Cracked dry fingers - help to stop picking!

[RhubarbCrumbled]

I have very dry cracked skin around my nails and it looks awful. When it gets dry, it itches and so I itch and pick and it goes on! I've been using loads of hand cream and Burts Bees cuticle cream which helps, but at this time of year it seems constant.

I've been looking at gloves for overnight - what do you think? And can anyone recommend a decent pair and a hand cream to go with them?

Just use Aveeno hand cream. I’m wincing at the thought of the dry skin being picked off. My hands literally crack and bleed and are really sore in cold weather without Aveeno.

Be honest: are you picking because of the itchiness, or as a sort of nervous habit? If the latter, you have what is called dermatillomania; you can google it and find some information that may be helpful.
In terms of solutions, I agree that keeping them moisturised is your best bet. Cuticle oil could be helpful or if it were me, I would wear plastic gloves over a layer of the heaviest moisturiser I had for a few hours. However - I always recommend this and no one ever pays attention - another really helpful thing is to keep your fingernails very very short until you have resolved the dryness. If you have a compulsive urge to pick (not judging, I do too), being physically unable to for a while is extremely helpful.

Some pharmacies sell special white gloves. I used to buy them for my son because he had eczema on his hands. Coconut oil can help my hands but it makes it worse before it gets better and I need to apply it often.

I pick when I'm anxious. It's horrible and painful but I can't seem to stop, I've done it since childhood.

I keep my cuticles as moisturised as possible using cuticle oil and hand cream. I use this on the go which really helps.

I find if I have a manicure or gel nails, they look so nice that I don't want to ruin the look by picking and that stops me for a week or so.

I know someone who has acrylic nails purely to stop her picking because the thickness of them means she can't get a grip on the dry skin to pick it off if that makes sense.

It’s more of a habit linked to stress really but is worse when they’re dry and flaky. It’s hideous. I do wrap them in surgical tape but I can’t type properly then! I find when I’m moisturising I pick less as there are no dry bits and it tastes horrible plus it’s also taking the place of picking.

Thanks for all the advice and it’s sort of nice to know I’m not on my own doing this!

I bought gloves from eBay, less than £2 a pair and either use loccitane or an intensive foot cream with them. Cleared up fairly quickly. Mine were cracked and bleeding from picking them. Very sore.

Try not to use anti bacterial soap as it dries your hands terribly (also a picker)

Flexibility foot cream is excellent. If you can put a good layer of that on at night (with gloves if you can manage!) then it will make the skin much harder to pick.

Yes it’s worse when they’re dry as there’s something to grab onto.
I have to reiterate the keeping nails short until you have the skin smooth. A few days should do it, and short enough that you can’t grab anything. Break the cycle. Cut them down again when you notice yourself picking.

I use Aveeno in the day and O'Keeffe's at night but the most effective thing for me was to stop using liquid hand soap where possible and instead using bars of soap.

Use flexitol or another cream with a high urea content, overnight. I keep a giant vat of flexitol body cream in the kitchen for daytime use.

I’ve just cut and painted my nails in an attempt to stop. Moisturised thoroughly and hopefully that will help them heal a bit tonight and stop me picking tomorrow. Interesting about the hand soap as they do get more dry through the week.

double creaming mornings and night: put on a body lotion, light moisuriser and when that has sunk in put a heavy cream (nivea blue pot, neutrogena or similar) on top.
cotton gloves over night to stop you from itching.

Yellow soft paraffin (from a pharmacy) used at night, with soft cotton gloves as it's very gooey and messy. This was recommended to me by my Dermatologist, to help stay on top of psoriasis. My fingers used to crack and bleed, too. It was horrendous.

Hope you find something that works for you.

Do you wear gloves when using cleaning products/doing the dishes etc?

It’s really important to try and nip it in the bud while you are aware of it, I don’t mean to sound judgy but my aunt had the same problem and would pick when she was stressed, her fingers ended up getting infected and GP told her if she hadn’t gotten it seen when she did it she was at risk of developing a more serious infection.

carbs absolutely not judgy, just good advice! I don’t wear gloves when I’m cleaning and should do.

I have my list and will be heading to Boots later!!

I'm terrible for this too, I pick and bite the skin on my hands when I'm stressed.

The most effective thing I've found is Lansinoh, meant for sore nipples when BF but it's great at healing and smoothing the dry skin. I put it on at night and also if I have a bit of skin I can't leave alone, I cover it with a plaster overnight as it seems to keep it soft and it heals up better.

Also if my DD is in the room she'll tell me off :o that's actually quite effective too!

“Also if my DD is in the room she'll tell me off grin that's actually quite effective too!”

I get a bit like a caged tiger if anyone tells me to “stop picking”. I can’t and won’t stop until every last piece of “sticky-out” skin is gone, and I resent being told not to, or being watched while I do it.

For me personally it’s far more helpful for others to offer help and support - to get the nail scissors, or moisturiser, or lip balm (I pick those when really stressed too).

I think there’s a disproportionate amount of shame and stigma around “picking”. I know it’s not nice to watch and the results are also unpleasant to look at. But simply shaming people doesn’t actually help, in my experience anyway!

I pick at the skin on my cuticles and it's worse this time of year when they keep getting dry. I use flexitol nail and cuticle cream (Amazon sell it) - it has a little brush applicator and I brush it on when I notice I've started to pick. It softens skin really fast.

I know what you mean Ghost, it can be really compulsive. My DD nagging me works for me (at least temporarily) - it reminds me that I don't actually want to do it. But that doesn't mean everyone should be nagged!

I am terrible for picking at the skin around my nails when I'm bored or anxious. It's worse if the skin is already rough or dry as it's somehow harder to leave alone.

I have made big improvements by making a conscious effort to look after and grow my nails (I'm a nail biter too ) - keeping them painted and the skin moisturised just makes you more conscious of what you're doing and less likely to pick on auto pilot. I also covered any damaged skin with micropore bandage tape whenever I was driving or watching telly (the times I was most likely to unconsciously pick) which really allowed the damaged skin to heal.

I still have to repeat the tape trick one thumb every so often, but the rest of my fingers are so much better. Once they were properly healed they were so much less tempting.

Oh god, I’m terrible for this. I don’t think it’s stress-related, I just find hard, dried out hangnails absolutely irresistible. I do find keeping my nails nice is a disincentive, but then again the soaking etc to remove gels dries the skin out more and creates more starting points. I’m trying to cultivate a compulsive hand cream applying habit instead.

I've been putting cuticle cream on all day and have managed to resist the temptation to pick. I'm due on and feeling meh and it's just the sort of day I'm more likely to pick. But so far so good....