How to stop biting your nails: what dermatologists advise and how a manicure can help
If you want to stop biting your nails, the dermatologists of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the US professional association, advise keeping your nails short, painting them with a bitter-tasting or a coloured polish, noticing the moments when you start to bite and then giving your hands something else to do. Bitten nails take patience to grow back, because a fingernail grows only slowly, and if the skin around a nail becomes inflamed or you cannot stop despite several attempts, get medical advice.
What nail biting does to your nails and skin
According to the AAD, nail biting usually starts in childhood and can continue into adulthood, and its effects can go beyond how your nails look (the AAD on how to stop biting your nails). If you bite your nails again and again, the skin around them can become sore, and biting can also damage the tissue the nail grows from, so that the nails look unusual afterwards. The AAD adds that chronic nail biting makes you more prone to infections, because it carries bacteria and viruses from your mouth to your fingers and from your nails to your face and mouth.
The cuticle is part of the nail as well, and according to Cleveland Clinic it is a thick layer of skin cells that attaches to the nail plate from the nail fold at the base of the nail and protects against germs and infections (Cleveland Clinic on nail anatomy). Cleveland Clinic also advises against biting or picking at your nails. The AAD names hangnails, the small pieces of skin sticking up at the edge of the nail, as one possible trigger for biting, and how to look after them instead of biting them off is explained in the article Torn cuticles and hangnails.
How to stop biting nails: six tips from dermatologists
The AAD gives six tips:
- Keep your nails short. A short nail leaves less to bite on, so it is less of a temptation.
- Apply a bitter-tasting nail polish. The AAD describes it as safe but so unpleasant to taste that it stops many people from biting their nails.
- Paint or cover your nails. According to the AAD, you are less likely to bite nails that look nice or that you have spent money on at a salon, and you can also cover your nails with tape or wear gloves.
- Replace the habit. When you feel the urge, pick up a stress ball or something else to fiddle with instead, so that your hands are busy and away from your mouth.
- Recognise your triggers. A trigger can be something physical, such as a hangnail, or a feeling such as boredom, stress or anxiety, and once you know your triggers, you can avoid those situations or work out a plan for them. According to the AAD, simply knowing when you tend to bite can already help.
- Stop gradually. Some doctors recommend stopping on one group of nails first, for example your thumbs, and once that works, adding the next ones, such as your little fingers, your index fingers or a whole hand, until you no longer bite any of your nails.
Nail biting and nail polish: bitter polish and colour
Nail polish comes up twice in the AAD's tips, once as bitter polish and once as colour, and the two work in different ways. You taste the bitter polish as soon as you put a finger in your mouth without thinking, while coloured polish works through how your nails look, because according to the AAD you are less likely to bite nails that are well kept and nicely painted.
A classic nail polish comes off with ordinary nail polish remover. Which colours look natural on short nails is covered in the article Short nails that look natural, and why polish sometimes chips quickly in the article Nail polish chipping.
What bitten nails and cuticles need to grow back
Above all, bitten nails need time, because according to Cleveland Clinic fingernails grow about three millimetres a month, and according to dermatologist Shari Lipner it takes about six months for a fingernail to grow out completely (the AAD on removing gel polish). Until then, the AAD recommends gentle care:
- Keep your nails short and shape them with an emery board so that the edge is smooth and does not catch on anything (the AAD's tips for healthy nails). Which file and which shape suit short nails is explained in the article How to file short nails.
- Do not bite your nails, and leave your cuticles where they are, because according to the AAD both biting and removing the cuticle can damage the nail, and Cleveland Clinic also considers it better to leave the cuticle alone.
- Wear gloves when cleaning and washing up, and put cream on your hands after washing them, because according to the AAD too much water can weaken the nails so that they split, peel or break.
Why a regular manicure can help you stop
During a manicure, your nails are filed into shape and the edges are smoothed, and if you keep them short, this matches the AAD's first tip against nail biting and its advice to keep your nails free of rough edges. With nail polish on top, you have nails that look well kept and that you have spent money on at a salon, and according to the AAD you are less likely to bite nails like that. With regular appointments, your nails stay short and well kept in this way, and each time you can see how far they have grown back. How a manicure with files alone works is explained in the article File manicure.
When to see a doctor
If you get an infection of the skin or the nail after biting, the AAD advises seeing a dermatologist. The same applies if the skin around a nail turns red, swells, hurts or has pus in it, or if a nail changes colour or lifts off the nail bed, because according to the AAD changes to the nail, swelling or pain can be signs of a serious nail problem. So if a finger is inflamed, see a doctor first and go to a nail salon only afterwards.
According to the AAD, you should also get medical advice if you have already tried several times to stop biting your nails and have not managed it, because in some people nail biting can be a sign of a more serious psychological or emotional problem. In that case, talking to a doctor about it makes more sense than trying again and again on your own.
Manicure and nail polish at Anni Nails in Meidling
At Anni Nails at Schönbrunner Straße 253, 1120 Vienna, you can book the "Manicure (File / Classic)", a classic manicure with files and nail care, which costs €40 and takes about 50 minutes. The cuticle is not cut but gently smoothed and cared for with cream and nail oil. Anastasia, who runs the studio, works with short nails and without aggressive techniques, sterilises the instruments and uses disposable materials. If you would like colour, add "Nail Polish", a classic polish in the colour of your choice, for €10 and about 20 minutes.
Every treatment also includes a personal consultation on caring for your nails and the skin on your hands, where you can ask how to look after your nails at home while they grow back. Mention before the treatment if you have allergies, a skin condition or health concerns, because Anni Nails asks for this in its terms and conditions.
The studio is open from 9 am to 8 pm Monday to Saturday and on Sundays on request. You will find all treatments under Services and prices, and a free slot under Book an appointment.
