Biting / picking edge of nails

[GuiltyFeet]

I often fiddle with the edge of my nails. Sometimes there is a kind of thin, sticky out bit of nail, or tough skin, which comes detached from the very side of the nail, and then you can pull it down and it's exquisitely painful but you have to keep going until it's pulled off. Then it bleeds.

Anyway, this often leads to sore fingers or sometimes it gets a bit infected. I know it's a gross habit but I thought it was probably a pretty common thing to do. However today I had to phone NHS 111 because my thumb has been swollen and red for several days because of me picking at it. It's obviously got infected and I wondered if I needed to get antibiotics today or whether it could wait. Well, the person on the phone just could not understand how this had happened. She kept asking again and again how I bit it, why I bit it - it was obviously completely outside her comprehension.

I told DH about her reaction and he said "Do you mean you DO something to make your fingers get sore like that? I thought it just sort of happened."

He is now laughing at me and saying he can't wait to tell people. I didn't realise I was such a complete freak! Can the sporners relate to this or am I a total outcast?

I do this regularly. Thankfully ive never got an infection but god does it hurt!

Me too. Never had an infection, but it hurts sometimes. I just don't like having the roughness so have to pick them off.

Hope you get better soon

I found this article earlier speculating about why people do it. Even the photo with the loose hangnail is making me twitch with the desire to GET IT OFF

Why you can't stop picking your skin

I pull my eye lashes out. I can go months without doing it but when I start I can't stop and get bald patches.

Perfectly normal ie I do it as well. I am proudly sporting a mutilated nail, slowly growing out, because I overdid it and it got infected. Dp calls me monkey fingers but what does he know.

OP, I did it for years, and had to stop when I realised how visible it was to other people - people would look at my hands and say 'oh my god, what happened?' thinking I had been in some sort of horrific accident presumably with a vegetable peeler and I had to hide my hands and say 'oh nothing'.

The only thing that's stopped me is having nail extensions - having nicely manicured nails motivates me to leave the skin alone, plus, they're blunt so I can't pick my skin with them!

I do it loads. I had a BRILLIANT one earlier where a whole flat sheet came off underneath my thumb nail

It looks awful though so I mostly want to stop. But not entirely.

Try soaking it in salt water and using TCP after.

I do this all the time,can't leave anything alone!

Yes I do it but sometimes it just looks so awful so I get my nails done with shellac and I stop doing it because I don't want to ruin the manicure. I've done it forever

I do it too, mine are particularly bad at the moment. On holiday it gets better as I'm moisturising my hands all the time by putting suncream on, the dry skin goes away and the extra sunshine allows my nails to grow.
It's a nervous thing with me, also I can't bear feeling a rough nail or skin edge, it has to come off which then creates another edge that dries out and lifts and again the cycle repeats itself. My nails needs are starting to bulge and I still can't stop 😔

I used to do this but i've managed to stop. It was harder than giving up smoking. I also started having gel polish which has helped me stop.

I've always done this, more so when I'm stressed. My fingers are a mess at the moment of painful, raw skin and swollen bits

I've always been a picker, scabs, spots, fingers, anything really. I'm a disgusting creature!

One of these cuticle remover tools has really helped me, along with some Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser and Balm. Means that I rarely have anything to pick at these days.

I do this too! and I agree its a stress thing. I don't alway realise I am doing it. You're not alone OP!