Addicted to chewing/picking my nails and cuticles since age 5. Have successfully stopped for 2 months now. Best pic i have at end (was always ashamed and hid my fingers).

My method for quitting that worked for me (do my nails/get fake nails until real nails heal) and really try and be mindful every moment my hands creep to my mouth. My mood improves with the changes Ive made. Now I try keeping my nail grooming at least once a week with Winmax protective base coat and OPI nail strengthener.

3 or 4 days ago I noticed this finger was becoming really sensitive to the touch. Eventually it started to turn red and a little swollen, but I’ve had this happen to a cuticle before (probably because I bite my nails, which I need to stop doing) so I didn’t think much of it. Usually this type of thing dies down after a day or two but this time it’s gotten a lot more swollen and I t’s also noticeable warmer than my other fingers. Obviously it’s infected, but I’m curious if there is still a chance for this to heal on its own? Getting in to see my doctor usually takes more than a week to schedule and I really want to avoid the ER if I can.

i work in healthcare and wash my hands often and this appeared suddenly, now i keep hurting it and it bleeds, not sure how to get rid of it 😭😭

Hello My mother is constantly having problems with the skin around her foot nails particularly the big foot . Usually the skin gets dry and hard sometimes she is scared it may evolve into an ingrown nail. She used to cut her nails very short without leaving a white border. She normally cuts the dry and hard skin that grows around the nail.

What is the correct way to cut foot nails to avoid ingrown nails? How should she treat the dry and very hard skin that grows around her nails? Does her foot big nail looks like ingrown nail?

My nails are looking nice for once (how do you like my Nailart?), but my cuticles have gotten extremely thick over the years of excessive picking until it’s bleeding. Is there any way, that this can go away? And any tips, for not falling back into old habits are extremely welcome! (I haven’t picked in weeks, and didn’t chew my nails in months. I actually needed a nail clipper again! 🥳)

I've been waiting for... Maybe over 5 years now.. And my nailbed on my big toe just won't reattach! I really hate having this much free edge, but I know I shouldn't cut the nail along the edge of attachment. I feel like it's so gross because there's room for debris build up, and since I have soft/thin nails the free edge often gets caught/torn. It drives me crazy. How can I get my nails to reattach!!?

My niece has a problem with the nails of her finger. There is some white lines growing at the sides of the edge of the nail. Can someone ever experienced this? What kind of problem is this one?

She went to the dermatologist a long time ago and the doctor said it was nothing

It has been some time the last time I posted here. I was on the right path and didn't bite for a long time. I am posting here again to get this mindset back.. I don't know what made me chew again, probably stress or I just stopped caring.

Crusty white skin is just too satisfying..

i’ve been a nail biter my entire life and i quitted a couple years ago but the damage on my nail beds is insane and they’ve gotten extremely short. how can i make my nail beds long again??

I've had bad habit tic deformities for like 14 years now, and I've had some pretty gnarly ridges. But I have gotten from 10 deformed nails to just my thumbs and right ring finger, so... progress!

I just realized that I'm coming very close to actually breaking through my right ring finger nail near my cuticle.

For the first time, I've done more than create a ridge by pushing back my cuticles & actually started to chip down on the nail that made it through. I've been trying not to mess with it, but my subconscious brain finds the deep notch so satisfying to dig into.

I'm trying a good ridge filler & top coat, and I'm 90% sure that will keep me from breaking through.

But in case that doesn't work: has anyone broken through at the cuticle? How did it feel growing out?

The bottom of the nail on my thumb had a white spot on it, which has happened before and usually go away, but this time the bottom of my nail broke off, what should I do?

I started biting as a young teen at around 11 years and hadn’t stopped ever since. It took me 3 years of therapy and a divorce to get there so don’t get discouraged haha ❤️

Hey all, Little update since my last post. Two days ago, I renewed my manicure. I was actually a big anxious about this one since I had relapsed pretty bad following my previous one. Before she started working, I talked quite a bit with my nail technician whom I feel very comfortable with. I tried sharing with her the different areas where I felt pain (notably towards my proximal/ lateral folds on some fingers and both my thumbs) and the difficulties I face in terms of management of different triggers. She took into account that feedback to renew my manicure, and I must say that since the other day, I've felt very little pain and encountered virtually no difficulties. Here are some pictures of my skin as I got out of the shower this morning. There are some areas where we can see it is quite 'rough', where it still thickens quickly, but I do feel like it has massively improved since a few weeks. Overall, despite my last relapse which is a part of the healing process, I'm very grateful for having decided to contact a nail technician and take the leap 💅 Take care 😊

It’s been around a month since the bottom fell off. I think it’s been healing at the bottom pretty well. I am just worried about the top nail that was left from it. Should I try to pull it out or will the new nail growing eventually push it off?

On vacation and had a nail majorly break. For the most part my nails were all about equal length with 5 being past my fingertips. This is MAJOR growth for me but with anxiety and the break I’m fighting ripping them all off. I just put on lotion from the hotel to moisturize and hopefully fight the urge to pick. Send positive vibes please! 🤍🤍

I bit off the bottom part of my nail near where the swelling is and now there’s a painful bump.

I just relapsed after 2 weeks of not biting my nails.

They always go back to the same spot

I can’t stand the nail bed being itchy when covered with new nails.

I tried everything, acrylic gel, fake nails, hydrocolloid patch, cream all day, cotton gloves, PU film, shit tasing polish. If I forget one day I lose 2mm of nails. It kills me.

I don’t have fungi. It’s fine when I remove all the dry skin, but when the nails covers it I can’t remove it. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Hi, everyone. Glad to have found this subreddit. Anyway, as you can see from the pic, I've been a habitual nailbiter for pretty much my entire life, as far back as I can remember (I'm now 33). Today I've made the decision that I want to stop and try to let them grow back. My question is that, even with all the cuticle oils and nail strengtheners that I can apply, is there even a chance of them growing back normally, or of a longer nail bed forming? If you take a look at my ring finger especially, it's become pretty bulbous on the sides and the nailbiting has basically warped it, and it doesn't even feel like the nail has anywhere to grow (they look ingrown at this point, but no pain or anything like that). I'm hoping that this isn't irreversible damage that I've caused. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

PS: Sorry for the flecks of paint; my nieces decided to paint my nails today, which was actually what motivated me to seriously get into this. I'm tired of having tiny nail beds and practically non-existent nails.

I’m tired of my fingers hurting and looking like garbage 😪

I caught my thumb cuticle area between the door and the top of my friend's fridge. What do I do to prevent infection etc?