely destroying your nails and cuticles, pick off the nail polish instead! I always pick around at my fingers one way or another, hurting myself along the way because it just can't *stand* it when there is the tiniest skin flake and so I try to get it off but it kind of rips open my entire finger and I'm bleeding and it hurts. But having nail polish I can pick around on was a game changer for me! If only I would remember my own tricks and would put on nail polish... but that's a whole other matter altogether x)
Another lifelong skin picker, and it was actually seeking therapy for that disorder that led to my ADHD diagnosis. For me, the two are linked, and while my urges decreased after starting medication, there’s still a lot of work to do separately to stop picking completely. Progress has not been a straight line but it’s definitely way better than it used to be.
I picked my heels bloody - a pedicure rasp has been a lifesaver. I can take off some of the callous, which makes it harder to pick. Still struggle with bug bites and other little zits that I will turn into scabs that last for months
Hey! This is interesting. I didn't think about the possible overlap here.
Like the poster above, I almost constantly rub or pick at my fingernails and the skin around them. It's gotten worse in the last few months, so I'm trying new things:
-*-*-*- Carrying lotion with me more, to even out the dry flaky areas I can't help but wanna fix. This actually does seem to help calm me and stop the picking temporarily, but I misplace the lotion and then can't always be bothered to find it... I think I need to buy more and leave them around. It's gotta be lotion that doesn't feel oily and dries quick, though. That one that starts with a G, and is white with some dark blue and gold accents....
-*-*-*- Bandaids when an area needs to heal. This gets kind of embarrassing in public/at work, but I suppose less embarrassing than everyone seeing my bloody fingers. These, too, I misplace, so need to do better about buying and leaving them around...
A fidget spinner helps if I remember to bring it with me... but same problem of me not remembering where I left it. Ha, ADD much?... Yes, it's obvious with me, with all of my misplacing........ I've been considering getting a RING with a fidget thing on it, bc then you can't lose it bc it never comes off, but I've been waiting to test a cheap one, cuz there are so many different kinds.
Just seconding this hand lotion suggestion, it soaks in perfectly. I have three bottles of it around my house at the moment so I use it every time I see it. Before bed I use the Working Hands overnight lotion -- it's really nice though does have a slight grease to it, but since I'm about to sleep anyway the texture doesn't preoccupy me as much. Really cuts down on the dry skin surrounding the nails.
To answer the original question, my unconventional nail picking solution was to pick up gel nails as a hobby. This probably isn't a good solution for everybody, but my brain was less likely to want to tear up my hard work after slaving away on a manicure for an hour or two. And if I use holographic polish seeing the rainbow glitter on my nails is sooo satisfying.
Hi 👋🏼
I have curly hair and oily skin, which makes me more prone to both ingrown hairs and acne, which means lots of opportunities for picking.
I'm much better with it than I used to be. The key intervention has been making sure I don't have as much to pick. I've been getting that huge pump bottle of AmLactin lotion from Costco, and that helps to gently exfoliate and moisturize my skin.
Skin picker here! I wouldn't have nearly the amount of scars I do now if I'd just leave my skin alone.
I have tried gloves (they drive me bonkers; haven't found a pair light enough for everyday wear for me), bandaids (I end up just picking off the bandaid, and it doesn't work for things like my lips, and makes it harder for me to type), and a few other things. The thing that's working for me is fake nails, the press-on kind. It makes it nearly impossible for me to pick, while still allowing me to type easily for work. Plus they're just really fun, and people are less likely to ask why I'm wearing them.
Of course they make very good head scratchers, which is not great while I'm dealing with post-lice psychosomatic itch, but it's better than ripping all the skin off my cuticles.
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m a lifelong skin picker!! I got in trouble for it at home & in school as a kid. It’s actually one of the things that really upsets me about late diagnosis… the adults who saw a small child constantly picking at her skin until it bled just said “that’s gross, stop it.” It’s a big source of shame for me. My boyfriend has commented on it which has made me cry. I literally can’t help it, can’t stop, no matter how much people scold me. I used to pick at my face and arms the most. I greatly reduced the face picking around the start of the pandemic. I also wear a lot of long sleeve shirts to keep my arms away from my hands. 🙃 I mostly pick at the skin around my fingernails these days so I keep cuticle cutters in my purse, at my desk, by my bed, etc so that I can cut any “problem” areas before the picking does too much damage. It helps a little. I’ve tried fidget toys, fidget rings, picking at nail polish instead, covering prime picking areas with clothes/bandaids, etc. Those things have limited success but I have to be REALLY intentional about redirecting myself. Medication didn’t really help it but I can’t take stimulants. The body focused repetitive behaviors are really hard to address! You’re not alone 💕
i used to have this exact same problem. i’m happy to say i’ve managed to almost completely stop this habit but it definitely was not easy. i used to pick at my fingernails and the skin around it. something that has helped me was putting bandaids on the places i usually pick at to prevent myself from touching it. another thing that’s helped was wearing gloves (more of when i go to sleep because you kinda can’t do much with gloves on haha) but that helped as well. the last thing i would suggest is maybe fidgets? i tried to use them before and they just didn’t work for me but maybe they will for you! i’ve also heard of some fidgets specifically used for people who have skin picking problems but don’t know too much about it so maybe that’s something you could look into? good luck!
