To have beautiful hands, it also passes through pretty nails.
Yet nearly one in three French is affected by onychophagia.
But how do we get rid of this bad habit, which drives us to bite our nails, (sometimes to blood) and ruin our lives?
Why do you bite your nails?
The causes of onychophagia can be multiple but it is important to try to understand them, to better understand the problem.
If this habit is often associated with stress , it sometimes starts in childhood, because we are bored or just because we are hungry.
These people can keep the habit of biting their nails until adulthood. When onychophagia appears later, however, the causes are more due to stress, work-related, economic conditions or family life.
It is even possible to scratch one's nails without being aware of them , for example during sleep .
Nail bitten: what are the consequences for health?
Onychophagia is not only a hindrance to the beauty of the hands, this disease can also have consequences on our health, but also on our social life.
Some people bite their nails until they are bloody. This leads to red, sore fingertips, bloody cuticles. Transmission of germs from mouth to hand and from hand to mouth can lead to infections at the root of the nail or in the mouth.
In some extreme cases, pus may appear on puffy fingers. In addition to the appearance of the nails which is modified, onychophagia also causes dental problems, infections of the gums and promotes the development of cavities. I
It is therefore important to find the right solutions to stop biting your nails.
How to stop (the massacre)?
There are several ways to stop biting your nails.
Some methods are soft and non-invasive, with varying degrees of success. For starters, since onychophagia is often linked to stress, one can look for ways to relieve pressure, such as getting into sport for example. We can also be content to find an activity that keeps our hands busy and away from our mouths.
Chewing a chewing gum is also a good anti-stress remedy.
The most coquettish will be happy, they can also adopt the false nails, which offer to the hands a beautiful manicure and the nails the possibility to push back underneath.
Less aesthetic but effective too: the dressing. As long as you do not eat another fingernail.
The most classic and proven method is undoubtedly the bitter varnish, applied as a nail polish , it has a repellent function. Be careful not to get used to the unpleasant taste and not be careful.
Finally, we can also apply on the nail essential oils containing Cinnamonum Cassia, which gives a bitter taste.
What to think about behavioral therapies?
We bite our nails for intimate and often deeper reasons than we might think. The first thing to do is to try to understand what made you go onychophage.
To know the reasons that lead us to bite our nails and let go of this bad habit, we may need to consult a psychologist. This one will help us understand and relativize the cause of onychophagia.
Hypnotherapy can also be used (such as quitting smoking), consulting a specialist or listening to audio recordings for people biting their nails.
Finally, some psychiatrists will favor a behavioral therapy accompanied by an antidepressant drug treatment when, in rare extreme cases, onychophagia is associated with psychosis.
Learn more:
On the internet: https://www.arreter-ronger-ongles.fr/
Book: "I stop biting my nails", Bertrand Labes.
