Ok, here goes…I’ve been debating whether or not I should talk about this truly disgusting and embarrassing personal habit of mine…FEET PICKING. I know, gross ey??? This is dfficult to admit and publicize but I didn’t want my blog to be only about beautiful and happy things. I’m hoping this blog will help shed light on a problem that I think, I’m not the only one to have. I’m also hoping it will help force me to overcome my problem now that I’ve told everyone about it. What started out as a harmless little nit pick has now turned into a debilitating, unstoppable habit that’d I’ve had for three years now. Three years!! Omg, it’s hard to believe.
I did a google search on this crazy addiction and am finding out that there is a name for my disorder! DERMATILLOMANIA! Armadillo what? Apparently it is a form of OCD perfectionism. Perfectionist? Ok, not surprising. I’m an ah-tist dah-ling, what can I say? To admit that I have a 3-letter acronym disorder, OCD, that’s a hard pill to swallow but it make sense… OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR.
What does picking feet have to do with perfectionism? Well, when I would touch my feet and if I felt any unevenness, I would pull off skin to try to make it smooth and perfect. In the beginning, it worked because my skin was still soft and I wouldn’t do it often. However now, any unevenness at all and I pull off bits of skin, often in long layers, until my feet are bleeding. It’s so hard to resist and becomes a vicious cycle because it will NEVER become smooth like a baby’s butt if I’m constantly picking at it. I can’t even hardly walk properly sometimes, often walking with a gimpy limp or on my tippy toes to avoid the pain of walking on my heels. I know what you’re thinking…she’s crazy! You are absolutely right, I am crazy! It is a crazy, sick form of self mutilation. (Geez that sounds bad, but it is what it is.)
Dick is totally disgusted by my behavior, as well he should be. He is especially disgusted at seeing the bits of dried up skin that are remnants and evidence of my self-mutilation. He doesn’t understand why I do this to myself. Frankly, I don’t understand it either. It’s just something that is difficult to control.
Honestly, if I could just even stop for a week, it doesn’t take long for the skin to heal. But, it’s almost like I need an intervention. I have tried to stop but it’s not so easy and at most, I can spend maybe a day without picking. Obviously, to keep from picking, the skin needs to be smooth. So, pumice stone in hand, I try to smooth my feet in the shower and it works, but only if my feet don’t already have open cuts otherwise it hurts like a mother!
I have also resorted to trying the highly advertised PED EGG. I was hoping this thing would be my savior, end my misery, and solve all my feet-picking problems. This little contraption shaped like an egg is like a mini-cheese grater for your feet. Sounds enticing doesn’t it? The Ped Egg somewhat works by making your feet a little smoother but you are still sometimes left with cracked and lifted skin, which only entices you to pick at them more. Once you pull up one piece of skin, it’s starts off an unstoppable chain reaction. You then start pulling and pulling until you’re bleeding, you’re raw skin is exposed, and you can’t take the pain anymore. So for the perfectionist, Ped Egg does not leave it perfect enough to keep you from picking at it. It only assists in curbing your appetite to peel even more, like if you’re getting ready to pick, take out your Ped Egg and start grating away!
The powdery stuff on the left is the skin that has been sloughed off by your Ped Egg skin-grater.
When I am able to let my feet heal so that I can actually walk like a normal human being, the skin is like plastic. It’s shiny, tough, and calloused over. It’s smooth but because I have extremely dry skin, it doesn’t take long before a piece of skin is out of place and then here we go again!
So, the current state of my feet is that they are plasticized, bleeding, dry, uneven, burning from the pain of exposed skin but still looking somewhat normal to the unassuming eye. Most people aren’t looking at my feet when they see me and my jeans cover them well enough. Even if I’m wearing a skirt or dress, no one really notices, which I think contributes to my problem. Because no one really does notice my dreadful feet, I am able to continue my loathsome habit. Once I’ve picked my feet to the point that they are bleeding, it takes about 2-3 days until I can probably walk without them hurting. Amazingly enough, skin grows back fairly quickly.
