Most people are polite enough not to say anything if they notice my hands.
(Other BFRBs you may know about includetrichotillomaniaor hair-pulling disorder, and excoriation or skin-picking disorder.)
Some people may never get professional help, and others do grow out of it.
Anna Kravtsova/EyeEm/Getty Images
But I finally addressed it with a therapist last year.
I dont remember exactly when or why I started biting, but I was in elementary school.
I found solace in the practice despite my recognition of its somewhat bestial reality.
But I felt some relief when I discovered online that there are other people in the world like me.
I relished learning that I wasnt as alone as I originally thought.
I now had a bona fide disorder, with an official title and everything.
Dermatophagia was something altogether different.
Despondency doesnt get a side eye quite like eating your own flesh does.
I appreciate when Im able to blend in and appear normal.
After all, nail biting is just a nervous tic.
A bad habit, maybe, but ultimately forgivable.
Dermatophagia, on the other hand is just….weird.
What happened to your fingers?
asked a student of mine one day.
At only 8 years old, she had not yet mastered the art of discretion.
You know how some people bite their nails?
Well, I continued, I bite my skin sometimes.
Seemingly satisfied with this succinct reply, she went back to her seat.
As it’s possible for you to imagine, this has done wonders for my self-esteem.
Ive tried to quit over the years a few times.
Usually I can go a little while without biting, letting myself heal for a bit.
But I return to my nibbling.
I usually hit a point where Im just unable to overcome the temptation.
I tell myself that its not that bad, this thing I do.
Some days are better than others.
Ive noticedand this is common with sufferersthat stressful situations exacerbate my dermatophagia.
Whether its an upcoming deadline or an uncomfortable conversation, I pick and bite with abandon.
Lots of people have comfort food; unfortunately mine happens to be my own skin.
I havent had long-term success with any of these methods.
I was able to go five weeks without bitingmy longest period everwhen I cut out stressors.
