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I started a few years ago, need to quit it. Mostly cause I can't open anything in cans anymore. Oh, and this video existing. I actually had some symptoms of this but always drained the infection and treated it, but my habit is still nothing I defend. It's impulsive and linked to my stress/anxiety as far as I can tell, so I'll need to do something sooner or later to force myself out of it.
@@bosnia_gaming see if u can find a professional to help aid/direct u in breaking the habit. If not there are some great sources online with tips on breaking habits (I have a specific way that I fiddle with my fingers when I notice myself biting my nails, and it helps a lot.)
Same. But one year someone bought me a very expensive nail polish gift pack. I wanted to have long nails so I could use it more than I wanted to bite my nails. Sometimes not all vanity is bad I suppose.
I find that being in public helps. Even if I start getting anxious, I won’t bite my nails so as to not embarrass myself. Needless to say, quarantine did not help my nail biting habit.
I was a nail biter since I grew teeth and I also suffer with major anxiety disorder, I use to bite my nails til they bled and pulsed with pain. I’m honestly so surprised I never got an infection. (I stopped biting them a year ago)
@@sold8215 I've bought a nail filer and it actually helps me tremendously because if any jagged edges or anything off sensory wise on my nails can be helped with a good nail filer. You just chisel the jagged bits down gently and carefully. I have dentures that I wear but even then I don't bite my nails anymore, I just clip them. I had my toenails pus up before but never my fingernails. Its so scary that such a seemlessly harmless habit can actually BE life threatening..
Keep nail clippers around you at all times and use them instead. Have a rule to never get your mouth close to your fingers. If there’s a small bit that needs removing only use the clippers :)
I had my gall bladder nearly explode and go septic a few years ago. Sickest, shittiest, worst ive ever felt. Definitely not something you can just 'push through'
I been through Sepsis Shock- 2 abdominal abscesses. For 10 day's. I ended up in ICU.... It's been 14 years and I have never been the same. Plus I was already injured in the Military. Hugs ❤️. Sepsis- People usually don't survive. 🙏
My bf nearly died of same thing... he did go septic. Nearly whole month in hospital... 3 surgeries... one was to shock his heart back into normal rhythm as it gave him atrial fibrillation. His kidneys and liver took a walloping and he got pericarditis as well. A hospital nearly sent him home from the ER and if he didnt go back he wouldnt have made it probably.
What is shocking to me is the fact that the so many medical professionals underestimate the issue or brush it off and people are so close to death each time (except the last example that dies)
The thing is it usually isn’t so serious. More often than not you take antibiotics and it goes away soon. Now i’m not a medical expert so I suggest you take what I say with a grain of salt and look it up for yourself.
It goes both ways. I have a bunch of conditions, which I have had for ages. Including an underlying one. I am normally much more relaxed the the poor medical staff at E&E (ER) who are always. "Let's do an Xray or an MRI" and I'm okay if you want. And once it's been very "useful" but I'm still way to relax, but I have so many seizures and the like that they have to be pretty big before I start worrying. My arm just stops working, 'oh it will start again in a couple of hours no point in troubling anybody with it'.
I'm a doctor. I usually treat paronychia with nail extraction to let the pus drained out and gives some room for new and healthy nail to grow. In some cases, the pus seeps through the nail bed so you can never be too careful. Also I give them antibiotics and pain reliever after that. Simple case of paronychia doesn't need a big surgery, but simple antibiotics usually won't cut it because the source of infection is still there.
Speaking as more of a devil's advocate here, this video doesn't seem to explain why the specific act of _biting_ your nails is so dangerous. I understand that the danger comes from infection, and that the infection comes from the contamination of open wounds around the fingertips. But couldn't the same thing also happen if you were to simply _cut_ your nails a little too short, or if you were to somehow get a hangnail or something? I mean, unless it has something to do with the mouth transmitting bacteria to the fingertips or something (which isn't really made clear in this video), then I don't see why biting your nails is so dangerous, as opposed to getting some _other_ kind of wound or cut around your fingertips.
I actually got hospitalized because of an infected finger from nail biting as a kid. I thought nothing of it back then, Every once in a while I'd have to drain the pus out and it hurt a lot, but I didn't think for a second that my life could have been at risk. It took me another 10 years to finally break my nail biting habit. Thankfully it didn't take another serious hospital visit. I just started clipping, filing, and buffing my nails so they look good. That made me not want to ruin them by biting them, and when I put them in my mouth i would feel the smooth surface and that would remind me not to bite it. Now I frequently find myself flabbergasted at how fast my nails grow. You never notice when you bite them because they don't get a chance, but they get long so quickly.
I was very similar as a child. Dealt with abuse as a kid and ended up growing up with depression and anxiety. I would chew my finger nails as I was constantly anxious. Idk....one day I just stopped biting them and started taking good care of them. Now when ladies see my hands they always compliment that I have perfect nails and beautiful long fingers. As weird as it sounds it makes me feel good when a woman compliments that about me since I tried so hard to get rid of that terrible habit. I also notice that my nails grow about 2x quicker than average people.
Been a nail biter since early childhood, still am (I'm 21 now). It's something I've tried quiting several times with many different methods and nothing is foolproof because I lack self control. I usually wash my hands before and after chewing my nails though, so that's probably why I've never gotten any infection on my nails or fingers. The longest I've gone without biting my nails has been less than a month. My nails look horrible, but I'm just too riddled with anxiety and depression to stop.
I used to chew my nails. Now I have several pocket size manicure sets. I keep one in my car, by my bed, etc. I also have a set of clippers in my pocket because girl pockets don't fit pocket sized things. 😑 When I need something to fidget with because of my anxiety I can just play with it or actually trim budding hangnails and rough spots.
@@Splat654 I know there's special nail polish that tastes really bitter, specifically designed for mitigating nail-biting. Haven't tried it though. It took a long time to stop biting my nails. I would clip them when I got an urge to bite, and it helped break the habit. Still got other nasty ones to work on, but at least that one's done.
As a nailbiter, I deal with periungual warts. They're caused by a strain of HPV but are mostly harmless and luckily don't spread to genitals, but they're still annoying. They're supposed to clear up within 1-2 years so I try to make sure the virus doesn't spread to my other fingers or to other people. At the very least, wash your hands frequently if you're a nailbiter.
@@sleezybreezy It's just something that happens; theres a societal perception that HPV is an STD when in reality it's one of the most common viruses. Many types of warts are caused by HPV. I just happen to have inherited finger warts.
My children had these when younger, and yes they do clear up eventually, they just caught them from other children and didn't bite their nails but may i recommend, applying clear nail varnish to the wort to help prevent spread, and a nail product you can buy that is like nail varnish but tastes bitter to help prevent nail biting. of course please look into these suggestions rather than just go buy my word and see if you could find something that works for you.
