boodle boy
[mhish] Anyone have strategies for dermatillomania or other compulsive habits
boodle boy
I am a giant ball of insecurity today so naturally I cannot stop picking at my skin and nails
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
there is a subreddit for it
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
but basically the way I deal with it is by rubbing in a cuticle cream
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
or a lotion, or whatever. I redirect the urge to pick to skin care that will help me not feel like picking in the future, basically.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
that's if I consciously catch myself picking. If I'm agitated, no deal.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
Also, there's a specific kind of band aid that's really good if you're always ripping up your cuticles, esp on your thumbs. cushion care sport strips. I usually use them with an antibiotic ointment like bacitracin.
departed 👻
sits in here and takes notes
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
they last a couple of days because the adhesive is relatively strong for a bandaid, and they're made out of a foam that is relatively thin and spongy as bandaids go
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
I think r/calmhands is the sub I'm thinking of
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
there are other dermatillomania subs though
boodle boy
this is reallt helpful, trhank you 
boodle boy
I'm doing a lot of it unconsciously tonite and keep like, catching myself at it again
boodle boy
OVER AND OVER
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
I have psoriasis and dermatillomania
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
they are not a good combo
boodle boy
ouch, yeah
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
I buy a lot of hydroseal/hydrocolloidal bandages
boodle boy
Right now I've just got intensely dry winter skin and its making me Go Nuts
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
and just put them on any large spots, and those spots get a lot better while they're covered.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
if you can swing it, get aquaphor or at least a jar of vaseline and use that as moisturizer, or Vaseline Cocoa Radiance lotion. Or CeraVe Healing Ointment.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
all of them are super moisturizing.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
or even a jar of coconut oil, slather it on pre-shower.
boodle boy
scalp is hard because I can't really put anything on my dry places and just scratch at them. the best I can do is keep my nails short
departed 👻
i have dermatophagia which is different but similar principle and moisturizer might be a good idea since i won't want that in my mouth...
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
you can also coconut oil your scalp pre-shower and most of it should wash off.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
past that, scalp stuff is super annoying because a lot of the treatments for it seem to have to come from a dermatologist, and it feels like you have to choose between gross scalp and gross hair sometimes.
boodle boy
gotta find stuff for my hands to do too to keep them occupied 
shrimp heaven
needing something to do with my hands is legit why i picked up knitting
shrimp heaven
(but as with all things ymmv....hilariously it didn't work for me, but i still knit bc i like it)
plurkishdelight
secodning bandaids as a good way to stop picking
plurkishdelight
esnt help your scalp but
Peil Wiggler
ha ha ha ha,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Peil Wiggler
I have no solutions for you i can only commiserate
niangniang
seconding findin sfuff to do with your hands, that helps me a lot. i’ve had issues wi th my scalp in particular and weirdly enough just wearing a hat (or scarf, or w/e) helped with that a lot? it was a lot easier to catch myself if i was like, removing a garment
niangniang
knitting is a good one, so are fidget toys
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
crochet
❝marti❞
I am planning to buy a spinner ring to help with this and my general fidgetiness, and I hear they help a lot
boodle boy
boodle boy
I gotta try a fidget toy for times when it's bad
Hall Decker
man, part of the reason i started growing out my facial hair was as a buffer crop of sorts for my trichotillomania
Hall Decker
if you dont have a loofa or something, it might help to Sand Down whatever you regularly pick at
Hall Decker
get one and*
Hall Decker
and also, most definitely get something to fidget with
❝marti❞
departed 👻
: belatedly, I looked that up and I think I have both
❝marti❞
dermatophagia and dermatillomania I mean
❝marti❞
I bite my lips off, randomly bite my cheeks, and bite off my cuticles
❝marti❞
but I also pick compulsively
departed 👻
possible, or one sometimes looks like the other--like i only pick at the skin around my fingertips so i count it as part of dermatophagia
❝marti❞
I pick anything that's raised so
❝marti❞
and sometimes even things that aren't
departed 👻
yeah that sounds like dermatillomania then
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
It’s true, half my dermatillomania is like... subconsciously wanting the skin to be smooth. So sometimes if my thumbs in particular (a trouble spot, the areas around and below the cuticle) are rough I just smooth them gently with a glass nail file and use cuticle cream and that’s enough.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
I also learned to stop biting my nails as a teenager by diverting the whole urge to applying cuticle cream instead, and that helped.
departed 👻
i should really attempt that since it'll have the bonus of not wanting to get cuticle cream in my mouth
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
burt's bees is a good one. badger and lush also make decent options, but not as widely available.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
but we were also watching movies in a bunch of classes for a week when I did this, so I basically just had the leisure to sit around in my most nail-bitey class for a week doing nothing but massaging in cuticle cream.
𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗!
(it was actually this stuff called Nail Caviar that was tiny little blobs of oil that you'd burst as you applied them, but same difference.)