So how does one end up having such a disorder? I have absolutely no clue but maybe me pouring glue on my hands, letting them dry, and then trying to peel off the glue in big layers as a kid was a hint of the destruction that was to come. (Admit it, you know you loved to do it too.) Or, using those paraffin wax dips where you dip your hands in hot molten wax, let them dry, and peel off the dried wax glove forms of your hands. Omg, fun! Or peeling off those clear face masks, trying hard to keep in all in one piece. Ok, ok, I’m sick! Are these signs of a future feet picker??? Parents, be forewarned!
Now that ‘ve exposed myself and my ugly compulsiveness, I am hopeful that I am able to overcome this insanity and am determined this time to rid myself of this self-mutilation and walk normally on a permanent basis. So, pray for me…I’m going to need it.
For more information on feet picking and Dermatillomania, click HERE.
Pics of my feet? It is hard enough to reveal this ghastly habit so I cannot even fathom posting pics. Baby steps.
Do you know anyone who is a feet picker? Picker in general? I’m finding that we all have a little OCD in us. (At least that’s what I’m telling myself to make me feel better.) Some of us more extreme than others.
-Jane, Ashamed Feet Picker
28/09/2009 at 1:51 PM Permalink
I love the ped egg. How about wearing socks at all times while in the house so that you can’t see your skin to pick at your feet. I horrible, dry feet that’s why I welcome the fall with warm embrace so that I can wear boots and toe covered shoes.
28/09/2009 at 3:42 PM Permalink
Dick recommended socks too. I am not fond of socks. I only wear them as necessary, like with tennis shoes. Plus, I would still pull them off to mess with my feet.
24/10/2009 at 6:51 PM Permalink
found this via google…Jane, did you somehow get inside my head? Because I have the EXACT same problem, with the EXACT same reasoning. I want my feet and skin to be smooth. They used to be. I think what happened for me was i picked up athlete’s foot a few years ago, and boom, that was it. Started picking and never stopped. I also hate socks, and love to be barefoot or wear flip-flops. You are not alone!
25/10/2009 at 2:10 AM Permalink
Another feet picker! Thanks for posting! It hasn’t gotten any better for me. Still picking. Such a horrible habit that I can’t break and it seems to only get worse. There are days that I can hardly walk. Dick thinks I’m sick. I have to admit, it’s pretty sick.
26/10/2009 at 11:40 PM Permalink
Hi jane! Also found via Google and I have the exact same problem. I was diagnosed with OCD in high school and it had manifested itself in different ways through the years. I’ve always been a minor skin picker, mostly my cuticles, but the feet skin picking has gotten progressively worse. I can’t walk some days, it hurts so bad. You’re not alone.
14/11/2009 at 11:35 PM Permalink
omg,i am going through the same thing!i started pickin my face when i was a teenager then started biting nails then that hurt my teeth so i started picking and biting the skin around my fingers.they get so bad they bleed and look so gross i wont leave the house and now i think ive started to pick my feet because it is hidden and also to not pick my fingers as much. my feet are so raw i have to walk on tippy toes!it sux! i feel the exact same thing im tryin to make them smooth but im making it worse!i thought i was a wierdo.its comforting to know i am not alone with this disorder!!:)
14/11/2009 at 11:37 PM Permalink
o yea!i tried the sock thing too. didnt work for me.sometimes i put vitamin e ointment on them then put socks on but as soon as they heal up i do it again! a never ending cycle it seems!
16/11/2009 at 3:21 AM Permalink
U don’t even understand how much pain I’m in right now. I totally feel like a cripple. I just wonder how bad things have to get before they get better…
28/12/2009 at 9:15 AM Permalink
I’ve picked my feet most of my life and enjoy the habit. I onloy quit when I exercise and eat very healthy. The bottom line is feet picking is who I am and I wish I could find a lady feet picker so I could help pick her feet!
13/01/2010 at 3:49 PM Permalink
This sounds like a form of Dermatillomania.