I pick my scalp and pull my brows or lashes. I am glad I managed to keep it down the past few years bc my scalp was in horrible condition. My boyfriend bites his nail due to anxiety and we always try to keep eachother from biting and picking 🫡
One way I stopped myself from biting my nails was painting them! Whenever I needed to stim, I'd chip away at the nail polish instead of biting them. It worked for me! So yea, I recommend!
The thing is nail polish isn't allowed in some schools and colleges as i am from india i will get scolded for even a bit long nails. So any other suggestions?
@@gloriaidnani6970 even clear nail polish works for this! you don't need to visually see it, it's just replacing nail biting with another stim. and for me just biting off the nail polish helps :)
I have trichotillomania (hair pulling) and dermatillomania (skin picking) and I've done an immense amount of research in order to understand my condition and manage to control it. I just want to say: your explanation on body focused repetitive disorders is absolutely spot on. So many people know very little about their condition, and there's so much misinformation and stigma it's crazy. Thanks for spreading good information from legitimate sources, not many people understand that you can't "just stop".
Trichotillomania, excoriation and dermophagia: I've been trying to get adequate assistance for literal decades, and only recently had any providers acknowledge I have a problem beyond something I can "just stop." It makes me absurdly angry, to the point of shutting down when people suggest that unhelpful foolishness to me.
@@savvivixen8490 I my friend suggested other things for me to do, which may also give me the same satisfaction, but I just shut her down. It is not like it is a habit. It is a coping mechanism not to fall into complete insanity.
I used to be an extreme finger biter since my childhood. I found out that it was probably due to perfectionnism and OCD > ( I couldn't tolerate seeying/feeling/touching imprefections on my nails and so, I bite them trying to fix them.) My solution was to carry out a nail clipper on my pocket WHEREVER I go and it's working wonders for abt 10 years now :). My nails even got prettier and healthier over the years
Happy to know I'm not the only one bringing around a nail clipper (and nail file) on me whenever I go (I prefer to use the nail file, because I get more control over the length of my nails) \(๑╹◡╹๑)ﾉ♬
I’m NEVER gonna bite my nails ever again! I had paronychia 2 times, the first time was really small and not painful, but the Second one lasted for 4 months and boy it was painful
Thank you so much for doing a video on this type of infection. I just had to take my partner to their urgent care for this exact thing. When he told me what his symptoms were and showed me his finger I recalled watching this video month's prior, we rewatched it and went to urgent care. They were able to drain the infection and give him some antibiotics. Thank you so much Brew!!
I had a similar case when I was in 7th grade, it wasn't life threatening yet but it had healed over, so my mom had to reopen my finger and drain it by using a needle and a lighter. (It hurt like a motherfluffer)
ive had this twice before and this all happened a few months ago and i dont bite my nails, i showed my parents but i dont think they were listening, tbh at first i thought nothing of it until it got REAL bad then i showed my parents again and they were like U HAVE TO STAB IT OPEN so i grabbed a sharp pin looking thing and stabbed my finger but it didnt go so i had to do it A LOT A LOT, it took 2 days for it to get out but when i tell u that was painful, IT WAS REAL PAINFUL. anyways a few months later i got it again, (this happened abt 4 months ago btw) and this time ik what happened so i went to the doctor, took some antibiotics (tbh it was scary bc my hand turned black after) and it went. currently rn now idk if its happened again bc i cant tell but im kinda scared
I bit my nails for 2 decades and only recently stopped. I always said it didn't bother me that much and it didn't. Until I saw my nails in the photos of our engagement rings. Still I found it hard to break the lifelong habit. What started it was simply being away hiking for 2 weeks. I was too busy and tired to be bored and focus on them. All of a sudden noticed they looked better than in years. I then bought myself for the first time ever a nail set and rather than picking at them and continuing the cycle I took pride in keeping them tidy. It was just a change of perspective. A healthy positive habit rather than a destructive negative habit. It took no more effort. Once they start looking good it becomes self fulfilling. We are getting married in 2 days and I just had my first ever nail appointment to have them looking their best for the day. Proud of myself.
@@Nguvuzauniverse. honestly, my best advice it is to have a nail set with you at all times and learn how to use it. Anytime you look at your nails and want to bite or pick at them, get your set and clean and tidy them. It's the same focus and habit on your nails only you won't be destructive. It will take weeks, maybe even a month but not forever until you see improvement. That was part of what used to hold me back too. I thought they were too far gone. I thought it would take 6 months for them to look anywhere close to normal again. I thought they'd grow in weird. They didn't. Honestly. 2 - 3 weeks of being consistent was enough to see improvement and then I WANTED to take care of them. There were little lapses too. The bad habit returned. But then I'd focus on the good nails and promise not to mess them up. I'd have 5 good nails and 5 beaten up nails. A week later. 7 good and 3 bad. Before long I was proud of them all and the new good habit had formed.
i think its because you have immune cells in your saliva i can only assume everyone mentioned in the video had some sort of issue thats lowering their immune system like stress or genetics that caused them to get sepsis
It can definitely be bad for your teeth. I've been nail-biting for decades and I've got a chunk on my lower front tooth missing from doing it. Thanks for the video. It's given me the push I need to try stopping.
Same, my main nailbiting tooth has worn down and has a different shape compared to its matching tooth. I'd say about 1mm of difference. I mentioned that off-handly to my dentist, and she seemed surprised that I recognized it.
I was a nail biter most of my life. When I became a senior my teeth became brittle & biting my nails broke a few off. I quit because dental services are extremely expensive. When I think about biting a nail I think about broken teeth. Stops me in my tracks.
I finally stopped biting my nails during covid. Who'd of thought you could break a 40 year habit through fear of getting a deadly virus. I def got some infections over the years but cleaning them with alcohol always worked and luckily never got anything serious. So nice to not be biting them now though
7 years ago, my older brother experienced this too. He, too, had a habit of biting his nails and I’d remember my mom constantly reminding him to stop for years. He finally stopped when the green spot got swollen. He got admitted in the hospital for it and he received surgery by removing a part of his finger’s tissue. He learned his lesson the hard way and ever since then, he’s stopped the habit.
My ex wife is/was a nail biter. Hope she stopped or sees this video. She would get small infections every once in a while. I do to because of hang nails. If you want perfect nails, get a glass fingernail file. They are amazing. I've had one for years & it gives the smoothest file ever.
@RISE let lol all the time but we didn't know about this. She tried but it's hard to break a habit that you've had for years. Her hand would just go in her mouth lol. It was more of a muscle memory reflex by then.
Mine have never gotten infected, but after trying every kind of behavioral modification (my mother used to do things like threaten to dip my bloody fingertips in hot pepper juice) I finally got on anti-anxiety meds and... i haven't *completely* stopped, but after 16 years my nail-biting is *so* much better. It also keeps improving, because after so many years of biting them, plus vitamin deficiencies, my nails were weak and broke/tore constantly. Now my doctor has me taking vitamins, and the less I bite, the stronger my nails get, so there's less of them tearing ragged and me feeling like I have to bite them. I also carry files all the time, so I can file them instead of biting them.
