Effect:
Bitten fingertips can become very sensitive to pain, usually at the place the skin meets the edge of the nail. Hangnails are broken skin on the cuticle. When they are improperly removed, they are susceptible to microbial and viral infections producing whitlows. Saliva may then redden and infect the skin. Finally it may also result in the transportation of bacteria that are buried under the surface of the nail, or pinworms from anus region to mouth. Nail biting is also related to dental problems, such as gingival injury.
Regarding social effects the aesthetic aspect of the nail may affect employability, self-esteem, and interaction with other people.
Treatment
Behavioral treatments are based in discouraging the habit and replacing it with a more constructive habit. The most common treatment, as it is cheap and widely available, is a special clear nail polish that has to be applied to the nails. It releases a bitter flavor on contact with the mouth which discourages the habit and has demonstrated its effectiveness. There are also mouthpieces that prevent biting .
Behavioral therapy is beneficial when simpler measures are not effective. Habit Reversal Training (HRT), seeks to "unlearn" the habit of nail biting and possibly replace it with a more constructive habit and has shown its effectiveness versus placebo both in children and adults. In addition to HRT, stimulus control therapy is used to both identify and then eliminate the stimulus that frequently triggers biting urges.
Finally nail cosmetics can help to ameliorate nail biting social effects.
Related disorders
Some related body-focused repetitive behaviors are dermatillomania (skin picking), dermatophagia (skin biting) or trichotillomania (urge to pull out hair).
this old man still biting his hand..
And he's biting his toenails too..
Even adult woman biting nails..what a common bad habits..
And it's me..myself..=( biting nails since i was a child..
Most people said that this bad habit usually started during their childhood..that's why it take time to stop from biting nails..
HOW TO PREVENT FROM BITING YOUR NAILS?
First, try to replace your bad habit with a healthier one. When you find your hands traveling towards your mouth, stop yourself and pop in a lollipop, or better yet a raw carrot, instead. It will take some serious, conscious effort on your part to replace your bad habit, but you can do it if you really want to. If you don’t even realize you’re chewing on your nails, try wearing a rubber band on your wrist and giving it a little pop every time you find your fingers in your mouth. That will help bring your consciousness to your problem so that you can learn how to stop biting your nails.
Another thing that might help you learn to stop biting your nails is to make your hands look as pretty as possible so that you don’t want to mess them up. Splurge on a salon manicure so you get some pampering and care lavished on your poor, bitten nails. It only takes about a week or so to start seeing some growth and once you see some progress, you’ll be less likely to want to bite. But remember—in time of stress you’ll be tempted to go back to biting, no matter how pretty your nails so you need to find some other way to relieve your stress, like meditation, journaling, or exercise.
So, friends for those who BITING NAILS let us make a try to stop from doing this unhealthy habit..Even though it take times but INSYAALLAH we could make it as many did before..Gambate!