I also have a horrible habit of picking at my feet, but I also pick at my lips and my hands (fingers, cutiles, palms, etc…). I pick until the skin is raw. I bleed sometimes, and it hurts at times. The majority of the time it is quite soothing for my anxiety. Very recently, I did an online search on my picking. I found information on a condition known as compulsive skin picking or Dermatillomania. It is actually a form of having OCD. It gets really bad for me. It’s difficult to walk at time and my lips are embarrassing, at least I can hide my feet when I am in public.. My lips are a different story.. I was glad to find out that I was not alone in this…
05/02/2010 at 12:20 AM Permalink
After reading your story about your poor feet…….I feel abit better… I have been picking my feet since I was 6 yrs wow thats 30 years now so your relatively new to it…however I thought I was the only person weird enough to pick her feet, cause pain, enjoy stripping off large pieces of skin, hate myself, pick more, have trouble walking , using ped eggs the whole lot!! No one but my hubby knows about this habit I have and today after gooogling Feet picking not expecting a thing I find it has a name and the symptons and reason why made complete sense to me…..
Last night I had a huge picking session so today Im hobbling about…but didnt realize what a mess Id made of my feet till this morning when I got out of bed. You would relate to this…lol
After abit more research I couldnt find any treatments in australia for this condition, which is a real pain as I would love to talk with someone about this!!
Anyway just wanted to say, your not alone and I found out today Im not alone either…
05/02/2010 at 6:56 AM Permalink
OMG, i can totally relate. things will go well and i will do my best to abstain from picking but then my feet will ITCH like crazy!! it feels so good to pull off the skin…soothes the itching. hope your feet get better. :0
03/03/2010 at 10:21 PM Permalink
Exactly the same story for me. From age 13 to now, almost 65!
I’ve had some relief with Zoloft, but still have my days when I feel as if I’m walking on hot coals. (Today was one)
If I’m a perfectionist, I sure wish I could accomplish just one thing perfectly!
You have described this type of skin-picking so well. I think the worst part is the shame and secrecy. The longest I have ever gone without picking was the last 6 wks of my pregnancy, I was so horrified at the thought of the doctor and nurses seeing the bottoms of my feet. I’m sure it was only days after the birth that I went right back to it.
I wish all of you well, and enjoy those days when the skin has healed and you can walk on your whole foot. Maybe we can all try to make it last 1 more day.
12/03/2010 at 6:35 AM Permalink
I used to pick my feet all the time. (I was in a stressful relationship that led me to this.) After I was through with the relationship, the picking stopped, however the damage that I have done to my feet is not repairable. The skin has never grown back “normally” on my feet. It is now always hard and calloused and I have to repeatedly perform home pedicures in order to make them look some what normal. I can no longer go and have my feet professionally done because they look so bad. Does anyone know of anything that will make the skin “normal” again?
04/07/2010 at 11:03 AM Permalink
Sadly, I too am a foot picker. I bit my nails constantly as a kid. Nervousness, anxiety, family issues I guess led to it. As a teen I began on my cuticles and feet. Now I am a foot picker, main;y my heels that get dry and cracked in the summer. Last night it was so bad my heel was pussing and oozing. I don’t want infection, that would be bad. I need to stop! My husband thinks I should see a doctor, I would pretty much do anything to stop at this point.
09/09/2010 at 3:57 PM Permalink
Sad to say, I have been doing that for over 9 years …. I´m really tired and sick of me ….
09/09/2010 at 7:52 PM Permalink
Well, I’ve cured one foot and now, the right one is looking like all sorts of ugly and it hurts and stings without me even walking on it. It hurts just sitting there!
Not to mention, I’m limping like crazy. You think we could get handicap tags for parking? It would save me a lot of pain walking from the back of the parking lot. I sure do feel handicapped!
I’ve tried Vaseline, it only makes using the PedEgg harder b.c it makes the skin too soft.
And, I totally relate to the last comment…you set goals to stop picking and when you can’t, you’re very hard on yourself. Don’t be sick of you. I guess you just have to take it day by day. It’s a daily goal for me and a daily fail. It’s just SO DANG ITCHY! And the only way to sooth the itchiness is to pick! I try slapping it, then going to slap on some lotion of sorts but of course, this only lasts so long. What to do, what to do.
Well, tomorrow is a new day. A new goal to not pick tomorrow. Ok, I’m REALLY going to try to not pick tomorrow…will try keep you posted. Especially, if I make it through tomorrow.