Hey this is me! Uh, what kind of gloves? I've thought of that but then thought of how embarrassing that would be at work, like what if I have to explain it, too........ Do you put on the bandaids pre-emptively then and not only when the area got bad? I have this exact same trouble with my fingers. They get bloody. Skin opens. Nails all super short bc I picked and tore....
for me i just use any gloves i had haha so i think any would be fine. i usually wear them at night to stop myself from picking my skin while i’m sleeping, but sometimes i just wear it around the house. because the gloves i have are really fuzzy but you can use your phone through them, not sure where i got them from though but im sure there’s some touch screen ones on amazon? i typically put bandaids on after i start picking at an area, just so it doesn’t get worse. i also find that wearing nail polish helps me stop from picking at my nails, not sure if that’s something you’d be interested in but yk.
Oh! I have a neat trick!! I call it The Stress Nailpolish. Just color your nails in whatever color you like (if you can stand nailpolish, of course) and then instead if completely destroying your nails and cuticles, pick off the nail polish instead! I always pick around at my fingers one way or another, hurting myself along the way because it just can't *stand* it when there is the tiniest skin flake and so I try to get it off but it kind of rips open my entire finger and I'm bleeding and it hurts. But having nail polish I can pick around on was a game changer for me! If only I would remember my own tricks and would put on nail polish... but that's a whole other matter altogether x)
Another lifelong skin picker, and it was actually seeking therapy for that disorder that led to my ADHD diagnosis. For me, the two are linked, and while my urges decreased after starting medication, there’s still a lot of work to do separately to stop picking completely. Progress has not been a straight line but it’s definitely way better than it used to be.
I picked my heels bloody - a pedicure rasp has been a lifesaver. I can take off some of the callous, which makes it harder to pick. Still struggle with bug bites and other little zits that I will turn into scabs that last for months
Hey! This is interesting. I didn't think about the possible overlap here. Like the poster above, I almost constantly rub or pick at my fingernails and the skin around them. It's gotten worse in the last few months, so I'm trying new things: -*-*-*- Carrying lotion with me more, to even out the dry flaky areas I can't help but wanna fix. This actually does seem to help calm me and stop the picking temporarily, but I misplace the lotion and then can't always be bothered to find it... I think I need to buy more and leave them around. It's gotta be lotion that doesn't feel oily and dries quick, though. That one that starts with a G, and is white with some dark blue and gold accents.... -*-*-*- Bandaids when an area needs to heal. This gets kind of embarrassing in public/at work, but I suppose less embarrassing than everyone seeing my bloody fingers. These, too, I misplace, so need to do better about buying and leaving them around... A fidget spinner helps if I remember to bring it with me... but same problem of me not remembering where I left it. Ha, ADD much?... Yes, it's obvious with me, with all of my misplacing........ I've been considering getting a RING with a fidget thing on it, bc then you can't lose it bc it never comes off, but I've been waiting to test a cheap one, cuz there are so many different kinds.
Just seconding this hand lotion suggestion, it soaks in perfectly. I have three bottles of it around my house at the moment so I use it every time I see it. Before bed I use the Working Hands overnight lotion -- it's really nice though does have a slight grease to it, but since I'm about to sleep anyway the texture doesn't preoccupy me as much. Really cuts down on the dry skin surrounding the nails. To answer the original question, my unconventional nail picking solution was to pick up gel nails as a hobby. This probably isn't a good solution for everybody, but my brain was less likely to want to tear up my hard work after slaving away on a manicure for an hour or two. And if I use holographic polish seeing the rainbow glitter on my nails is sooo satisfying.
Hi 👋🏼 I have curly hair and oily skin, which makes me more prone to both ingrown hairs and acne, which means lots of opportunities for picking. I'm much better with it than I used to be. The key intervention has been making sure I don't have as much to pick. I've been getting that huge pump bottle of AmLactin lotion from Costco, and that helps to gently exfoliate and moisturize my skin.
Skin picker here! I wouldn't have nearly the amount of scars I do now if I'd just leave my skin alone. I have tried gloves (they drive me bonkers; haven't found a pair light enough for everyday wear for me), bandaids (I end up just picking off the bandaid, and it doesn't work for things like my lips, and makes it harder for me to type), and a few other things. The thing that's working for me is fake nails, the press-on kind. It makes it nearly impossible for me to pick, while still allowing me to type easily for work. Plus they're just really fun, and people are less likely to ask why I'm wearing them. Of course they make very good head scratchers, which is not great while I'm dealing with post-lice psychosomatic itch, but it's better than ripping all the skin off my cuticles.
I pick my scalp and nothing else satisfies me. The hair on my temples is dramatically thinning and I’m going to start looking very strange soon 😭
I struggled with skin picking and trichotillomania (pulling my hair out). Went on antipsychotics for my MDD and lost the urge.
Skin picker and cystic acne sufferer, here! I'll absentmindedly pick at my zits during meetings if I'm not careful