How to Stop Picking Your Nails and Fingers

Nail picking, also known as onychotillomania, is the urge to pull at or pick the nails and surrounding skin. The condition is similar to the more commonly known onychophagia, which is when someone bites their nails and skin. Nail picking is often related to an underlying mental health condition. Treatment involves identifying triggers, therapy, and treating the underlying mental health condition.

Learning to stop picking cuticles, nails, and the surrounding skin can be difficult. It is often thought of as a dermatological concern when it is both that and a mental health concern.

Below are ways that can help someone stop picking their nails;

Identify Triggers

Identifying what triggers someone to pick their nails, cuticles, or surrounding skin can help resolve the issue. Some triggers will be external sources, such as an activity or environmental concern that causes the desire to pick. Other triggers are internal, a thought, feeling, or sensory change that creates the need to pick.

Determining the triggers can help create awareness and teach the person to avoid those situations or learn to identify what is happening to begin the process of stopping. Some people may find it helpful to write in a journal or keep notes to determine what is leading up to the nail picking.

Here are a few examples of things you can do to prevent yourself from picking your nails or your skin around your nails; 

Cover With Band-Aids

An occlusive cover like a Band-Aid or other adhesive dressing will provide a physical barrier and a reminder to stop picking.

 Some people may not like the appearance of wearing Band-Aids over their fingers, so try clear adhesive bandages found at pharmacies.

Apply Super Glue

Cyanoacrylate adhesive, also known as Super Glue, is applied one or two times per week over the nails, cuticles, and skin to provide a temporary barrier. It acts as a reminder not to pick. One case report found cyanoacrylate adhesive applications stopped picking within three to six months.

Join a Support Group

Learning to stop picking your nails, cuticles, and surrounding skin is a process that does not happen overnight. Joining a support group with other people who pick or have similar habits can offer a reassuring environment where advice and previous experiences can be shared. Healthcare providers and social workers can help find support groups.

What to Do Instead of Picking Your Nails

During the process of learning how to stop picking your nails, it can be helpful to find replacement behaviors. A replacement behavior is something that is done in place of picking. It can be squeezing a stress ball, sitting on your hands, or making a fist.

Why is it important to do something instead of picking your nails or skin? Infection is one of the risks when someone picks their nails or skin. The skin and nails form a barrier between the outside world and the inside of the body. When that is compromised with picking, an infection can develop. To avoid an infection, clean any picked areas and try not to touch them. If you develop signs of an infection, contact a healthcare provider to determine the best course of treatment.

In conclusion... Onychotillomania, or the urge to pick at the nails and surrounding skin, is a behavior of an underlying mental health condition. There are several treatment options such as therapy, trigger identification, and medication. Contact a healthcare provider for an evaluation and treatment for nail picking. Source