Painful hands

lynsayjane

Hi OP,

I don't really have a lot of input on the subject but can sympathise with you. When I was a child I bit my nails, I can't remember when I eventually stopped but between that and an underactive thyroid my nails (and thin hair) are in very poor condition. They often peel, always break and I get peeling cuticles too. I'm always concious of how they look and find it upsetting when I think about it. I currently have a very red pinky where I think I've pulled a bit of skin though it sounds like your hands are in much worse shape.
I use a nail oil daily (at least the five days I'm in work) to try and moisturise them (Phenomel Oil by Jessica) and have recently started using a strengthening clear polish by OPI, though I'm being terrible at using it every other day as they recommend.
Like you mine looked fab when I had acrylics but the condition of my nails under was terrible. I stopped getting them after a few years when I stopped being able to afford it and am currently trying to get them in better condition. I did buy a lamp to do gel nail polish and am going to start using that again to try and get them to grow better with that added protection, perhaps that's something you could look into?

Hope you're having a good day with it, keep strong, you can beat anything!

aardvaak

happilymarried2013 wrote: »

Hi all,

Weirdly this is really hard for me to write but basically I suffer from compulsory skin picking. Its nice to know exactly what it is and that it has a nice title when I just thought that I was a minger and kept picking my hands.

I've tried absolutely everything to stop myself from doing it, I've tried acrylic nails (they work but couldn't afford the upkeep and now I can again I'm too ashamed to go and get them done), I've tried that "bitter" stuff you put on your nails - actually quite tasty. I'm finding now that I think its turning into a form of self harm.

I was wondering if anyone here could give me some other ideas to get over it, I'm in so much pain from a good picking session yesterday that I'm really sore and I can't hold a pen or pick anything up with my right hand.

Husband is supportive but naggy with it, but I'm hoping that I can use this as a stop picking diary as well as a request for help.

Thanks in advance all.

I have had problems of my skin on my hands cracking then I get encouraged to pick at it then they get very sore.

Have you tried what I do is to put a plaster over the area and by some miracle (I don't know why but would like to know) after about 24 hours usually overnight they look and feel a lot better the longer I leave the plasters on the better they get.

tanith

I've had this disgusting habit since I was a teenager , I use a combination of things suggested already. I have periods when i stop especially if I have a special event coming up. I have thin cotton gloves nearby and put them on whenever I'm watching tv. I also use plasters whenever I have a sore finger keep replacing until its healed. Try to remember hand cream often , I don't think I'll ever lose the habit completely.

oystercatcher

happilymarried2013 wrote: »

I'd love to take up knitting or crocheting - I've tried am rubbish at both. I'm much better with a needle and thread but often use the needle to help me get the scabby dry bits. (again EWWWWWW)

I'm finding my crochet really relaxing and it's a great stress buster.
I've joined a facebook crochet and chat group and there are loads of friendly people there , many have said they use crochet to relax. They are really good at helping people who are stuck on how to do things at all diffenernt levels.

There are loads of free tutorials on U tube to get you started too. You can rerun them as many times as you need to get things right in your head.

The only downside is it doesn't seem to be very moneysaving as everyone keeps wanting to buy loads of wool !!

l1nda83

Hope your managing to resist the urge. I completely agree that something else to occupy the hands is a good plan. I sew for sanity. You might find that you need something you don't need to concentrate on at times though so even fiddling with a pen or pebble in your hands might help. If you wrap up oats in muslin and put it in a bowl of warm water, the oats help to soften the skin and you can fiddle with the muslin at the same time :-)

happilymarried2013

Hi all,

Thank you for your very kind responses. I'm finding that I'm peaking and troughing. I managed this week to keep my nails short, and that has helped. Although, after a night in on my own I've ripped them to bits again.

I'm definitely trying to keep myself busy, I've spent more time playing with the dog, and cleaning. I'm trying to keep on top of the housework now my house is clean. in work I've taken to writing with a pencil so the pencil dust puts me off.

Moisturising is helping but I don't like having wet on my hands so I do that late at night. I might go and get myself a pair of cotton gloves and once I'm a little less ashamed of them maybe I'll go get my nails done as motivation. Not going for acrylics again though - there's been some right horror stories in the media atm.

mal4mac

Mindfulness meditation?

happilymarried2013

mal4mac wrote: »

Mindfulness meditation?

I love doing mindfulness meditation!

Only problem I have is that I get about ten minutes in and fall into the deepest sleeps. Nuclear war could kick off around me and I'd be none the wiser. (Just as well really)

Being asleep definitely stops me picking my hands - its just staying awake that I have the issue.

luhrmann

what about art therapy? my aunt suffers from the one where you pull out your hair (name escapes me!) and she uses that!

i often have really bad dry hands due to the psoriasis i get. sometimes it's so cracked and raw that the air itself hurts. and i have a habit of picking the dry flakes from the psoriasis which i'm sure makes it worse! i find that coconut helps to alleviate this dryness so i'm less inclined to pick, and it tends to keep my hands moisturised even when i wash them which not all hand creams do!

colazombie

I used to pick the skin around the sides of my nails terribly when i was a teen. Before i knew it all my fingers were covered in warts on every finger where i had been biting and picking the skin.:eek:

Needless to say it looked horrible and eventually after the warts went away I have never dared pick again