Oh God, I hope that pharmacist that turned Steven away was reprimanded, I work in pharmacy and we would've seriously urged him to go to afterhours / ED or their GP if they can get a quick appointment
I’ve been a nail biter for nearly my entire life after losing the tip of my right middle finger in an accident with a door when I was 4 years old. I’m so glad that I found this video... and consider myself *absolutely* lucky to have never developed any of the problems described in this video!! 😓 I have gone a full 24 hours without biting my nails once (New Year’s Day 2023), and am truly hoping to train myself to never again bite my nails...because I honestly don’t want to suffer like this person did. 😮😨😨
you know, i got my pinky (can't remember which one but i think it was the left) got smashed and lightly crushed in a closed door on accident, but nothing got severed and the worst that happened was that the nail was pushed outward a bit still very painful
@@randomtexanguy9563 😨 OUCH!! 💥 I truly hope that you’re okay and are doing better!! Please try to curb the habit ASAP (if you’ve developed it)!! Because the pain of stubby nails can be absolutely terrible!! 💥😖😖 I’m praying for you! 😉✝️
@@charlielucas3386 by that point i had stopped nailbiting for years, i forgot to mention (and to specify have been nailbiting free since the point i stopped)
I was a nail biter all my life until I turned 21 (I'm 22 now). I never really bit the proximal fold i.e. "cuticle" that much, mostly just the nail plate. I always wanted long nails. One day I noticed that my nails kinda looked like they had grown and I got the courage to stop biting them to grow them out. I started then manicuring my nails and taking care of them, trimming off hangnails and filing my nails instead of biting them if I got an urge. This all motivated me to continue not biting my nails. I now no longer bite my nails and I use press on nails now as it's less work, but I grew my natural nails to around 2 inches long before trimming them down for a new job lol.
I got super lucky with what happened to me, I had an ingrown nail that got infected and a the surface skin around the infected area turned black and fell off. Once the skin fell of, the part that was ingrown wasn't covered anymore, and it healed with the previously ingrown nail not being covered up with new skin.
As a nail biter this is something I’m aware of . The only thing that has helped with me stopped biting is the good ole Mary Jane . Seeing as though I bite my nails because I have anxiety there are things that can help .
It's all about managing stress and awareness of habits. Mary Jane is definitely one option. Exercise, yoga, video games, deep breathing...etc are just a few stress substitutes
I dont nailbite, persey, but i do peel my nails, which can lead to infections when the tears peel into skin (usually due to hangnails). I do this when my nails break, so I'm trying to remember to keep clippers (or at least a file) on hand.
Thanks for this video ! I've had an acute paronychia younger and my whole nail got removed surgically. A decade later, I had (on the same finger) a fungi infection, as I kept on biting my nails. I am desperately trying to stop, and this video is definitely going to help, as I underestimated the health risks it can cause. Thanks Brew ! Btw: instead of "acute", I first heard "a cute" x)
When I was a kid I would get this on my toe due to ingrown toenails, my parents would just pop it lol It hurt so so bad, hurt to walk and touch but the moment it was popped there was such intense relief. I don't reccomend doing that at all, but I'm glad it worked in my case lol
Yeah the only time Ive had an infection in the nail was in my toe too- I did the same and it was fine. Im not sure what caused that as it wasnt ingrowing, it was at the corner of the nailbed. Sepsis is a scary thing thats for sure
@@Heligany we are lucky for sure lol I wonder what caused yours were you a kid too? Maybe being kids running around and stuff you got a little cut you didn't notice
Idk as a bartender it’s common to get it on your fingers, we would always just lance it with something sterile and keep it covered up with some antiseptic and a plaster afterwards. Always worked and would clear up within 24 hours. You are right about the instant relief, it’s like releasing a load of pressure from your finger.
26 years and still nail bite, I do it when I'm anxious or bored, but most of the time I just find myself doing it and idk why. The longest I've ever gone far without biting my nail was 1.5 months
I’m 45 and have bit since before I can remember. I’ve heard someone call it a ‘mothers habit’ as in your mother caused it or early childhood trauma. I had that so it makes sense to me
my mother lost a leg to this bacteria. she didnt want to go to hospital til was too late because it was snowy out. after amputation, she went straight to a nursing home to get physical therapy, there it was discovered that her weakened state had allowed cancer to start. she died about 6 months later, never left nursing home. she went in from a TOE INFECTION, never saw her home, cats or a home cooked meal again. Take it seriously ppl
As someone who just deals with hangnails and bits of dried skin at the fingers, I always have a small pair of clippers in my bag. A clean removal is better than resorting to the teeth anyday
I used to bite my nails. Wearing nail polish helped me kick the habit because it tastes awful. Now I keep clippers and a nail file always on hand to deal with anything that’s bugging me and tempting me to bite. It’s worked for quite a few years now.
I used to be a frequent nail biter, aggressive even when my emotions peak from stress and anxiety. I use a combination of manicures with bright colors so I can clearly see something is on my nails, and slime. Keeping my hands busy helps a lot and playing with slime distracts my overwhelming emotions to focus on something else. I always have a tub of slime next to my desk and I play with it when I'm binging videos or writing.
Fingers have alot of bacteria on it too even if you clean your hands biting your fingers nails can make you very sick, it's no wonder parochial forms especially when it also increases the chance of a hangnail
Mine is stress and boredom. It's important to recognise your factors that lead to it. I use blue tack while I study which soothes the urges. My nails are looking much better :)
I saw this video months ago and kept it in the back of my mind. My cat scratched my nailbed five or so days ago and my finger is now swollen. Came back to this video before the infection got too bad and yellow started to occur. Thank you brew..
Former nailbiter here, I can't recommend chewing gums enough, they were a life changer! I suspect the habit has a lot more to do with the biting motion itself rather than the object, much like with obsessive eating - it doesn't matter what it is as long as you're chewing, then use it to your advantage. Also, if you're a weebo nerd like me and want to wear gloves even in sunny weather, those too help a lot.
Former nailbiter. I managed to quit the habit during the pandemic because I was biting my nails so much from stress that some were bleeding and were quite sore. Nowadays I have to cut down my nails as they grow quite fast and catch dirt/debris. Be warned that you can ingest bacteria from underneath your nails while biting.
Currently a nail-biter to the point of bleeding due to my mental illnesses, and this is one of the first things to strongly dissuade me from biting my nails. Thanks Brew!
There is a training technique used to help stop many different bad habits and it worked for my nail biting. A rubber band around your wrist. Every time you catching yourself indulging or wanting to indulge in a bad habit you pull back on the band and let it go, snapping back hard against your skin. The pain from this trains your brain to not want to perform whichever bad habit it is you are working on. How long this training takes varies from person to person and having been about 30 years now i do not remember how long it took to work on me. Best of luck to you.
