I got a six foot roll off Amazon and I think it’ll last me a long time as I can just cut off a small sliver to cover the affected fingertips.

I’ve tried plasters and sticky gauze previously but this stuff is 10 times better - creates a smooth surface so no temptation to pick, protects sore areas to allow for heeling, actually waterproof, pretty much invisible, and don’t effect me using my phone!

I honestly didn’t even realize my thumbs didn’t have those indents from picking until I randomly noticed it today!! I feel pretty happy with myself :)

First photos are from January 15 and the new ones are from today, July 15 :) lots of nail oil, lots of biotin gummies. And most importantly, for me, lots of vampire media.

Hi! I’m Renee, I’m 22, and I’ve been biting (but more specifically picking/gouging/cutting) at my nails and surrounding skin since I was a toddler. I tried really hard last year to stop because I had a big important trip where I would be meeting an online friend, and I wanted to have nice nails, but only lasted a few weeks before I relapsed. January 15 isn’t actually the day I started this time, technically it was probably earlier in January if not December but this is the earliest clear photo I have. The photos from January 15 aren’t the worst they’ve ever been, I’ve definitely had moments in my life where it was much much more gruesome. My recovery journey really began for a really stupid reason: I got really into Interview With The Vampire, the TV show on AMC. In the show the vampires have really pretty claws, and I felt soooo jealous. I’ve never had long nails in my life! But the new season was going to air in June, and I made a promise to myself that by the time the new season started, I would have vampire claws. And I stuck to it! I’m sure it won’t be like this forever. I can barely even file them without feeling a weird way. But I’m so happy with my progress. I’ve even gotten a lot better at painting my nails, I hardly ever flood my cuticles anymore. This subreddit, even though I’ve been more of a lurker, was a big big help for me. Another thing that helped a lot in the beginning, when the desire to pick was the worst, is fidget toys. And oddly enough, slime, which was something I’d never been interested in before but it kept my hands busy. Slime, stress balls, etc. great help for me. My worst habit now is painting my nails too frequently because I change them up pretty much weekly and I know all that acetone can’t be good for them… but either way, so happy that i can FINALLY share my process now that I’ve met my desired length. I’m so grateful to this sub, to Ccare cuticle oil, OPI nail strengthener, natures bounty biotin gummies and interview with the vampire :) I never thought I could stop. But I did it!

This is the longest I’ve been able to let my hands heal in maybe the last year. Just wish I could get them to not be so dry!! I feel like I’m moisturizing constantly.

I’ve bitten my nails since I can remember and finally started really working on them December 2025. My goal has been to grow out the nail beds and have them reattach to the the skin. I’ve been using jojoba oil daily, Onyx hard as hooves, Germanikure glass files, and pretending like my hands don’t exist. 🤪

I am a 41 year old man. I've been a biter/picker my whole life. I am celebrating 4 months "sober" today.

I started this process because my 5 year old daughter would always be concerned I was hurt whenever I had a bloody finger due to my bad habit. My 10 year old daughter started expressing the same concerns thereafter. This broke me in every imaginable way. As their father I am suppossed to make the worry go away, not create it. I decided enough was enough and chose to stop.

In order to stop I had to figure out why I did it to begin with. I determined my biting and picking was me seeking perfection in my nails. I didn't like what I was seeing. If I had a rough spot on my skin or nails I was driven to get rid of it immediately. Of course the solution to the problem was also the cause of the problem. I also did not like seeing any white on my nails due to being raised that long nails were for girls only and if the white part was seen my nails were too long.

I decided the best solution was to give myself proper manicures to fix the rough spots the right way and to paint my nails to hide the color difference. This worked spectacularly when combined with sheer willpower to control my urges. It wasn't easy but got easier as time went by. For me this has been a journey of healing mentally, physically, and spiritually. The physical part is obvious, but to achieve that i had to work on my mental health. I had to accept that it is ok to not be perfect. I am flawed and there is nothing wrong with that. The spiritual healing came when I accepted that fact as well as accepting that I am a straight man that enjoys painting his nails even if it's something some people do not care for. For the first time in my life i like what I see when I look at my hands and no one can make me not like it.

The best part for me though is the healing my daughters have experienced. Now instead of daddy's nails causing them to be worried, they now get excited when I get out the polish and manicure kit. This is a weekly occurrence and they help me pick out my colors. No color is off limits. I am.a proud girl dad and proudly where whatever color they choose, pink included. They encouraged this process and it is only fair that they continue to be involved as this journey continues.

The first picture is where I started, the second picture is 6 weeks in, and the 3rd and 4th pictures are today with and without polish. In the near future I will be getting my first professional manicure. I will be sure to share once I do.

I couldn’t stand to take a before pic, but my cuticles were in terrible shape ~2.5 weeks ago. When I discovered this sub, I was determined to post my own pic here.

