The action of biting one’s nails or “onychophagia” is a common behavior among pre-adolescents, although it can affect children from the age of 3 and some adults. What are the causes ? What to do ?
A third of French people would be affected by this mania, most often in a mild form. Onychophagia refers to the fact of biting your nails compulsively. Rarer cases of severe forms concern less than 1% of the population, especially children and adolescents. Even if its consequences are most often aesthetic, there is a significant risk of infection. What are the causes? And the consequences? How to stop?
Definition: what is onychophagia?
Onychophagia is a compulsive attitude consisting of nail biting. Often caused by stress And anxiety it becomes a banal and often harmless habit. Even if its consequences are most often aesthetic, there is a infectious risk not negligible.
What are the causes of onychophagia?
The causes of onychophagia vary, but in general it is a stressful or concentrated situation. This can be the case at work, in personal life or even during a smoking cessation. The importance of these different reasons varies greatly between sexes and ages. In children and adolescents, this habit can be developed by observing those close to them, whether at home or at school.
What are the consequences of onychophagia?
Onychophagia is most often benign but can cause micro skin lesions that can lead to local infections, especially when the nail is bitten down to the roots of the phalanges. It mainly has social repercussions because the people affected have struggling to cope with damaged hands, which can result in aggressive behavior or one isolation from the outside world, reinforced by the difficulty in stopping. The person who bites their nails is often very anxious, shy and introverted.
Children being the most affected (25% of pre-teens), it is necessary to encourage them to stop, even if, in most cases, they break the habit as adults. However, we must be careful not to exert any pressure on them. In fact, this would lead to the opposite result and they would become even more obsessed with their nails. To encourage them to stop, if you have the same problem, take the opportunity to show them your progress too. Otherwise, take care congratulate them when they succeed. Born not scold them if they can’t do it, but give them a outlined reasons why they should stop (it’s not clean, it’s not beautiful…). For pre-teens, emphasize the aesthetic side if they pay attention to it. In general, it is enough to follow the following rules to get rid of this mania:
► Stay hydrated hands regularly. Indeed, it is not pleasant to put greasy hands in your mouth. This can eventually make you feel disgusted with your mania.
► Put on some bitter nail polish (available in pharmacies). This varnish, transparent and very strong, will leave you with a very unpleasant taste in your mouth and should encourage you to stop biting your nails quickly.
► Chew one chewing gum will allow you to occupy your mouth and avoid nibbling your nails. You can also adopt an alternative gesture, for example fiddling with your hair or your pen, or using an anti-stress ball…
► Put a bandage on the bitten nail is unsightly, but this will prevent it from being bitten further and risking infection.
► Do a pretty manicure, wearing a nice varnish or, more radically, false nails, may also deter you for a while.
► Start by filing them well to avoid the temptation to even out a snagging nail with your teeth.
► If nothing works, do not hesitate to talk to your GP or to participate in behavioral therapies group to learn how to manage your stress.
► We also recommend practicing a sporting activity to channel your aggression and anxieties. Activities such as sophrology, hypnosis, meditation or yoga can help you relax and stop putting your stress on your nails.
If you cannot overcome your onychophagia, it may be best to talk to your doctor or dermatologist. A consultation with a psychiatrist and/or psychologist can also be useful to understand what is behind your stress.