09/09/2010 at 7:53 PM Permalink
GOOD LUCKY EVERYONE and do keep us posted on your progress or if you just want to come and vent, feel free! XOXO
11/09/2010 at 7:00 AM Permalink
So, I did pick SOME yesterday, but I tried to not pick as much. I can at least walk on my foot today. However, it’s sooo itchy. I think if I can make it past the itchiness, once it heals, like my left foot….I might actually be HEALED! Just hope I can make it past the itchiness…
07/10/2010 at 10:40 PM Permalink
I found this over the google. I have same feelings, same problem and same trouble. Most terrible is that I can’t stop do that, and the skin is sometimes on a ground, it makes my wife crazy. I am helpless on that
17/11/2010 at 8:41 AM Permalink
I find it helps to massage with foot cream when the picking starts, it’s like a surrogate for picking.
I do not like pedegg-like files, they take away too much skin and encourage even more skin growth. I use a pedicure apparatus instead, a good one that was designed for diabetics. It smoothes very gently. Plus, I mostly wear flat, comfortable shoes. Last week, however, I went on heels for two days, which caused the growth of a callous ridge on both my forefeet. And presto, there I was again…
17/11/2010 at 8:48 AM Permalink
Ped Egg is maybe not the best choice, I (30 years of foot picking, but now very much better, though not completely free) use one of these:
http://www.birke-wellness.de/Beurer-Manikuere-Pedikueregeraet-MP-60-p00007376.html (sorry, this is German, but it shows the thing, it must be one expressly for diabetics, otherwise it is too rough and strong). This just smoothes very nicely and you can use it punctually.
The other one is CELIYOUNG foot cream which softens the epidermis. It contains urea. Use it twice a day and have a small jar in your pocket to massage the heels instead of picking on them.
24/11/2010 at 5:15 AM Permalink
Thanks for your response Aleysha. Wow, 30 years. No offense but I am hoping to cure this before then. I’ve come quite close but alas, it’s always at the end that is the toughest! So itchy!! Arghhhhh
26/11/2010 at 1:13 AM Permalink
I do not think that I will ever be totally free, but as long as I do not reach layers that hurt or bleed I am quite content. I started with 14, after weaning myself from nail biting (I needed the nails for guitar playing). I started nail biting with 8 when my hair was cut short because I was chewing the ends. So it seems there has to be some compulsive behaviour with me… I do not want to find that I stopped feet picking but start to pluck my eyebrows instead!
12/01/2011 at 12:11 PM Permalink
I am very relieved, but also more disturbed at the same time, to realize that this is an actual disorder! I have picked my feet as long as I can remember. It is a shameful thing for me because on top of the picking I have an uncontollable urge to consume the removed bits. I know…. ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING!!!! But even as I’m committing the act of mutilating my poor feet, I tell myself “Just throw it away this time, and you wont feel so badly” Well, I TRY to do that is all I can say…. I tell myself not to put it in my mouth even AS i am doing just that! It’s like I have become a puppet under some sick Masters control and am powerless to stop this disgusting habit! I regularly cause such deep crevices to form from picking that they bleed quite alot and make putting the pressure of normal walking SO PAINFUL that it is out of the question…. So in turn I end up “walking” on tip toes or the sides of my feet just to be mobile and try to work past the pain, as I have a small child to care for who is very active. Which has become another source of shame for me…. My son has begun to notice this horrifying habit and I desperately DO NOT want to pass this on to him by his having seen me do this and perceiving it as an “Ok” and a “Normal” thing to do. I have found that I can get my soles smooth by use of a ceramic skin slougher and using Kerasal lotion…. It does work REALLY great! However, even when I am at that point where I have “Just what I want”…. Smooth, Soft , NORMAL feet…. I start the picking all over again! It truly is a VICIOUS cycle for me….
