I have Dermatophagia, AMA

r/

For those that do not know, Dermatophagia is defined by Google as “Dermatophagia or dermatodaxia is a compulsion disorder of gnawing or biting one’s own skin, most commonly at the fingers. This action can either be conscious or unconscious and it is considered to be a type of pica.”

Feel free to ask anything!

Comments

  1. Illustrious-Plum-996 Avatar

    Which parts of your body do you bite and do you take skin off? I bite the skin around my nails, not sure if this is the same or just a migration from nail biting!

  2. Select_Ad_6297 Avatar

    Oh hey I have that too! My poor thumbs and lips are raw. Have you found anything that helps at all?

  3. Murky-Duck9569 Avatar

    My wife does this. Open cuts. Doesn’t this hurt?

  4. ilovepn Avatar

    What age did it start? How old are you now?
    Can you correlate it with anything?
    Does anyone else in your family have this disorder?
    Have you had complications? Skin infections? Scarring?

  5. AlternativeHot7491 Avatar

    What non-medical remedies have you tried? Like, putting vinegar or garlic in your fingers so you won’t like the taste – kinda of grandma remedy?