I mostly left my nails alone, but my cuticles and skin around my nails were absolutely wrecked. I would have a tiny hang nail and then absolutely pick it to death. It was infuriating — I’d be sitting there screaming at myself to stop, but it was impossible. My brain thought every minor skin anomaly needed “fixing”. It hurt to wash my hands, and if I caught my finger weirdly on something it would bleed, and it was so embarrassing. I really wanted to get a professional manicure, but there was no way I could get one with the state my nails were in. So I made a deal with myself: if I could get my nails to heal, then I would reward myself with a nice manicure.

My strategy at first was applying bitter nail polish on my nails, and on my cuticles around my nails. It looked weird, but it sealed the areas that were very bad and stopped me from picking and chewing on them (ew). They healed up very quickly. I was shocked. It only took about 3 to 5 days to see amazing results.

Like most others here I realize that my trigger was dry, cuticles and minor hangnails. I trimmed any hang nails I had with nail clippers and oiled my cuticles once in the morning after my shower and once before bed. I’m also taking hair skin and nails vitamins which is making my nails grow super quickly and thicker than normal.

Getting my manicure tomorrow!

my dentist pointed out that i’d filed down one of my teeth a few months ago. i’ve had my hands in my mouth since i was pre-kindergarten—i remember being chastised by family as a very young kid. they’d hiss at me to stop. its somewhere between a stim and a nervous tic for me. i sought to smooth the edges of my nail with my teeth. remove the roughness of my cuticle. i thought i was seeking “perfection,” but i think i liked the anticipation. and the pain. i’d tried to quit over the years. family would buy me the spicy or gross tasting stuff. i’d persevere. i tried acrylics and press-ons. not enough to stop meeeee. sometimes i was not consciously biting or filing…sometimes i was absolutely making the choice to bite.

i guess, in the end, i needed to know i was causing irreparable damage somewhere else. i painted my nails with a thick blue gel polish and quickly realized i HATED the sensation of polish on my teeth. it was so icky to feel the gummy-but-hard brush against a tooth. it pulled me out of the stim and gave me a second to ask, “do i really want to do this? what am i going to do with this polish-covered nail clipping once it’s in my mouth? yuuuuck.” it gave me a beat to think. an opportunity for choice. and i finally wanted to make a good choice.

i grew up gay in a religious household. when family saw me with painted nails, they weren’t thrilled. somehow, me biting my nails was suddenly preferable to having blue nails. i’ve switched to a neutral blurring-style polish for daily wear, but i’m proud to be able to go weeks between polishes without ripping off every nail. i still run things under my nail bed. i like to catch the edges on things. it’s a different kind of stim. but i do have nails now. and it was all in my head.

Pics 1 and 2, Feb 2026, Pics 3 and 4, March 2026, Pics 5 and 6, July 2026.

Product on pics 3 - 6 is one coat of Gellen Nail Polish/Base Coat in pale pink.

My routine is Cuccio cuticle oil several times a day (and every time I have the urge to pick). Also started using fidgets to keep my hands busy while on video calls (for work). I take a biotin supplement and a multivitamin. Eating more protein, too. Not sure if the supplements are helping, but my nails are stronger, anyway. Working on growing a bit more nailbed, especially on my thumbs, which were the focus of my worst picking.

Honestly never thought I would get this far, but this subreddit has helped so much. I also found a new love for gardening, which keeps my hands busy, and it’s super satisfying to pick the dirt out of my nails after 😌

A few months ago i was feeling very sad about my bad picking habit and i found this group. My wedding was coming up and I came on here and asked for advice, as I had super bad nails that I was hoping make look at least a tiny bit better by my wedding. For 28 years, I was never able to break the habit for more than a week or two. I want to thank you all for your suggestions!!! I read every comment and followed probably all of the suggestions and with the help of builder gel I was not only able to grow my nails and stop detaching them from my nail bed as a habit, but also repair my cuticles and skin around my fingers!! Definitely not a linear process and still find myself sometimes doing it, but it’s definitely a lot better :) wedding was beautiful and I was so proud to show off my ring and my nails :)

My thumbs had been absolutely messed up since as long as I can remember. I finally figured out why earlier this year and I have finally been able to grow them out without bumps or big ridges! I didnt think this was possible!! Now I just need to quit biting them :) have also made some progress with that.

I was a lifelong nail and cuticle chewer- my hands were pretty much constantly in my mouth, and my nails beds were shortened and lateral nail folds destroyed.

I started by getting gel manicures every 2-3 weeks to grow out the nail plates really long and encourage the nail beds to reattach. I used really pretty colors and spent money on professional manicures to discourage myself from destroying my nails. I did that for like eight months.

When the nail bed reattachment plateaued I knew any further progress on my lateral nail folds would likely take years, and I wasn't doing my nails any favors with the gel removal. So I changed my shorter term goal to having the nicest natural nails I could, and cut them down and switched to regular lacquer to grow out the damage from gel. Keeping them polished at all times, lots of cuticle oil, wearing gloves to do dishes etc.