I had the habit of peeling a callus on my thumb until one day i peeled too much and it got infected. Like the people in the video, I didn’t realize how bad it was until it had spread to my lymphatic system (I had a red streak running up to my armpit). It was a common cellulitis infection...but if I didn’t get treatment when I did, I could have lost the arm. Or worse.
this scary. Ive actually gotten the green infection on the corner of my finger twice in my life. And it hurt real bad when draining the pus, but never knew it was deadly.. 😨😨😨😨
Oh ya so true..I’m 45 and the only thing that will stop it is when I get acrylic nails. But when I can’t afford 80 every 3 weeks for new ones I just go back to biting.
@SomeJerkOnTheInternet nope it isn't. Some people with high anxiety have repeatative behaviors that they do to release nervous energy and to try to stop is like trying to hold back a sneeze. I can avoid it for a few hours but eventually I won't be able to control the urge to bite.
I bit my nails when I was young. Then one day when I was a teenager, I was hanging out with a young married couple I knew. The wife was biting a broken piece of a nail when her husband gave her a hard time about it, saying it made her nails look bad. She grabbed my hand, put in his face and said "my hands don't look like this." I never chewed my nails again.
I actually got one of those exact bright green finger infections when I was a teenaged nail-biter, it's what made me stop for good, haven't done it since. I caught it really early and was able to get rid of it with ointment before it spread to any dangerous level, but it was still scary to see a bright green wound.
I used to bite my nails at 10 or 11. This girl in my class had such long nails and I was impressed, and I decided to quit biting my nails. Now during that time of trying to not bite my nails, I didn’t fully stopped biting them, cause the urge to bite was still hanging, so I bit my nails every now and than, but I started to bite less and less. It didn’t take long, probably like a month maybe. I think ever since I stopped biting my nails I grew germaphobic and hated biting my nails or putting my fingers in my mouth.
It's important to emphasize that the introduction of bacteria into the nailbeds comes fom the mouth, one of the dirtiest areas of the body; it is the beginningof the GI tract, after all (and think about what's at the other end 😳).
I used to bite my nails a lot, mainly from stress. While I’m still stressed, I was able to stop because of acrylics actually. I absolutely hated those things but for some reason they’re the only thing that worked.
I'm a nail biter, and I've had the pus under the skin a fair few times. Good thing my mom is a nurse and she taught me at a young age how to take care of it when they form. I haven't had one of those in years though.
Same. I've been a nail biter since childhood. Anxiety at its worst. As an adult, I'm 57, I go through spells of biting them and not biting them. I'm also a chronic hand washer from having worked in the medical field for over 20 years, so I haven't experienced an infection more than 3 or 4 times. Having worked as an MA for hand surgeons, I never saw a patient that had to have a partial or full amputation if a finger for being a nail biter. However, we certainly had our fair share of partial and full finger amputations from infections under acrylic nails. To put that into perspective, I counted 17 partial or full finger amputations in 4 years as a result of infection setting in under acrylic nails. Several patients we saw more than once for that reason. Some went to our foot surgeons for the same reason as we saw patients for their hands. Not once was it because anyone was a nail biter. ~ APRIL LIPKE
Yet. I know the habit is hard to break so I won’t say to stop, but maybe try to remember to wash your hands and maybe use some neosporin/rubbing alcohol if you see blood. That’s how I avoid most infections myself.
One positive thing about Covid, it got me to stop biting my nails because I was so worried about germs...so my OCD may have contributed to the biting, but it also got me to stop biting them. I still pick at them with my other fingers though.
Steven's story (the third one) is one of the reasons why you don't have to go to the pharmacist when you think you might have something, but you have to go to your doctor!!! I always see people in line at the pharmacy, not only to buy something, but to get medical advise from the pharmacist and buy whan they advise and listen to their opinions. They go on and talk for so long to the pharmacist! Not only they keep the line, but they're not doing anything good for themselves by not going to a doctor! Go to your GP, people!!!
I used to bite my nails until I couldn't anymore without hurting myself, but thankfully I have stopped for the most part. Nowadays I only bite my nails in a futile attempt to get them somewhat even when I don't have a nail file or clippers.
@@Strength_In_Wisdom i don't understand why some people use scissors, I use nail clippers that are supposed to be used for nails. To me, scissors are for cutting things to a shape I need them to be, or to cut things open(like packages)
I bit my nails until I was around 17, so I can speak from experience that it is an extremely difficult habit to shake. What I recommend to other nail-biters is as follows: instead of trying to unlearn the habit (which can be almost impossible), try replacing the habit with a less harmful one. What I did was I simply carried a nail clipper with me; whenever I felt the urge to take a bite, I would pull out the clipper instead and clip away. The benefit is multifold: 1. you give your hands something to do, which helps with the anxiety; 2. the clipper does a clean cut, which makes your fingers look nicer and reduces the chance of infection to near zero; 3. you keep your nails short, so you've got less motive to bite or fiddle with it. Believe it or not, this simple method made me ditch the habit in a few months without much difficulty. Now almost a decade later, I no longer carry a clipper, but I do have one at each of the locations I would spend a lot of time at (e.g. one at the office, one at home, one at parents' place, etc.). The habit to put my hands close to my mouth isn't gone, but I'm no longer instinctively biting at my nails. P.s. funnily enough, biting my nails growing me up has made me somewhat of an expert in preventing and treating paronychia. Family and friends who know my history would ask me for advice when they catch an infection, which I'm not sure is an honour or an embarrassment 😅.
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Daniel
Hi!!!!!
no
@@TheMan10what Daniel
@@GlitchyOnAChair Daniel
I was a nailbiter since early childhood until I turned 19. I don't know how I managed to stop but I'm glad I did.
I started a few years ago, need to quit it. Mostly cause I can't open anything in cans anymore.
Oh, and this video existing.
I actually had some symptoms of this but always drained the infection and treated it, but my habit is still nothing I defend. It's impulsive and linked to my stress/anxiety as far as I can tell, so I'll need to do something sooner or later to force myself out of it.
@@bosnia_gaming see if u can find a professional to help aid/direct u in breaking the habit. If not there are some great sources online with tips on breaking habits (I have a specific way that I fiddle with my fingers when I notice myself biting my nails, and it helps a lot.)
Same. But one year someone bought me a very expensive nail polish gift pack. I wanted to have long nails so I could use it more than I wanted to bite my nails. Sometimes not all vanity is bad I suppose.
I find that being in public helps. Even if I start getting anxious, I won’t bite my nails so as to not embarrass myself. Needless to say, quarantine did not help my nail biting habit.
I still bite my nails very short and I’m 25. I swore it helped my immune system 🙃
Imagine biting your nails then seeing this
bro i was saw this and was like ok stop and clicked on this video
just happened to me
literally me a few seconds ago
Couldn’t be me
Me🥲
I was a nail biter since I grew teeth and I also suffer with major anxiety disorder, I use to bite my nails til they bled and pulsed with pain. I’m honestly so surprised I never got an infection. (I stopped biting them a year ago)
Im proud of you!
