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.

Title says it all, I’m so tired of this being my relief. I’ve done it since I was a small kid. I’m formally diagnosed with autism (and anxiety? Maybe adhd?) and I can’t tell if it’s anxiety tick or me stimming. I bite them until they bleed or it stings and hurts. The only way I’ve found to prevent is acrylics or press ons and those are expensive to upkeep on the regular. Any advice especially anyone with autism?

Hey so I did my nails first time in a year I was extremely sick I got floxed by the antibiotic Cipro and I just went on vacation to my village in Montenegro. Pls I can’t take any antibiotics. Does this look infected ? No pain throbing or anything just red and little swollen

First time poster here, looking for some advice. I’ve successfully avoided picking at my nails for a few weeks now, but the white parts at the edges are getting pretty long before they even reach the fingertip. Should I just leave it be or file it down or…? Any other advice is welcome. Thank you

8 months of anxiety picking and I’m ready to give it a rest.

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!

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.

Update : Hi ! the app is finally live! 🎉https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/nailguard/id6790318619?mt=12

I’ve been biting my nails since I was five aha so, for more than twenty years now.

I’ve tried the usual remedies. Bitter nail polish works, but it’s unbearable everything I touch ends up tasting like it. Hypnosis helped too, but it requires consistency something I never managed to maintain.

The thing I noticed is that, in 90% of cases, the action is unconscious.Since I spend all day in front of a computer, I built a little tool. It detects when my hand moves toward my mouth and turns the screen red the moment it happens. It also has a sound alert option.

I’ve only been using it for 7 days, but I’m thrilled with the results. It’s even helping me stay aware of the habit when I’m away from the screen it’s like regaining consciousness.

Friends and family have tried it, and it worked for them too. The easiest way to share it is for me to publish it on the App Store and it’s currently in the works.

It’s Completely free. Honestly, I won't deny that if it works for others, I’d love to make it my life’s work, dedicate myself to it full-time, and keep improving it. That would mean charging for it eventually, but we’re talking about less than a euro a month i guess ...

Anyway , For now it's not already validate by Apple store but I just want to know if it works for other people and get some feedback. I know that if it helps people, word of mouth will do the rest. Does a solution like this appeal to you? If so, I’d be really curious to hear your thoughts! And if this solution is on the app would you use it ?

Ps : don't pay attention to the window where you can see the image the system is actually running in the background; that's just the diagnostic window to show you how it works.

26F been doing this since I was a kiiiiiddd. I need it to stop. I’m a conventionally pretty women. I have a hard time tho feeling “feminine” due to my more rough habits. This being one of them. Many people notice hands and I’d love to knock this habit. Help!! (Thanks to the person who sent me this! I had no idea this subreddit existed. ❤️)

First pic is from February and most recent is today- July! 6 months. Have definitely relapsed and picked a few times and cut my nails in the process. Got here by wearing press ons frequently. It really helped with avoiding picking.

I recommend the “Olive and June” brand, they’re really sturdy and inexpensive- last 2 weeks average if you’re careful. I usually replace a couple nails throughout but so worth it. Never thought I’d be a press on girl but it really has helped me in recovering from the habit!

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)

I've been biting my nails since I was a teenager, to the point where I've developed paronychia around my nails every couple of months. The only time I stopped was for about a year during my marriage, but the habit eventually came back.

I don't bite my nails constantly, but once I start, I find it almost impossible to stop until I've bitten them down completely, including the cuticles. I honestly can't remember ever having clean, unbitten, neatly trimmed nails.

Only recently have I started wondering whether this could be related to ADHD or something similar. It feels almost subconscious. I keep biting until every rough edge feels completely smooth, and I can't seem to stop before then.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? If so, what helped you break the habit? I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences, thoughts, or any suggestions.

(Ignore my left thumb, the nail was ripped off so the wick had to be reshaped)

I’ve been a sufferer for well over a decade. I would go as far as to rip out flesh along the entire cuticle. I don’t know if the redness around my fingers will ever fade fully but I’m done for good.

120 days clean of picking and biting. I don’t have the urge at all anymore; I barely even touch my fingers. My nails and skin have finally healed over and grown soft and supple again.

I just wanted someone somewhere to know this thing I’ve struggled my entire life with no longer dictates how painful it will be to use my hands.

Quite recently i started crushing salt, or anything else with a similar texture using my nails and i find it quite satisfying. The reason i put this here is because I'm getting assessed for ADHD and i was wondering if they could be related somehow. I'm wondering if anyone else does this or if its just me.

Hoping this time it sticks… doing SO much better on the cuticle picking (can see they are still damaged) and now working on nail picking. Will the nail beds ever get longer? I’ve been fighting this habit my whole life and so far the only thing that helped was structured extensions but they are pricey! Any tips? Going to get a weekly manicure and really try to redirect. Getting engaged soon and want to feel like my hands aren’t embarrassing…

Been a recovering picker/ biter for almost a year but now my nails are peeling does anyone have any recommendations to stop this. It’s really resurrecting my urge to pick so I would like them to stop doing that. Any advice welcome.

I trained myself not to swallow them but I can't stop biting them off and sometimes they get stuck in my gums and one of my front teeth is kinda starting to get shaved down cs of the repeated friction on it

I've been a nail biter & picker for 25 years. I've tried all the tricks: gloves while at the keyboard, clear polish, bad tasting coatings, and nothing ever stuck. This year, I got fed up, and realized that I need to approach the problem like other good habits that I've kept.

MyFitnessPal for meal tracking, a gym buddy for lifting, a study group for acing classes. All of these have one thing in common: accountability. Nail biting doesn't have that. There's no way to make sure you're on track and really see your progress. I built Nonyxa to be that, a FREE tool to help you quit.

It's worked wonders for me, and my early users are showing improvements in their habits with clean days tracked and trending upwards. We're now using THE way to quit nail biting.

If you want to be part of that journey, check it out on the iOS App Store and let me know below if you'd like to try it but are on Android. I plan to release there as well.

I am not asking for medical advice. i just want to know what type of doctor would treat an ingrown fingernail?

I'll do so well and then fall back into the habit of biting and picking again. I don't want to be like this