Nail biting help

[Nailbitinghelp]

Posted in general health, but moving here for more traffic!

Hi all.

Has anyone managed to successfully stopped biting their nails, and stuck at it?

I am mid 40s and have bitten my nails, and the skin around them, since I was a young child. I am constantly getting infections, or causing my skin to bleed where I bite it away.

I have tried the paint on stuff, which didnt work, as it tainted food when I ate with my hands (sandwiches for example) but I am fed up with my nails looking shit!

I have managed to lose weight and keep it off, and stop smoking but I cant stop chewing my bloody fingers. Its often absent mindedly, so I don't even realise I do it half the time.

I do it when I am bored, hungry, nervous, agitated, driving, watching TV and I just want to stop!

I am not even sure if my nails would grow back beyond the fingertips, given how fucked the skin is, would they even recover?

I've had a tiny nibble of first finger on right hand and still keep picking the skin a bit, but the tapping is really helping and I continue to be much more conscious of putting my fingers in my mouth. I think my nails just look nice and "normal" now and not so much those of a nail biter. It didn't feel possible to get here a few weeks ago though.

Had to trim mine today! Still have one chomped thumb... but 9 neat nails!

49 and a chronic nail biter. Started getting builder gel on. Took about 4 months to get from 1st picture to 2nd picture length.

gel polish is your friend. I stopped biting when i started paying someone to make them look nice.

Put plain gloves on and hand cream whilst u are sitting around with time to kills that way u won’t be able to.

Nails still going strong. Doing a lot of gardening at this time of year often buggers them up even if I've managed some growth but so far so good.

Well done! That's brilliant! Mine are still going strong too, had to cut them again yesterday (apart from the solitary chewed thumb... haven't cracked that yet!)

Brilliant that they've stayed nice through gardening. I've almost stopped thinking about mine. It's weird - 40 years of biting or consciously trying not to, and I've just forgotten about it! That video was magic!

Yes I've forgotten about them most of the time. I just have to be careful when I'm tired sometimes and/or watching something on TV. I was nibbling my little finger nails last night, stopped and did tapping, filed my nails and put more hand cream on them.

Just bit them all off having not chewed them for months - so annoyed!!

Grrrr! Sooo annoying!

A colleague’s dd with very badly bitten nails, had (short) gel or acrylic ones done for a relative’s wedding, and the enforced ‘biting break’ did the trick.

Nail biting can sometimes be a symptom of OCD. Cognitive-behaviour therapy might be worth looking into.

I'll have a look at that video in a bit, as I'm in my 50s and have been a lifelong nail biter. I tried hypnosis, but that didn't work for me. Looking at the posted photos, it seems that I don't bite my nails down as short as some of you, but I have horrendous issues with picking, chewing, biting the skin around nails so that my fingers look horrendous even with nails of average length (right now I can see white on three nails). I try to remember to put on handcream but it's just not a regular habit. Any other tips welcomed, particular with regards to skin-picking!

I'm nearly 60 and have bitten my nails all my life. Not right down to the quick but always been ashamed of my otherwise nice hands. I had gels/acrylics for a long time but it really weakened them.

I had read that some people with ADHD bite their nails as a form of stimulation and I do think I have some other traits. That seemed to make sense.

About a month ago I just looked at my hands and thought 'you're a professional adult woman with hands that look like a grubby adolescent boy! Just be nicer to yourself and pack it, starting now.'

And I have just stopped overnight and the nicer they look, the less I feel inclined.

I usually have zero staying power. And I still can't quite believe its happened.

I have also been a nail biter for years. Have tried and failed several times to stop biting.

Thank you, will try the video recommended.

How is everyone doing?

Not great Vettrianofan... all chomped!! Started again in November - teeth in gear now - can't seem to stop! How about you?

@Tryingtogetitright . Your hands looked like mine did. If anything my nails were shorter.

I had acrylic nails put on them, and had to get them re-done if they fell off.

This was decades ago and they were called 'Backscratchers' then.
If you bit the nails, you'd damage wreck your teeth.

After about 6 months I had long natural nails, and I've not bit them since.

I think nail biting is a compulsion, I've not managed to go more than a few days without biting them.

Weirdly I stopped completely when I was pregnant and they grew really long! The minute dd was born I wanted to bite them again.

I am a biter and have biab put on mine. I oil the cuticles to stop me picking too.
My daughter has just started biab in an attempt to stop biting and so far it's working

I had gel nail varnish done at a salon last year... compulsion to bite was still there, now I have a cracked front tooth 😫

What's biab?

I was a biter. In meetings only. During the school holidays I noticed my nails grew and now I'm retired they look fine.

OTOH, waiting until retirement at 67 is quite a wait.

Girliefriendlikespuppies it's a gel like polish, a bit thicker and they do very natural colours. I work in a hospital so my Nails's need look as natural as possible. I don't or pick at all when it's on