Good for you man
Proud of you! Keep up the good work!
nice!
Very proud of you!
I’m able to quit for months at a time, but never for good, it’s maddening. Once I ruin one nail it’s over for the rest.
Same! 😢
It always starts with one nail 🥹
its the fact that they arent clean that makes u want to try to "fix it" and end up always worse
@@sold8215 I've bought a nail filer and it actually helps me tremendously because if any jagged edges or anything off sensory wise on my nails can be helped with a good nail filer. You just chisel the jagged bits down gently and carefully. I have dentures that I wear but even then I don't bite my nails anymore, I just clip them. I had my toenails pus up before but never my fingernails. Its so scary that such a seemlessly harmless habit can actually BE life threatening..
@@sold8215. Kinda like giving myself a haircut. I stopped doing that, because there was never much left!
Keep nail clippers around you at all times and use them instead. Have a rule to never get your mouth close to your fingers. If there’s a small bit that needs removing only use the clippers :)
I had my gall bladder nearly explode and go septic a few years ago. Sickest, shittiest, worst ive ever felt. Definitely not something you can just 'push through'
Same, made it three days before my boyfriend dragged me to the ER. Would not recommend to others.
What if it explodes.?
I been through Sepsis Shock- 2 abdominal abscesses. For 10 day's. I ended up in ICU.... It's been 14 years and I have never been the same. Plus I was already injured in the Military. Hugs ❤️. Sepsis- People usually don't survive. 🙏
My bf nearly died of same thing... he did go septic. Nearly whole month in hospital... 3 surgeries... one was to shock his heart back into normal rhythm as it gave him atrial fibrillation. His kidneys and liver took a walloping and he got pericarditis as well. A hospital nearly sent him home from the ER and if he didnt go back he wouldnt have made it probably.
@@Cringeneth then it causes sepsis and infection.
What is shocking to me is the fact that the so many medical professionals underestimate the issue or brush it off and people are so close to death each time (except the last example that dies)
The thing is it usually isn’t so serious. More often than not you take antibiotics and it goes away soon. Now i’m not a medical expert so I suggest you take what I say with a grain of salt and look it up for yourself.
It goes both ways. I have a bunch of conditions, which I have had for ages. Including an underlying one. I am normally much more relaxed the the poor medical staff at E&E (ER) who are always. "Let's do an Xray or an MRI" and I'm okay if you want. And once it's been very "useful" but I'm still way to relax, but I have so many seizures and the like that they have to be pretty big before I start worrying. My arm just stops working, 'oh it will start again in a couple of hours no point in troubling anybody with it'.
they don't brush it off they just don't want to make people anxious about it, they'll still give you medicine so idk why ur shocked
I'm a doctor. I usually treat paronychia with nail extraction to let the pus drained out and gives some room for new and healthy nail to grow. In some cases, the pus seeps through the nail bed so you can never be too careful. Also I give them antibiotics and pain reliever after that. Simple case of paronychia doesn't need a big surgery, but simple antibiotics usually won't cut it because the source of infection is still there.
Speaking as more of a devil's advocate here, this video doesn't seem to explain why the specific act of _biting_ your nails is so dangerous. I understand that the danger comes from infection, and that the infection comes from the contamination of open wounds around the fingertips. But couldn't the same thing also happen if you were to simply _cut_ your nails a little too short, or if you were to somehow get a hangnail or something? I mean, unless it has something to do with the mouth transmitting bacteria to the fingertips or something (which isn't really made clear in this video), then I don't see why biting your nails is so dangerous, as opposed to getting some _other_ kind of wound or cut around your fingertips.
I actually got hospitalized because of an infected finger from nail biting as a kid. I thought nothing of it back then, Every once in a while I'd have to drain the pus out and it hurt a lot, but I didn't think for a second that my life could have been at risk.
It took me another 10 years to finally break my nail biting habit. Thankfully it didn't take another serious hospital visit. I just started clipping, filing, and buffing my nails so they look good.
That made me not want to ruin them by biting them, and when I put them in my mouth i would feel the smooth surface and that would remind me not to bite it.
Now I frequently find myself flabbergasted at how fast my nails grow. You never notice when you bite them because they don't get a chance, but they get long so quickly.
I was very similar as a child. Dealt with abuse as a kid and ended up growing up with depression and anxiety. I would chew my finger nails as I was constantly anxious.
Idk....one day I just stopped biting them and started taking good care of them. Now when ladies see my hands they always compliment that I have perfect nails and beautiful long fingers.
As weird as it sounds it makes me feel good when a woman compliments that about me since I tried so hard to get rid of that terrible habit. I also notice that my nails grow about 2x quicker than average people.
Nah i ain't reading all of that
Ian reading allat 💀 BUT WE 🆙🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💯💯💯
@@Pixiuchu Such a Chad
Kid named finger:
Nail biter: *Bites nails nervously while watching the video*
Also Nail biter:😱😱😱
LoL😂
😊
Me too
Been a nail biter since early childhood, still am (I'm 21 now). It's something I've tried quiting several times with many different methods and nothing is foolproof because I lack self control. I usually wash my hands before and after chewing my nails though, so that's probably why I've never gotten any infection on my nails or fingers. The longest I've gone without biting my nails has been less than a month. My nails look horrible, but I'm just too riddled with anxiety and depression to stop.
I used to chew my nails. Now I have several pocket size manicure sets. I keep one in my car, by my bed, etc. I also have a set of clippers in my pocket because girl pockets don't fit pocket sized things. 😑 When I need something to fidget with because of my anxiety I can just play with it or actually trim budding hangnails and rough spots.
You can try painting your nails, then whenever you ll try to chew it it would work as a reminder. Or go to the salon to get your nails painted
@@Splat654 I'm not good about painting my nails, it just seems like such a hassle. Also can't afford a manicure.
@@carolinacoreas7716 Nail polish isn't that expensive is it?
@@Splat654 I know there's special nail polish that tastes really bitter, specifically designed for mitigating nail-biting.
Haven't tried it though. It took a long time to stop biting my nails. I would clip them when I got an urge to bite, and it helped break the habit. Still got other nasty ones to work on, but at least that one's done.
As a nailbiter, I deal with periungual warts. They're caused by a strain of HPV but are mostly harmless and luckily don't spread to genitals, but they're still annoying. They're supposed to clear up within 1-2 years so I try to make sure the virus doesn't spread to my other fingers or to other people. At the very least, wash your hands frequently if you're a nailbiter.
No disrespect but that you deal with HPV in your nails? Can I ask how did this happen.
@Don't Read Profile Photo Ok I wont
@@sleezybreezy
It's just something that happens; theres a societal perception that HPV is an STD when in reality it's one of the most common viruses. Many types of warts are caused by HPV. I just happen to have inherited finger warts.
