Marti

One never thinks about what our nails come in contact with on a daily basis. We touch things such as doors, doorknobs, faucet handles, toilet flush handles, dirty laundry, and any other host of 'things'. Anything we touch that is a hard surface can harbor any number of live bacterium and pathogens (germs). When we bite our nails, we not only bite the torn, ragged portion of nail plate, but often incorporate the torn, ragged skin into the mission as well. Bacteria LOVE getting into the tiny spaces between the tears in the nail plate/skin. The bacterium requires the skins natural moisture to grow, and the contaminates that lodge into the same spaces as food. They will feed off the dead skin tissues that surround the nail plate, and all they need to set up housekeeping and turn into a full blown infection are torn, ragged, bloody nails. When we bite our nails, these same pathogens can get into our bodies through ingestion. One such bacterium is Pseudomonas A. This bacterium is responsible for pneumonia and for the 'infection' that comes from scratching a mosquito bite or any other action that causes the skin to be broken. This bacterium also lives on our skin and is normally not a problem until the skin is broken - that's when it enters the site and sets up housekeeping.

If you really want to quit biting your nails/skin, I recommend visiting a good quality nail salon that will help you with your quest. I do not recommend having artificial nails applied as they just give you more area at which to bite. I DO recommend weekly manicures to help get rid of all the ragged bits of nail and skin. If you have nothing at which to bite, it is easier to break the habit. Nail biters are on a quest for order, and regular manicures will help you achieve that order.

Some people bite their nails as a 'nervous' habit or as a 'stress' habit. You can find your ‘trigger’ by writing down every time you find your fingers in your mouth, and what was going on when you stuck your finger in your mouth in the first place. Keep a 'nail biting' journal for at least two weeks and see if you fall into either of these categories. On my website, I describe the 3 types of nail biters: The Nibbler, The Biter and The Cannibal.

The Nibbler: Will nibble at any loose, torn or ragged bit of nail plate, but will not go past the cuticle.

The Biter: Will eat away any bit of loose or torn nail plate/skin until the free edge is sore.

The Cannibal: Will eat away the nail plate well past the cuticle until the nail plate is half the natural length and the fingertip skin and exposed nail bed will puff up around the free edge in a feeble attempt to get the person to leave it alone.


[This message has been edited by Marti (edited 05-12-2003).]