Hi all, I just found this site and joined instantly hoping to share a couple remedy tactics that worked for me because I have had fingerprints now for over a year (haha get it...seriously though I used to pick so badly that I couldn't get acceptable approved fingerprint ID scans or fingerprints).
This is a long one but it may be worth your time to read it all...
I (like the rest of you) spent a lot of time conducting research to our picking problem online. I agree to some degree that the compulsion can be caused by either an over-stimulus (nervousness/anxiety, in which the picking causes a calming or trance-like therapy of relaxation) or under-stimulus (boredom/depression, in which the picking causes an increase in satisfying stimulation), but I am definitely frustrated with the quick diagnosis of pharmaceutical medications as a solution. I am also skeptical towards the mushy concept of needing a lot of love and support...let me explain...
TACTIC #1:
It is a fundamental concept in psychology and human nature that we respond best to 2 things: FEAR and DESIRE.
What worked for me is that I realized that picking was a desire for me, it was a satisfaction, or a type of reward. And, the only way to stop doing something that I desired was to fear something MORE than what I desired. Hence, I had to be scared of a consequence if I picked. My husband came up with this crazy idea (sorry I cannot share) for every time he caught me picking or noticed "evidence" of picking. I feared the consequence so badly (don't worry it wasn't abuse or anything like that) that I was scared to pick. Eventually, I began to respect the progress and loved the way my hands looked...I was experiencing a NEW REWARD! Suddenly I realized that it was more rewarding to have nice looking hands that get that short term satisfaction of picking...I actually desired nice hands more than I desired picking.
TACTIC #2:
I have to be honest though, I definitely still have temptations and urges to pick. I am not immune and I think that a life long habit of 20+ years now might take an equal amount of time to break. So here is what I suggest next...
Do any of you file your nails? Filing is so satisfying! It takes time, concentration, a detailed eye for the perfect shape...everything that satisfies picking. And the best part is that it actually improves the look of your hands instead of destroying them. I don't know if any of you have this problem, but for me when I picked I would actually get dents in the tips of my nails from all the pressure I put on them from picking. So once you've put the work into filing them you will respect the way they look and not want to put dents in them again. Hence, continuing to desire a positive outcome. Or, for women, put the work and time into painting your nails because if you pick the negative consequence will be that the polish will chip.
So find something you are afraid of and fear. Find someone to hold you accountable for your actions based on that fear. We all know that nagging doesn't work...or threats for that matter. There has to be follow-through and accountability for your picking. Keep using the lotions and delicately clipping away loose skin or hang nails.
Like all habits you have to really want to quit to really make it happen.
Hope this is helpful.