Can’t stop biting your nails, picking your skin or playing with your hair? New research suggests an incredibly simple technique could cure this
Millions of people who regularly pick their skin, bite their nails or pull their hair can kick the habit with a trick that anyone can do.
It may sound overly simplistic, but researchers in Germany have found that gently rubbing the skin when someone has the urge can help combat the behavior.
In a six-week study of 268 people, 53 percent of participants who started the behavior said they saw an improvement compared to 20 percent of those who didn’t use the trick. Eighty percent said they would recommend the hack to a friend.
Researchers in Germany said gently rubbing the skin when someone had a tendency to pick at it or bite their nails could help break the habit
Movements they suggested included putting the hands together and gently rubbing the fingertips together
Up to five percent of Americans — equivalent to 17 million people — have the condition, medically called body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB).
Sufferers compulsively pull their hair or pick their skin, and find they can’t stop, even if it leads to scabs, scars, or bald spots.
Doctors say the behavior is likely related to stress or appearance concerns.
In the past, patients were treated with behavioral therapies to break the habit or given antidepressants.
In the latest study, published in JAMA dermatologyscientists recruited people with BFRB through social media in 2022.
The participants were mostly in their 30s, with 68 percent reporting repeated skin picking, while 36 percent reported repeated nail biting and 28 percent said they kept pulling their hair.
They were split into two groups, with one group told to practice the behavior while the rest were told they were on a waiting list for treatment.
To learn the technique, participants were sent a video in which they were asked to choose one to three of the moves shown when they felt the urge to choose themselves.
These include gently circling the index and middle fingers around the top of the thumb without touching the nails and crossing the arms and stroking the hair on the forearms.
Participants can also place the fingertips of both hands together and then gently circle the fingertips together.
They were encouraged to engage in the behavior when they picked their skin or engaged in a similar harmful behavior until the urge subsided.
The results showed that patients who tracked the behavior saw a ‘significant’ improvement compared to the control group.
In their conclusion, the scientists wrote, “The current proof-of-concept randomized clinical trial tentatively demonstrates that habit replacement is a viable and effective self-help strategy.”
Other strategies included crossing the arms and gently rubbing the edges of the forearms
They suggested that the movement may have helped stop the behavior by teaching someone an alternative and less harmful habit.
Natasha Bailen, a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who was not involved in the study, explained NBC that this was called ‘unlocking’ or when a habit is unlearned by performing a similar movement that you can switch to.
She explained that when someone starts biting their nails, for example, they might put their hand in front of their face, but touch an earlobe instead of their mouth.