skin picking, will my toenail grow back? GROSS WARNING...

[snowflake293]

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to ask this but I wanted to know if there is anyone here who skin picks?

My skin picking isn't too bad at the moment, but I did pick my entire big toenail off over the space of a few months. I am waiting for it to grow back... a bit worried cause its been a few weeks now and there are no signs of regrowth!

I literally pulled out all the root so I am worried I have actually destroyed my nail for ever :(

Has anyone been in this situation? I am guessing not :( feel so stupid!

[Pipkin]

Don't feel stupid and you're not on your own with this one. There have been similar threads before and it's more common than you think.

I admit that I can be guilty of it when I'm really anxious but I don't remember doing the same to a nail before. A couple of points:

1) Try to work out when you do this and see if there's a way to distract yourself. Perhaps there's something else to keep your hands occupied? Stress toys, folding paper, knitting. I'm just making these up but you get the picture.
2) Keep an eye on your nail. If it starts to look infected or gets really sore, go and see your GP or a nurse. They'll have seen far worse. I don't know if it will grow back but I've lost a few nails (through hill walking) and mine have always come back. Again, one for your GP?

Take care

Pip xxx

[snowflake293]

Thanks for your reply :) it's made me feel better! I just feel like a bit of a 'freak' for doing it. I can talk openly about most my mental health problems, but I struggle with skin picking and self harm cause of peoples reactions to it.

It was infected and horrible a few months ago when I first started hacking at it but I kept soaking it in salt water and applying tea tree oil and it has totally healed up now :) just no nail!

I hope it comes back cause I am getting married this year and I want to wear peep toe shoes lol.

My skin picking is worse at night when supposedly 'relaxing' watching telly with my other half. He keeps yelling 'STOP PICKING' cause if it isn't my toe it's my fingers! Distraction definitely helps, I really like adult colouring books :) they have been a saviour!

I just feel crap feeling like I am wrecked my body. I have picking scars on my arms and self-harm scars (old white ones and newish red ones) all over my body. The old white scars dont bother me, but the newish ones just made me feel terrible. I have huge feelings of guilt over it all.

xx

[Chocolateface]

When I was little I traped my hand in a car door and lost an entire finger nail it grew back, no idea how long it took as I have no recollection of the incident. I serious doubt anyone will look that closely at your feet when you get married so wear the peep toes, also keep your nails short so it is harder to scratch

[MyNameIsTerry]

Work on reducing your overall anxiety levels. These skin picking/hair pulling compulsions are close relatives of OCD and with OCD periods of higher stress will cause your obsessive-compulsive cycles to intensify.

It's going to take a long time for it to grow back, I'm afraid. They grow very slowly. A couple of years ago I damaged one of my big toe nails by walking many miles in a pair of boots that were slightly too small. This caused it to bleed and the nail broke about half way. In my case it took around a year BUT it was growing underneath the other one so that may have been impeding it.

I would suggest consulting a medical professional to ask how long and whether you have damaged it.

Skin picking might seem extreme to people but it's pretty easy to end up with sizeable scars. I have some. They do heal but can take a long time to blend back in with the skin and any deep craters may leave an indentation.

[snowflake293]

Thanks for the replies. I have lost a toenail before (from wearing poorly fitting shoes to a wedding and dancing all night!) my toenail went black then fell off and a new one was growing underneath.

This one though I have literally used tweezers to yank bits from under the skin out (sorry, I know that is mega, mega gross!)

There is nothing left to pick now so I am leaving it. It sort of looks like the 'half moon' is coming back, there is a bit of a bump and what feels like very very very fine 'nail' material forming.

I will have a fake toenail put on for my wedding I think... it had better not fall off when I'm walking down the aisle though!!

I think what I struggle with most is the shame of it all. I self harmed too for the first time in about 15 years a month ago. I did it on my ankle of all places too so thats not gonna be easy to cover in the summer :(

Feel really bad for doing all this stuff to my body. I think it is all forms of self harm and I do feel a compulsion to do it. I even think the bulimia was more about hurting myself than trying to be thin.

[MrsCav]

I was going to suggest a fake toenail. I use to run all the time and I have damaged my big toenails. That very small half moon that feels like a bump will be the start of a new nail .... but it will take ages to grow back! Mine can take up to 6 months or longer. You can get some gorgeous fake toe nails and to be honest, even though I don't run anymore and my nails are ok I still prefer the fake ones when I'm going out (peep toe or sandals) as I can't be bothered doing a real French polish on my nails.

[snowflake293]

Thanks :) I have used fake toe nails before and they are really good - they are much prettier than my toenails too (does anyone actually have naturally nice toenails?! lol)

Do you know if there is anything I can do to make it grow back any quicker?

Thanks xx

[MrsCav]

Anything that is rich is Keratin I guess. Maybe a health food supplement. I never bothered, I always knew when I was running my toe nails where going to be buggered.

[MyNameIsTerry]

They all have similar patterns perhaps? Eating disorders can overlap into OCD, skin picking & hair pulling are close to OCD, etc. I think I understand about seeing them as a form of self harm but it being a compulsion as I skin pick too. I've got a lot of scars from larger areas that were repeatedly picked. I've done it to my face too and the compulsion was just stronger than caring what other people felt. I guess it's easier when you are an ugly sod of a bloke though! :biggrin:

It's growing back so that's a good sign. If you had damaged it beyond repair you wouldn't be seeing that growth return so I wouldn't worry about that.

The damage to your ankle may not be as bad as you perceive it to be. You see it and know you did it and why. Other people may not view it the same way as we are always rubbing, cutting and scuffing our ankles. so, could it be explained away like that but you are not seeing it that way? Maybe you can cover the area somehow?

