Can’t stop biting your nails, picking skin or playing with your hair? New research suggests an unbelievably simple technique could cure it

Millions of people who regularly pick their skin, bite their nails or pull their hair could kick the habit with a trick that anyone can do.

It might sound over-simplistic, but Researchers in Germany have found that gently rubbing the skin whenever someone has the urge can help battle the behaviors.

In a six-week study of 268 people, 53 percent of participants who took up the behavior said they saw an improvement compared to 20 percent of those who did not use the trickt. Eighty percent said they would recommend the hack to a friend.

Movements they suggested included placing the hands together and gently rubbing the fingertips against each other

Up to five percent of Americans — equivalent to 17million people — have the condition, medically termed body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB).

Sufferers compulsively pull their hair or pick at their skin, finding themselves unable to stop even if it leads to scabs, scars or bald spots.

Doctors say the behavior is likely linked to stress or concerns over appearance.

In the past, patients have been treated with behavioral therapies to help break the habit or received anti-depressants. 

In the latest study, published in JAMA Dermatology, scientists recruited people with BFRB via social media in 2022.

Participants were mostly in their 30s, with 68 percent reporting repetitive skin picking while 36 percent reported repetitive 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 informed they were on a waiting list for treatment.

To learn the technique, participants were sent a video and asked to pick one to three of the movements shown to do whenever they felt the urge to pick themselves.

These included softly circling the index and middle finger around the top of the thumb without touching the nails and crossing the arms and stroking the hair on the forearms.

Participants could also put the fingertips of both hands together and then softly circle the fingertips against each other.

They were encouraged to do the behaviors whenever they went to pick their skin or do a similar damaging behavior until the urge subsided. 

Results showed that patients following the behavior saw a ‘significant’ improvement compared to the control group.

In their conclusion, the scientists wrote: ‘The present proof-of-concept randomized clinical trial tentatively demonstrates that habit replacement is a feasible and effective self-help strategy.’

Other strategies included crossing the arms and gently rubbing the hair on the edges of the forearms

They suggested that the movement may have helped stop the behaviors by teaching someone an alternative and less damaging habit.

Natasha Bailen, a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who was not involved in the research, told NBC that this was called ‘decoupling’ or when a habit is unlearned by performing a similar movement that you can switch to.

She explained that, for example, when someone goes to bite their nails, they may put their hand to their face but touch an earlobe instead of the mouth.