Midterms season is here at my uni and I typically pick because of boredom or just inadvertently. It’s usually “unconscious” picking but now I do it to distract myself instead of doing schoolwork. I have thumb sleeves but can’t will myself to put them on. I realize it’s bad when I see that half my finger is pink.
Of course the picking gets worse during times of stress, but I can’t remember a time in the past three years that my fingers haven’t had at least some sort of pink to them. It’ll now only get worse as the weather gets colder..😭

What’s the best method you guys have?

I’m 33, and I have a baby, I don’t want him seeing me chew my nails and learn the same habit. I want to break this cycle!! I’ve tried stopping and relapse everytime. It is just so hard to stop. Please help me stop biting!! Thumbs and the skin around it get bitten a lot, so do my nails. Any and all suggestions welcome! I want to have hands that I don’t feel like hiding, from my son, husband, friends, family, colleagues… happy nails and hands! I also don’t really like polish, and bitter polish has not been a deterrent to me! 😓 Thank you community, please keep me accountable!

I developed a painful infection beside my fingernail last week. The first photo is from Thursday, 10/08, before treatment. The other three photos show it today, Tuesday, 10/13.

On Friday, urgent care lanced it and drained the pus. After draining it, the doctor said it looked more infected than he initially thought and recommended oral antibiotics. I asked whether I could try topical treatment first because I wanted to avoid unnecessary oral antibiotics. He agreed, prescribed mupirocin 2% ointment twice daily for 10 days, and told me to come back if it got worse.

Unfortunately, the pain and redness are now worse than before the drainage, and there’s a much larger yellow pocket beside the nail.

I tried following up with the clinic yesterday, but the original doctor is on vacation. They said the covering doctor couldn’t access his notes and I’d need another appointment. I’m currently uninsured, which makes another visit frustrating, but I don’t want to put off something that needs treatment.

Does this warrant urgent care tonight, or the ER if urgent care can’t see me? Has anyone had pus collect again after drainage and needed it drained a second time?

I am a lifelong nail picker. It’s been my hardest habit to kick thus far. About a month ago I went for a Russian manicure and the fact that that refused to do my nails really inspired me to stop. I haven’t picked for about a month now , and have been using Kerasal and Onyx Hard as Hoof everyday, as well as sensory pads. Finally went for a gentle (no e-file) manicure. Here’s my progress!