My children had these when younger, and yes they do clear up eventually, they just caught them from other children and didn't bite their nails but may i recommend, applying clear nail varnish to the wort to help prevent spread, and a nail product you can buy that is like nail varnish but tastes bitter to help prevent nail biting. of course please look into these suggestions rather than just go buy my word and see if you could find something that works for you.
What about the people who bite their nails just because they like the feeling of the little skin pieces on the side of ur nails coming off?
I have bad dermatillomania and I'm blessed to have not had an infection. My heart goes out to all the nailbiters.
same here
dermatillomania gang 💪💪
@@lotsofoptimism nothing to be proud of..
I pick my scalp and pull my brows or lashes. I am glad I managed to keep it down the past few years bc my scalp was in horrible condition. My boyfriend bites his nail due to anxiety and we always try to keep eachother from biting and picking 🫡
me too. i feel like i havent had an infection yet because i always put alcohol on the open wound and then wrap it with a band aid
One way I stopped myself from biting my nails was painting them! Whenever I needed to stim, I'd chip away at the nail polish instead of biting them.
It worked for me! So yea, I recommend!
The thing is nail polish isn't allowed in some schools and colleges as i am from india i will get scolded for even a bit long nails. So any other suggestions?
@@gloriaidnani6970 even clear nail polish works for this! you don't need to visually see it, it's just replacing nail biting with another stim. and for me just biting off the nail polish helps :)
I have trichotillomania (hair pulling) and dermatillomania (skin picking) and I've done an immense amount of research in order to understand my condition and manage to control it.
I just want to say: your explanation on body focused repetitive disorders is absolutely spot on. So many people know very little about their condition, and there's so much misinformation and stigma it's crazy. Thanks for spreading good information from legitimate sources, not many people understand that you can't "just stop".
@@mulan7015 it doesn't work like that. Body focused repetitive disorders aren't the same thing as OCD, plus, shock makes them worse.
I also suffer with dermatillomania. It is not easy to live like this.
Trichotillomania, excoriation and dermophagia: I've been trying to get adequate assistance for literal decades, and only recently had any providers acknowledge I have a problem beyond something I can "just stop." It makes me absurdly angry, to the point of shutting down when people suggest that unhelpful foolishness to me.
@@savvivixen8490 I my friend suggested other things for me to do, which may also give me the same satisfaction, but I just shut her down. It is not like it is a habit. It is a coping mechanism not to fall into complete insanity.
I also have dermatillomania. I want to stop but it feels like I can't. Ima keep fighting tho.
I used to be an extreme finger biter since my childhood.
I found out that it was probably due to perfectionnism and OCD > ( I couldn't tolerate seeying/feeling/touching imprefections on my nails and so, I bite them trying to fix them.)
My solution was to carry out a nail clipper on my pocket WHEREVER I go and it's working wonders for abt 10 years now :). My nails even got prettier and healthier over the years
Don’t see mine scars skin peeling 💀💀🤧🤧
OMG SAME! I just can’t stand feeling the roughness of hangnails and scabs.
Happy to know I'm not the only one bringing around a nail clipper (and nail file) on me whenever I go (I prefer to use the nail file, because I get more control over the length of my nails) \(๑╹◡╹๑)ﾉ♬
@@LostK05ikr same
I’m NEVER gonna bite my nails ever again! I had paronychia 2 times, the first time was really small and not painful, but the Second one lasted for 4 months and boy it was painful
Thank you so much for doing a video on this type of infection. I just had to take my partner to their urgent care for this exact thing. When he told me what his symptoms were and showed me his finger I recalled watching this video month's prior, we rewatched it and went to urgent care. They were able to drain the infection and give him some antibiotics. Thank you so much Brew!!
I had a similar case when I was in 7th grade, it wasn't life threatening yet but it had healed over, so my mom had to reopen my finger and drain it by using a needle and a lighter. (It hurt like a motherfluffer)
ive had this twice before and this all happened a few months ago and i dont bite my nails, i showed my parents but i dont think they were listening, tbh at first i thought nothing of it until it got REAL bad then i showed my parents again and they were like U HAVE TO STAB IT OPEN so i grabbed a sharp pin looking thing and stabbed my finger but it didnt go so i had to do it A LOT A LOT, it took 2 days for it to get out but when i tell u that was painful, IT WAS REAL PAINFUL. anyways a few months later i got it again, (this happened abt 4 months ago btw) and this time ik what happened so i went to the doctor, took some antibiotics (tbh it was scary bc my hand turned black after) and it went. currently rn now idk if its happened again bc i cant tell but im kinda scared
I bite my nails regularly and have no problems
@@asniperaimatyourhead The key word is YET
@@Ugh718 no,i don't bite my nails so aggressively that the skin around the nail tears
I bit my nails for 2 decades and only recently stopped. I always said it didn't bother me that much and it didn't. Until I saw my nails in the photos of our engagement rings.
Still I found it hard to break the lifelong habit.
What started it was simply being away hiking for 2 weeks. I was too busy and tired to be bored and focus on them. All of a sudden noticed they looked better than in years.
I then bought myself for the first time ever a nail set and rather than picking at them and continuing the cycle I took pride in keeping them tidy. It was just a change of perspective. A healthy positive habit rather than a destructive negative habit. It took no more effort. Once they start looking good it becomes self fulfilling.
We are getting married in 2 days and I just had my first ever nail appointment to have them looking their best for the day. Proud of myself.
I'm also a nail biter congratulations 🥳
I hope I cut the habit too
@@Nguvuzauniverse. honestly, my best advice it is to have a nail set with you at all times and learn how to use it. Anytime you look at your nails and want to bite or pick at them, get your set and clean and tidy them. It's the same focus and habit on your nails only you won't be destructive. It will take weeks, maybe even a month but not forever until you see improvement. That was part of what used to hold me back too. I thought they were too far gone. I thought it would take 6 months for them to look anywhere close to normal again. I thought they'd grow in weird. They didn't. Honestly. 2 - 3 weeks of being consistent was enough to see improvement and then I WANTED to take care of them. There were little lapses too. The bad habit returned. But then I'd focus on the good nails and promise not to mess them up. I'd have 5 good nails and 5 beaten up nails. A week later. 7 good and 3 bad. Before long I was proud of them all and the new good habit had formed.
Bless you! Wonderful,& thank you for SHARING . brave❤❤
Ok
Try chewing flavored toothpicks! 😊
I struggled with nailbiting for years, its honestly mazing I didn't get some crazy infection.
same
i think its because you have immune cells in your saliva
i can only assume everyone mentioned in the video had some sort of issue thats lowering their immune system like stress or genetics that caused them to get sepsis
Same
maybe you didn’t bite it for 35+ years straight xD
@@lqv3223 More like 20 something...
It can definitely be bad for your teeth.
I've been nail-biting for decades and I've got a chunk on my lower front tooth missing from doing it.