13/01/2011 at 3:54 AM Permalink
Becca, the harder you are on yourself the more difficult the habit is to get rid of. You are not the only one with autocannibalistic habits… It gets better, too, when you start admitting it to yourself and others. For decades, I would do anything to hide my feet, Ieven used thick, rubber-containing theater-make-up on the sides of my heels. But one day, when somebody asked me: What happened to your feet? I was able to answer: I did that, it’s called dermatillomania, it’s like biting your nails. I felt instantly better.
For the most time, my feet look as if I was in the foot fetish business, but now and again it still happens that I start picking. It’s mostly when I relax and my hands are idle. I don’t fight it too much, but I absolutely draw the line when it starts to hurt. So, apart from some roughness now and then, there are no problems. A black-and-white approach (“I will not touch my feet!!!”) seems to be unproductive, at least to me.
Good luck!
14/01/2011 at 6:29 AM Permalink
I am happy to report that I am on the way to recovery. Feet are almost back to normal. It must have taken pregnancy to distract myself from my feet. But, I’m not too optimistic yet. With the cold winter weather, my feet are dry and sometimes crack…which makes it tempting to pick at. Plus, I think this is a lifetime disorder, like being an alcoholic or bulemic. Will post pics and soon.
14/01/2011 at 6:49 AM Permalink
Becca, trust me, we all know what you’re going through. It’s a masochistic disorder whereby despite the bleeding and pain it causes, it is uncontrollable and unstoppable. My kids (and husband) would beg me, mommy, please don’t pick anymore.
I’ve only recent gotten better. Starting with one foot (left) and now, my right foot is almost back to normal. So, it’s possible! However, I think everyone’s road to being “cured” will be different. I’m not sure there is one CURE-ALL. The biggest hurdle is getting over the itchiness as it’s healing because that’s when it’s most tempting to peel it. I found that after that, it’s much easier not to peel. I’ll be posting an update on my feet soon.
There is hope. Just take it one day at a time and keep moisturizing your feet. I use olive oil because I don’t like all the extra chemicals and additives that are in lotions. Make sure to massage it in really good and keep reapplying!
08/02/2011 at 7:09 AM Permalink
So… I know this is probably horrible to suggest but I’m obsessed with picking at my feet and found the “Pedi-Wow”… It’s amazing but addictive as hell… MUCH better and more effective the than peg-egg..
11/02/2011 at 2:32 AM Permalink
Just posted update, with pic, of my healed feet. So glad to finally have normal feet. Here’s the link: http://janeanddick.com/random-stuff/update-on-my-feet-pickingdermatillomania-issue-my-feet-have-healed/#content
20/02/2011 at 11:27 PM Permalink
Wow…Jane…I thought I was alone. I just googled this for the first time today. I started off as just a face skin picker..a bad habit passed down from my mother.
A few years ago, I started with my feet as well. It hasn’t been as bad as your case but; I wonder if that’s why my feet are so sensitive to high heels now …less layers of skin to cushion. I am going to attempt to quit cold turkey. I will try to replace the habit with positive actions (ie. wash and moisturize skin every time I get the urge.) I really had no idea there was a term for us skin pickers. CSP. I’m glad your feet are better.
17/05/2011 at 8:41 AM Permalink
I have been doing this off an on for about 20 years. I thought it started because I had a lot of dance training in my early years and developed callouses at an early age.
I have noticed that it stops when I am at a healthy weight because I am eating healthy, and it helps to also have a demanding project to work on. The behaviour seems to be triggered by perceived failure, and bouts of depression. I have noticed that trips to the beach will end a period of picking because long walks on the sand are about the only thing that smooths out the bottom of my feet.
Thanks for the blog.
18/07/2011 at 12:16 PM Permalink
Hi, my name is Katy, and I’m a foot picker. I started picking around 15 years old, so that’s about 4 years now since I’m 19. I have no idea why I started doing it in the first place. It completely boggles me. I just get this urge to pick…..and it’s like I have to do it. I’ve never done it to the point where I bleed, but I’ve done it enough a couple times that my skin was so raw it was hard to walk. Sometimes, I can go a month or two without picking, but I always succumb to it eventually:P The first time I did it, I think it was because I had a few callouses on my feet, and I wanted them to be “smooth” again, so that’s how I started as well. Anyway, I just really enjoyed reading your blog, and I’m happy to know I’m not the only one out there like this.
