I wasn’t sure what Dermatophagia was exactly until I looked it up, and holy shit, it describes me and what I’ve been doing most, if not all of my life. I’ve been biting my nails and pulling my hair for as long as I can remember. The only difference is I’ve never had the compulsion to bite myself on the skin.
I do have a habit of scratching my head until it bleeds, which drives my wife crazy. I’ve had scabs on my head off and on for the last few years, probably since I was forced to retire in '15.
Whenever I’m feeling stressed, or depressed, or dealing with pain, I find myself scratching off the scabs until they bleed again. I find myself enjoying the pain.
I’ve made a conscious effort to stop pulling on my hair, I’ve lost more than enough already, but I’m still biting my nails, how else do I keep them maintained?