Thanks for the video. It's given me the push I need to try stopping.
when you understand the grossness (not just the gunk under) of what you nail absorbs, etc ... *shudders*
@@stephanc6138 especially seeing as I'm a mechanic. So many different things get under there
Same, my main nailbiting tooth has worn down and has a different shape compared to its matching tooth. I'd say about 1mm of difference. I mentioned that off-handly to my dentist, and she seemed surprised that I recognized it.
If I can quit (had to a few times due to relapse), then anyone can! Keep trying.
I was a nail biter most of my life. When I became a senior my teeth became brittle & biting my nails broke a few off. I quit because dental services are extremely expensive. When I think about biting a nail I think about broken teeth. Stops me in my tracks.
I finally stopped biting my nails during covid. Who'd of thought you could break a 40 year habit through fear of getting a deadly virus. I def got some infections over the years but cleaning them with alcohol always worked and luckily never got anything serious. So nice to not be biting them now though
Yay at least Covid did some good things.
3:42 OMG THE LITTLE THING IN THE BACKROUND😭😭😭
XD
What is it??
@@laurathamira tardigrade or “water bear”, extremely tiny and basically indestructible
Brew is trying to tells us almost everything we do is dangerous
Holding your phone
@@joshiromathewi.manangan147is dangerous
Sitting on an office chair
eating ur favourite snack
Buying the wrong christmas tree
I am a nail biter and I have been trying to stop for months. This video might be what finally makes me stop.
Good luck!
me too
@@L19966 a major reason is anxiety
@@L19966 a lot of reasons actually, mine would be boredom
7 years ago, my older brother experienced this too. He, too, had a habit of biting his nails and I’d remember my mom constantly reminding him to stop for years. He finally stopped when the green spot got swollen. He got admitted in the hospital for it and he received surgery by removing a part of his finger’s tissue. He learned his lesson the hard way and ever since then, he’s stopped the habit.
My ex wife is/was a nail biter. Hope she stopped or sees this video. She would get small infections every once in a while. I do to because of hang nails. If you want perfect nails, get a glass fingernail file. They are amazing. I've had one for years & it gives the smoothest file ever.
Did you try to tell her to stop?
@RISE let lol all the time but we didn't know about this. She tried but it's hard to break a habit that you've had for years. Her hand would just go in her mouth lol. It was more of a muscle memory reflex by then.
@@wamlartmuse Oh.
Mine have never gotten infected, but after trying every kind of behavioral modification (my mother used to do things like threaten to dip my bloody fingertips in hot pepper juice) I finally got on anti-anxiety meds and... i haven't *completely* stopped, but after 16 years my nail-biting is *so* much better.
It also keeps improving, because after so many years of biting them, plus vitamin deficiencies, my nails were weak and broke/tore constantly. Now my doctor has me taking vitamins, and the less I bite, the stronger my nails get, so there's less of them tearing ragged and me feeling like I have to bite them. I also carry files all the time, so I can file them instead of biting them.
same exept i got it
I’m so glad these are only animated videos
Yeah! They're bad enough as they are! 😟😅
Word!
I bit my nails for YEARS & finally broke that habit at 32 years old. I'm so proud of myself for it.
I bit them for 2 months and i stopped cuz it was getting boring 🤷🏻
@@ZhōngguóhēiI know where u live
@@Hayonaaa22 shiver me timbers 🥶
Oh God, I hope that pharmacist that turned Steven away was reprimanded, I work in pharmacy and we would've seriously urged him to go to afterhours / ED or their GP if they can get a quick appointment
Thank you for making me realize how much of a serious issue this can become, along with the helpful tips on how to stop.
I used to bite my nails for years but I managed to stop doing it. People really underestimate how addictive it is.
Not only biting, bad nail cut can make an infection too
I’ve been a nail biter for nearly my entire life after losing the tip of my right middle finger in an accident with a door when I was 4 years old. I’m so glad that I found this video... and consider myself *absolutely* lucky to have never developed any of the problems described in this video!! 😓
I have gone a full 24 hours without biting my nails once (New Year’s Day 2023), and am truly hoping to train myself to never again bite my nails...because I honestly don’t want to suffer like this person did. 😮😨😨
I know many people are encouraging you right now. Virtually any bad habit can be replaced with a new, good habit. You can do it!
you know, i got my pinky (can't remember which one but i think it was the left) got smashed and lightly crushed in a closed door on accident, but nothing got severed and the worst that happened was that the nail was pushed outward a bit
still very painful
@@randomtexanguy9563 😨 OUCH!! 💥
I truly hope that you’re okay and are doing better!! Please try to curb the habit ASAP (if you’ve developed it)!! Because the pain of stubby nails can be absolutely terrible!! 💥😖😖
I’m praying for you! 😉✝️
@@charlielucas3386 by that point i had stopped nailbiting for years, i forgot to mention (and to specify have been nailbiting free since the point i stopped)
oh that happened to me when i was 4
I was a nail biter all my life until I turned 21 (I'm 22 now). I never really bit the proximal fold i.e. "cuticle" that much, mostly just the nail plate. I always wanted long nails. One day I noticed that my nails kinda looked like they had grown and I got the courage to stop biting them to grow them out. I started then manicuring my nails and taking care of them, trimming off hangnails and filing my nails instead of biting them if I got an urge. This all motivated me to continue not biting my nails. I now no longer bite my nails and I use press on nails now as it's less work, but I grew my natural nails to around 2 inches long before trimming them down for a new job lol.
HAHA U BEEN A NAIL BITER SENSE 21 AHAHAHHAHA (no offense its just albert style)
@@Purple_AB um k 💀
@Xtale Chara sens they said they had been a nail biter their whole life until the age of 21, can you not read?
@@cheyennemilliemeiowmeiow945 mk not reading
@@cheyennemilliemeiowmeiow945 i said no offense aswell can you not read?
I got super lucky with what happened to me, I had an ingrown nail that got infected and a the surface skin around the infected area turned black and fell off. Once the skin fell of, the part that was ingrown wasn't covered anymore, and it healed with the previously ingrown nail not being covered up with new skin.
Wow, that's lucky!
This makes me thankful that I don’t bite my nails anymore. I used to do it pretty often, but I haven’t done it in a long time and never will again.
As a nail biter this is something I’m aware of .
The only thing that has helped with me stopped biting is the good ole Mary Jane .
Seeing as though I bite my nails because I have anxiety there are things that can help .
That's understandable. Life has its challenges, especially in current times.
It's all about managing stress and awareness of habits. Mary Jane is definitely one option. Exercise, yoga, video games, deep breathing...etc are just a few stress substitutes
Prayer helps when you have anxiety too🙏🏿
Nail biters are usually perfectionists that get frustrated when they see their damaged nails regrow unevenly
I did nail biting when I was really young. This habit is crazy, what I did to control it is to find other ways without ruining my fingers.
I dont nailbite, persey, but i do peel my nails, which can lead to infections when the tears peel into skin (usually due to hangnails). I do this when my nails break, so I'm trying to remember to keep clippers (or at least a file) on hand.