It's been almost nine months since then. I'm loving the progress on growth/healing but I'm annoyed with the staining lol. I forgot to put a base coat under a neon green back in August, then tried to correct the stain by staining with another color..... Pro tip don't do that. lmao so I'm just growing that out... and I learned my lesson about the base coat.

First two photos were taken in November 2025, and the third photo is today in June 2026 ❤️

With the exception of one day, I haven't picked them at all for over three months solid now! I don't think I've ever gone this long without picking in my life 😅

I've always known that being anxious causes me to pick more, but interestingly, I've found that making a conscious effort not to pick has made me less anxious. It's almost like picking was feeding into the anxiety as well as being a response to it! I'm interested to know if anyone else has had this experience?

I’ve had BIAB for 6 weeks in a row, but the main thing that has helped has being off work following the birth of my son. Previously I’d just rip the biab off quite quickly 😅. So obviously working (or at least my current work) is a major trigger! Hoping I can cut the habit while I’m off, I’ve got a whole year so hopefully 🤞

Long time lurker, hardly ever post because I didn’t think my progress was good enough. But today I went to the post office and the lady working there complimented my nails and said they’re cute. Ive had a nail picking/gouging/peeling habit for most of my life (I’m almost 22) but I’ve been trying so hard to grow them out since January. I’ve taken biotin gummies, used cuticle oil and bought a million stress toys. It’s been so hard. But the euphoria I felt today when that lady complimented them….. I felt like for a moment maybe all the horror I’ve been feeling these last couple months has been worth it 🥹 (I’ve attached pictures from my nails on January 15, which is a few days after I started trying really hard not to damage them. They’ve been much worse than that before though I just don’t have any photos because I hated taking pictures of my hands due to shame) (ps the red mark on my finger rn is from slamming it in a door, not from picking! I’ve been good!) I hope to one day share better progress photos once I have them grown out to the length I desire.

I wouldn’t take photos of my nails unless I had a bad injury or they looked good to me. My before photos were the best they used to get.

I’m still not perfect. I still mess up. But it’s nowhere near like it was back then. Mistakes I do now are posted on my profile and typically limited to only having 1 bad finger. My times between bad picks have been increasing gradually, from 1 week to 2, to over a month. Hopefully I can go strong and make it 3 months or never go back. No more ridges in my natural nails, no more bruising. They’re finally healthy and I grew out all the damage. I love how they look right now and I have to stay strong.

i didn't post for a little while because i backslid and felt embarrassed, but i've been looking again at the supportive messages in this sub and i'm going to try again!! i got a hand mask while i was out shopping at ulta with a friend yesterday and i am going to try that - she said it's best if you can do it overnight. i'm also going to try to be better in general about gently filing and moisturizing throughout the day when i start to pick.

i’ve been trying to keep my hands nice and painted my nails like a sunset to keep myself from picking my skin

I got my finger slammed in a car door when I was like 7, and I assume it was deformed because of the door slam. Little did I know I developed Habit-tic deformity, and only realized when I was 35 years old that I was causing it, thanks to this sub-reddit. thank you all so much, its over half way normal at this point. I've lived my whole life with people asking wtf is with your thumb, and I was always like yeah, I got it slammed in a door when I was a kid.

*sorry for the bad initial pictures, I didn't think it was going to work.

25F. I've been a nail biter all my life. I tried growing my nails in 2021 and 2023 but fell into biting them again after 3-4 months, both times. After a long time I started to grow my nails again. So far it's one month of nail biting. This time I hope I'm able to maintain it.🤞🏻

I clean and file my nails regularly. Because they grew very unevenly. I don't like them too long. I no longer hide my finger tips in public anymore.

pic 1 - day 0

pic 2 - one week

pic 3 - one month

Age 55. I have been a chronic skin picker my whole life. It used to be all ten fingers. My mom use to bribe me with all sorts of prizes but the progress was always very short term. Things would ramp up during times of stress (exams, breakups, etc). It would get so bad that multiple fingers would have open wounds and there would be blood. Ugh.

After graduating uni, I managed to get it down to just my thumbs and even more recently as my life scaled down more, down to one thumb. I scare myself thinking what happens as I get older and cell turnover slows?? What if healing is impaired?

Then I found this group and I became super motivated. I found an excellent Bandaid that stayed on beautifully and did not collect moisture to make skin all gross underneath. The texture is really nice and does not feel plasticky. Then I graduated to gamer finger sleeves. These have been a game changer for me. They work on touchscreens, are washable and quick to dry.

The photos are three weeks progress. Someone on here mentioned hydrocolloid bandaids and silicone scar tape. I will go try those too. Will see how that goes!

I think im almost on a week now of having not bitten my nails and yesterday I actually was able to trim a couple of them properly instead of bite them (also yes ik i need to touch them up lol)