01/08/2011 at 7:36 AM Permalink
You have made me not feel like some crazy person trying to hurt themselves ( my doctor told my mum it was a form of self harm!!! Which I tries to convince them it wasn’t!!) but thank you.
The way I tried to avoid it is with constant exfoliating and moisturizing and pedicures. Otherwise I will quite happily spend the rest if my life doing!
04/08/2011 at 12:33 PM Permalink
I’m so glad I googled and found this. As a child fascinated by peeling sunburn(early1960s very common to burn and peel) was compulsive with mine and recall being SO tempted to reach over and peel my mom’s arm! I did pick at my lips and nose to excess but not too much my feet until I quit cigarettes in my early 30s. Now mid 50s so do the math… Yes so much of what others wrote is familiar: it reduces generalized tension, relaxes me….I love being able to pull off looong pieces, I make sure to clean up the evidence. VERY careful not to take it to bleeding but after so long there are permanent changes in skin appearance and growth – things look scalded – and if I do the lotion and sox routine it just makes peeling easier! Pretty much stopped eating any skin but sometimes the cats notice and want some so trying to be neater about using tissues. I always thought it was just me and really appreciate just being able to write this down where others have shared.
09/09/2011 at 1:44 PM Permalink
Hello, I am a foot picker as well… I am 36 and can’t remember a time when i didn’t do this horrifying habit!! It is so embarrassing… I was able to stop this disgusting habit by getting acrylic nails. What a pain in the butt though and expensive!!! I had the stupid nails on for over two years and decides to stop because I hadnt picked or had the urge to in a long time… Well then came a horribly stressful time in my life and here I am back again picking.. My foot hurts so bad I can hardly stand it… Bleeding and raw, cam barely walk.. So tomorrow, I’m going back again to get my nails back on. I have tried to stop over the last few week with band aids, socks, lotion, ped egg, you name it!!! Ugh!!!! Best of luck to all my fellow feet pickers!!!
18/01/2012 at 10:56 AM Permalink
Girl, I stumbled upon this post in your right-hand bar and nearly gagged when I saw the picture of the dead skin. Lol. No judgment here though. I do it on occasion but it’s not a compulsion for me. What IS a compulsion, however, is pulling my hair out when I’m stressed/anxious. Most of us are OCD in some ways! xoxo, caroline
P.S. I noticed there are lots of comments on your feet posts! CLEARLY you are not alone.
21/01/2012 at 8:04 AM Permalink
Well, I’ve had this habit since…..maybe age 8. It gets better, it gets worse. Lately mostly worse. The real problem lately is that some kind of undiagnosable nerve condition caused me constant pain. I am on pain meds for that and, ” whoopee doo” now I’m able to take this horrid fettish to a whole new level. The new special of the day is “let’s rip out the toenails!!” No, not the big piggy, but 4 of the little piggies have been introduced to “Mr. Exacto”. First I cut behind the nail just short of drawing blood. I know, not an exact science. Then I just rip the whole thing off down to the base. It’s kinda like that scene in The Fly ( the one with Jeff Goldblum) when he bites off a whole fingernail, but lots more blood. Oh yes, the blood! Now we’re talking. I shop at Big Lots all the time for……you guessed it, BANDAIDS and antibiotic ointment ( must not risk a dangerous infection). Ok, this s soooo sick. My wife knows I do this since I’ve blood stained every good set of sheets we have. But there is no end to my depravity. I’ve even taught my beloved little terrier to lick the blood off my toes if it’s getting too troublesome to dabb away with toilet paper. Despite this, I hold down a good paying job, and have never had a serious complication. Yes, my wife says there is something wrong with me, but she never sees the actual live performance, so she just sighs and says STOP DOING THAT! Would that I could. But he’ll, I’m in my mid 50′s…..
21/01/2012 at 12:52 PM Permalink
I am sad to report that although I recovered last year, I have since relapsed in the last couple of months and am currently limping because my right foot peeled too deeply. Ugh. Picking seems like alcoholism…a life-long battle. Anyway, I’m hoping to post an update soon, maybe even post a horrendous picture or two if I get the courage. Luckily, it’s only the right foot right now so I’m hoping to to again try to muster up strength and stop picking.
