How to Stop Biting the Skin Around Your Nails

Follow these steps to break your cuticle biting habit.

Biting the skin around your nails (known as the cuticle) is a common nervous habit, much like biting nails or scratching. Many things can cause this habit to occur including stress, hormonal imbalance and psychological disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD.) There are many reasons why this habit can form, but simple treatments exist that can help those with this habit manage their urges.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Lotion
• Carrot sticks

Instructions

1. Visualize your goal. As with any bad habit, the first step to breaking it is to visualize your goal so you have something to work towards. Think about healthy, smooth cuticles that do not hurt or bleed. Think about this any time you have the urge to bite.

2. Wear gloves. If you can't help bringing your hand to your mouth, try putting gloves on your hands to make it physically impossible to bite the skin on your nails. If possible, use thick gloves so you do not get the urge to bite through the gloves.

3. Use hand lotion. If you use a lot of lotion on your cuticles (especially the non-scented kind, since sweet-smelling lotions can actually encourage putting hands near the nose/mouth) your hands will have a faint chemical taste and odor that will lessen your desire to put your hands near your face and nose.

4. Chew on other items. If you find yourself needing to chew on something, reach for a nutritious and crunchy snack, like carrot sticks.

5. See a health professional. If you cannot stop your compulsion, have caused yourself serious harm or believe it has appeared as a result of a pre-existing mental health issue, consult a doctor about professional treatment options.

Tips & Warnings

• While trying to stop your skin-chewing habit, it is also important to reduce stress. Because the chewing likely originated as a physical response to emotional stress, try some calming exercises (meditation and deep breathing are simple options) to keep your state of mind calm.

References

• WebMD: Nail Biting Overview
• West Suffolk Psych: Skin Picking and Nail Biting
• Skin Pick: Nails and Cuticle Picking
• Queendom: Cause of Cuticle Biting