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But aside from the pretty stuff, your fingers can also be physical communicators.
Channing Smith
Whether it be by way of a simple wave or intricate American Sign Language, they ask for acknowledgment.
I gesticulate often when I communicate, but sometimes, that can be shameful for me to do.
I’ve suffered fromdermatillomaniasince I was a preteen.
This week’s manicure, bandaids and all.
I’ve done enough damage that there’s now skin discoloration on both of my thumbs.
The urgency to pick is near-constant, and it’s become a part of daily routine.
Casually browsing on my phone?
Taking a walk to enjoy the sunshine?
That said, there’s a definitive difference between recreational skin picking and a dermatillomania diagnosis.
Speaking for myself, having a skin picking disorder feels that perpetual cycle.
Thumb sucking was a coping mechanism that turned into a full-on habit in my youth.
I was dealing withanxietythe best way I knew how.
Seeing my own new sores amongst my semi-healed wounds does, in fact, leave me ashamed.
It’s the same reason why I got professional help by seeking therapy, as Dr. Rieder suggests.
They opt to self soothe, and the act eventually becomes a force of habit.
It’s the root of my anxiety.
While I’ve graduated from the struggles of my childhood, that anxiety has trickled into young adulthood.
I developed hobbies as a coping mechanism; dancing and writing became my go-tos for managing stress.
This week’s manicure, bandaids and all.
Sigourney Nunez, a Los Angeles-based manicurist, has witnessed her clients' struggles with skin picking first hand.
New York City-based manicuristGina Edwardsalso provides suggestions to her clients who nibble on occasion.
“I normally recommended weekly manis.
She also recommends topical treatments that don’t taste pleasing to discourage biting.
“Ella + Mila ‘no more biting’ is great!
It doesn’t wash off easily and lasts for a few days when applied.
It keeps your hands out of your mouth.”
Ultimately, though, nasty-tasting top coat and pretty nail art will only go so far.
“You want to produce more positive habits.”
I’m realizing it’s all a process, so I have been gentle with myself.
The silver lining to all this?
Knowing that healing and the opportunity to get an amazing manicure can go hand in hand.