22/01/2012 at 12:05 AM Permalink
For all of you who, like myself, are still dealing with this painful habit, I have a tip that REALLY helps when you’ve gone too far and messed up your foot so bad you can hardly walk. This method relieves the pain and speeds healing by at least a factor of two. In fact, I’ve been able to recover from an overzealous skin removal in 24hrs.
For this process you will need.
1. Some of the “large patch BANDAIDS
2. A tube of antibiotic ointment
First, cover the affected area with a thin layer of the antibiotic ointment. Do this carefully and make sure to leave some untreated healthy skin at the edge of the wound. You need this to ensure the Bandaid will adhere to your foot.
Next CAREFULLY align one of the BANDAIDS over the wound so that the pad area covers the largest possible area of affected skin. Remember, you need some untreated skin in the marginns so the Bandaid will stick. Place the Bandaid and press it firmly into place. You should begin feeling pain relief within an hour and be able to place normal weight on your foot at that point. Do NOT remove the Bandaid for at least 24 hours! if you buy the good quality Bandaid fabric based product, you should be able to take one or two showers without them coming off.
After 24 hours, you can change the Bandaid. If you’ve followed my instructions, you should note that a thin layer of healthy protective skin cells has covered that raw skin. Repeat the process for another 24 hours, and your skin should now be healed enough to go without the Bandaid. What you have accomplished is allowing the new skin to grow without drying out and cracking. It’s the cracking of the new skin that hurts like the devil and can be painful for weeks.
I know this does nothing to cure your underlying compulsion, but it does make it more bearable.
31/01/2012 at 12:40 PM Permalink
I have been doing the same thing and sorry, Jane, mine is probably worse than yours. (You can probably see my email so you’re welcome to email directly.) I’m taking Wellbutrin because I had a really bad accident about eighteen months ago and I injured my back badly and I also have something called ankylosing spondylitis, or AS, which is an auto-immune arthritic disease (a type of genetic rheumatoid arthritis) so I was prescribed pain meds and Wellbutrin to help combat depression. If I do not take Wellbutrin then the picking improves, but then I lapse into a fog and sleeping depression so I take the Wellbutrin. I have read that OCD and this kind of disorder is related to chemicals in the brain and I believe it and in fact, the manufacturer of Wellbutrin warns that certain persons should not take Wellbutrin such as those with certain OCD issues, such as anorexia, bulimia, eating disorders, etc. Well, I have suffered from anorexia in the past (which as all anorexics will tell you, be they thin or fat, you never really recover from it because all food is associated with guilt) and all I can figure is that I now have this foot picking disorder instead of anorexia? My feet are so bad that they bleed non-stop. It is horrible. I rip my toenails out. I rip them into the quick. I rip the skin off in big strips. I’m finally to the point that I am going to ask my doctor to prescribe something called clomipramine which is what my pharmacist recommended when I confessed to her and told her I needed help and knowing that a psychiatrist would only prescribe a drug I asked her to cut to the chase and just tell me the drug which she said is the ONLY drug for such issues and is clomipramine. I have an appointment next week and I will ask my physician for it and if I do indeed get a prescription for it I will take it and report back here to all of you to tell you if it helped or not. I think I have it worse than most — probably all — of you because I am leaving bloody footprints daily and you’re right, I cannot walk because of pain. So I wish you all the best and I’ll be back to fill you in. God bless.
31/01/2012 at 1:17 PM Permalink
P.S., I take Wellbutrin because it is the only anti-depressant that does not have a negative interaction with my pain meds. Also, it is the only one that has the least side effects…other than making OCD girls pick their feet more.