[NoraB]

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to ask this but I wanted to know if there is anyone here who skin picks?

My skin picking isn't too bad at the moment, but I did pick my entire big toenail off over the space of a few months. I am waiting for it to grow back... a bit worried cause its been a few weeks now and there are no signs of regrowth!

I literally pulled out all the root so I am worried I have actually destroyed my nail for ever :(

Has anyone been in this situation? I am guessing not :( feel so stupid!

I pick the skin off my lips. I sit there picking away until my lips are sore and keep washing my hands as I'm wary of the skin becoming infected.:scared15:

Toenail growth isn't going to be a quick thing but I wouldn't worry about it as there are loads of realistic fake nails out there which will mean you still look fabulous on your big day. I got married last year and had been fighting off a particularly stubborn nail fungal infection on my big toe nail but for my big day I slapped some nail polish over it.

A few tips to encourage nail growth I swiped off the net - no idea if they work but some are just common sense...

Protect the nail with a plaster when wearing shoes but take it off at night to let the skin breathe.

Wear sensible shoes (no heels) and make sure they're not too tight.

Regularly moisturise the skin by dabbing with coconut oil, flaxseed oil or olive oil. (wear open toe shoes or no shoes for an hour after)

Consider a biotin supplement

For me, the better the circulation in your feet, the faster the nail will grow back so keep moving. Walk and when you are sitting, make circles with your feet.

Or go and see a chiropodist..

Try not to feel guilty about it. Just recognise that it is an impulse control disorder and it can be overcome. Try to distract yourself by keeping your hands busy. Knit, draw, have stress balls in both hands if needs be but don't beat yourself up about it.

All the best NB

[Suziewuzie]

I pulled my toenail off too :noangel: I'm a bugger for picking at things & my little toe nail had split, so I picked at it for weeks until there was nothing left. My boyfriend is always shouting at me to stop picking lol.
It's grown back really weird & I'm already picking at it again. It's not even always an anxious thing with me! But yes it will grow back but will take forever! X

[MyNameIsTerry]

Toenail growth isn't going to be a quick thing but I wouldn't worry about it as there are loads of realistic fake nails out there which will mean you still look fabulous on your big day. I got married last year and had been fighting off a particularly stubborn nail fungal infection on my big toe nail but for my big day I slapped some nail polish over it.

I'm surprised it could be seen through your thick stockings. :winks:

[NoraB]

I'm surprised it could be seen through your thick stockings. :winks:

It was Compo who told me. :D

[deedee12]

I pick at my fingers but people only seem to notice if I've made a real mess and I'm bleeding. I do pick at my feet sometimes too. I'm pretty sure no-one will notice your toe, or at least be too polite to mention it. Can you put some pretty pink polish over the nail bed? Might help it blend in a bit

[Gingercat]

Hello

I can totally relate to this post. I once picked my large toenail off and had to be put on antibiotics. It grew back over time but now I still dig down the side of both toenails and regularly cause infections. I have had antiobiotics on another occasion. I am so ashamed of it but it is such a compulsion. I do it without realising then it gets addictive. My boyfriend is always saying its self harm but I've brushed it off as wanting nice toes. - now I say that here I realise how ridiculous that sounds. I also do it to the skin around my fingers, I make my fingers bleed and have constant areas of redness and hanging skin I pick. I really don't know how to stop the skin picking - especially the cuticles I can't stand having any.

As far as the toe thing goes...I have either thrown out all tools that can cut or dig at my skin or nail. I've given my boyfriend nail clippers and he only gives them to me when I can show I need to cut my nails, gives me a time limit then takes them back off. It's very child like I know but it has to be done, only he knows where he keeps them.

I can't tell u how many times I have repeated the toe nail picking cycle (I've currently got a very sore toe from my last dig two days ago). I make sure I keep my toe clean, dry and away from pressure (I wear sandals when it's infected). It's horrible and I really feel for you. TCP is a great way to treat it too, as for stopping yourself, wear socks all the time and get pedicures, that's way you won't want to ruin your nails.

Hope that helps and thank you for making me feel like I am not the only one!!

Gemma

[snowflake293]

I totally relate to that gingercat! I want nice toes too, I find myself digging at the sides and pulling bits of skin off. my toes are a mess :( I feel absolutely disgusting at the moment. My toenail is growing back but so slowly. I feel really 'beastly' (I know thats a funny word!) I feel gross cause of my toe and on the other ankle I've some nasty scars from self harming (good job my wedding dress is a long one...) I just feel really big and ugly today - I think the skin picking is related to that feeling, I just loathe myself at the moment and finding everything really tough at a time I am meant to be happy! thanks everyone for the replies, feel better knowing I am not alone xx

[snowflake293]

Tore my newly growing back nail off last night... so annoyed with myself! This morning my toe is red and swollen and the pain is indescribable(!) I had a good dig with the tweezers too :( feel so stupid!! My OH has been really good (thought he would go mad) have soaked toe in warm salt water and covered in in Sudocrem with a dressing on but the pain is so so bad!!!!! I dont want to go see a nurse cause I know I will get 'told off' and tbh I feel really ashamed of it :( why oh why can I not leave things alone...

[ADW]

I skin pick as well on my feet and hands. I'm going through a very difficult time at the moment and I'm biting and picking the skin on my finets until they bleed :(

[snowflake293]

Sorry to hear you are having a bad time :( I am having a bad time at the moment too. My skin picking has gotten bad and I feel so ugly and horrible cause of it :(

Have you found any techniques that help you delay/stop? I am determined to stop! I am going to write a list of all the reasons not to pick and things I can do instead :)

Today is Easter so I have all my family round later which will mean no picking!

Hope things get easier for you.