23/02/2012 at 11:10 PM Permalink
Alright guys. I’m sad to report that I’ve relapsed and finally have gotten around to posting an update on it. Here’s the link (and with graphic, gross pictures):
http://janeanddick.com/random-stuff/ive-fallen-off-the-wagon-plantars-wart-prompts-my-relapse-into-feet-picking-again/#content
11/03/2012 at 1:29 PM Permalink
Ive been doing that since junior high, my feet are scar- my mother picks at my face for pimples, and i pick my hands and feet but feet worse, no one can see that– if i walk funny i blame a blister…
14/03/2012 at 7:01 PM Permalink
Wow. I thought I was the only one in the world that picked feet. I find
It amazing that there are others with the sneaky secretive habit that renders one unable to walk normally at times. Thanks for posting everyone.
18/03/2012 at 10:09 AM Permalink
I started picking my fingers in college during stressful times like during exams. They would bleed and I would have to wear athletic tape over them because bandaids pulled off easier. I have been picking for over 20 years. I suffer from both depression and generalized anxiety.
I pick when I am stressed out, when I am bored, when I watch tv or drive, and especially at night. I have picked so much that if I have to be fingerprinted for work (I work with children and am required to provide prints) they cannot get a print from me. I have worn the prints off from picking. I recently tried to stop picking my fingers, but I moved to a new place and started a new job, and with the stress I switched to my feet. It is worse because the surface area
is larger and people can’t see it as well so I end up picking more. It really hurts to walk sometime and I really want to stop. Anyone have any suggestions besides those previously mentioned. I have tried them but they are too temporary.
24/03/2012 at 5:20 PM Permalink
I have mostly resolved the face picking by seeing a dermatologist for acne treatment.
But I still pick feet severely …
up to a couple hours a day, a full handful of skin per session. I’ve read the literature and tried everything the research has tried (like holding hands in fists for a minute when the urge hits, or using elastic bands on wrists…) Like one said, it often affects my walking. The callus covering now is very very thick, and the whole of it turns hideously white and quite shocking-looking if I am in a pool, after a bath, etc. I once tried a pedicure rationalizing that perhaps if I got that done professonally regularly, and they looked nice, I might not do it. A humiliating visit though, horrified and uncomfortable owners called over, speaking in lowered voices in another language with nervous glances to me and an eventual uncomfortable recommendation that I see a doctor. It isn’t increased at stressful times. I can’t identify why I do it.
Evidence is around the bedroom, the living room… I wear socks at all medical appointments. Almost noone knows about it, or certainly don’t know the extent of it.
I pick with fingers, and use fingers and feet cutting tools. The calloused surface is now very deep. I don’t remember when or how it began, but it was decades ago.
20/04/2012 at 5:50 PM Permalink
I have been picking at my feet since winter, when they became seriously dried and cracked and I have not been able to stop picking at my right foot since. I don’t know why, but it’s the worse of the 2 and I have not been able to let it heal properly. Every time it starts to, I find myself picking at it again. It’s like, as soon as I draw attention to the fact it’s healing my hand just HAS to run over it and find that ONE spot that’s sticking up and get rid of it, which only starts me all over again. In fact, I JUST finished doing this a few minutes ago and had to get to the point of bleeding before I stopped, grabbed a gauze pad and medical tape and covered it, then put a sock on for good measure. I can’t even understand why I do this, but once I start I always get that thought in the back of my head “Just fix it. Smooth it out. Then everything will be good and you can stop.” but of course, you CAN’T fix it and just keep going. It’s really frustrating me, I want to stop so bad but some how I just keep starting over. My mom knows all about it, she too use to be a bad picker and she has seen all the signs in me and knows how bad my foot has gotten. She just keeps reminding me to use cream, if it bleeds – neosporin, and then to KEEP.IT.COVERED. But at one point or another…the sock comes off and I start again. I HATE THIS!!! >.<
I'm also a nail biter, lip picker and tend to bite at the inside of my mouth…but my foot picking is DEFINITELY the worst of these. I've always been able to control the other habits, but this one? Not a chance.
27/04/2012 at 2:23 AM Permalink
I can’t believe I’m not alone! Everything (and I mean everything) you described sounded like my own thoughts poured out onto the computer screen!! As I type, my foot bleeds. I, myself, don’t know how to stop and my hubs is, too, grossed out (and to be honest, I’m grossed out myself!). This here girl has loads of empathy for you! Thanks for sharing your story. Love, a fellow picker