I bit my nails a lot throughout jr and high school. I finally stopped when a nail got stuck in my throat for a couple days. Hurt to even breathe.
That'll do it 😂
Thanks for this video ! I've had an acute paronychia younger and my whole nail got removed surgically. A decade later, I had (on the same finger) a fungi infection, as I kept on biting my nails. I am desperately trying to stop, and this video is definitely going to help, as I underestimated the health risks it can cause. Thanks Brew ! Btw: instead of "acute", I first heard "a cute" x)
Try special nail polish. There’s bitter nail polish you can get to discourage biting.
@@ferretyluvsecond this. I used the bitter nail polish for 1 week and broke a 30 year habit
@@ferretyluvthird this
Put lemon juice on your fingernails
Thanks man, no other words, after this I didn’t need a strategy to stop
Me biting my nails while watching this:
👁👄👁
💅
Hilarious🤣😂
You put nail polish too
@@clydoscope5841 no I don't actually, that was just the only nail emoji with the right position)
@@insectoidabomination 𝚑𝚊𝚑𝚊 𝚓 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚊𝚑𝚊𝚑𝚊
@@insectoidabominationtheres only one nail emoji?
Yet another irrational fear added to the list, thanks Brew
I used to bite my nails a lot but then I got press on nails and completely stopped.
I stopped my really long habit of biting my nails a few months ago and honestly its nice to see my nail grow and look decent
This is why I don't bite my fingers
@@SomeOneWithEyes. yea
When I was a kid I would get this on my toe due to ingrown toenails, my parents would just pop it lol
It hurt so so bad, hurt to walk and touch but the moment it was popped there was such intense relief. I don't reccomend doing that at all, but I'm glad it worked in my case lol
Yeah the only time Ive had an infection in the nail was in my toe too- I did the same and it was fine. Im not sure what caused that as it wasnt ingrowing, it was at the corner of the nailbed. Sepsis is a scary thing thats for sure
@@Heligany we are lucky for sure lol I wonder what caused yours were you a kid too? Maybe being kids running around and stuff you got a little cut you didn't notice
@@BB-pt9hv you turned out hot, gg 👍
Idk as a bartender it’s common to get it on your fingers, we would always just lance it with something sterile and keep it covered up with some antiseptic and a plaster afterwards. Always worked and would clear up within 24 hours. You are right about the instant relief, it’s like releasing a load of pressure from your finger.
26 years and still nail bite, I do it when I'm anxious or bored, but most of the time I just find myself doing it and idk why. The longest I've ever gone far without biting my nail was 1.5 months
I’m 45 and have bit since before I can remember. I’ve heard someone call it a ‘mothers habit’ as in your mother caused it or early childhood trauma. I had that so it makes sense to me
After everyone watched this entire video. Everyone switched to biting their fingernail to biting their entire finger
Absolutely nailed it with the video! Thanks for the educational video.
Pun intended? 😂
😭😭😭😭
@@dustinclouse6888 Possibly. xD
Pun intented
Nail-ed it?
my mother lost a leg to this bacteria. she didnt want to go to hospital til was too late because it was snowy out. after amputation, she went straight to a nursing home to get physical therapy, there it was discovered that her weakened state had allowed cancer to start. she died about 6 months later, never left nursing home. she went in from a TOE INFECTION, never saw her home, cats or a home cooked meal again. Take it seriously ppl
As someone who just deals with hangnails and bits of dried skin at the fingers, I always have a small pair of clippers in my bag.
A clean removal is better than resorting to the teeth anyday
Please
I used to bite my nails. Wearing nail polish helped me kick the habit because it tastes awful. Now I keep clippers and a nail file always on hand to deal with anything that’s bugging me and tempting me to bite. It’s worked for quite a few years now.
I used to be a frequent nail biter, aggressive even when my emotions peak from stress and anxiety. I use a combination of manicures with bright colors so I can clearly see something is on my nails, and slime. Keeping my hands busy helps a lot and playing with slime distracts my overwhelming emotions to focus on something else. I always have a tub of slime next to my desk and I play with it when I'm binging videos or writing.
Fingers have alot of bacteria on it too even if you clean your hands biting your fingers nails can make you very sick, it's no wonder parochial forms especially when it also increases the chance of a hangnail
Mine is stress and boredom. It's important to recognise your factors that lead to it. I use blue tack while I study which soothes the urges. My nails are looking much better :)
what is blue tack?
4:45 shrek transformation be like
💀
YOU JUST SAID WHAT I THOUGHT
I saw this video months ago and kept it in the back of my mind. My cat scratched my nailbed five or so days ago and my finger is now swollen. Came back to this video before the infection got too bad and yellow started to occur. Thank you brew..
Everyone's talking bout being I nail biter (I am, too)
But we all forgot about 4:58. Brew get help...
"It's a good thing I'm colorblind"
I'm also colorblind too, but stop it, get some help...
I’m so glad this popped up on my FYP, I’m never gonna bite my nails ever again😢
Former nailbiter here, I can't recommend chewing gums enough, they were a life changer! I suspect the habit has a lot more to do with the biting motion itself rather than the object, much like with obsessive eating - it doesn't matter what it is as long as you're chewing, then use it to your advantage.
Also, if you're a weebo nerd like me and want to wear gloves even in sunny weather, those too help a lot.
That actually might work
I am never biting my finger nails ever again,
This video scared you huh?
I got scared tho 💀
@@SonyadevReal Shi idgaf I only bite my nails so they dont get long xD
@@fruitypebbles2316 nail clippers and nail files.
@@fruitypebbles2316 I said the same thing dude, you need to quit QUICK, i've been stuck in nailbiting for 5 years this stuff isn't good
THATS WHAT IT IS. My god i had it for 2 weeks now. You're a real life savior!!
This happens to my brother, luckily he’s okay now.
This video is really making me be hyper-observant towards the feeling in my fingers
That's a real nail biter, he says while biting his nails, watching a video about biting his nails!
End of sponsor 3:08
Ty
thx
Thx 🙏
Been biting my finger nails for 44 yrs. ...& pulling the skin off. Anxiety...
Former nailbiter. I managed to quit the habit during the pandemic because I was biting my nails so much from stress that some were bleeding and were quite sore. Nowadays I have to cut down my nails as they grow quite fast and catch dirt/debris. Be warned that you can ingest bacteria from underneath your nails while biting.
Currently a nail-biter to the point of bleeding due to my mental illnesses, and this is one of the first things to strongly dissuade me from biting my nails. Thanks Brew!
There is a training technique used to help stop many different bad habits and it worked for my nail biting. A rubber band around your wrist. Every time you catching yourself indulging or wanting to indulge in a bad habit you pull back on the band and let it go, snapping back hard against your skin. The pain from this trains your brain to not want to perform whichever bad habit it is you are working on. How long this training takes varies from person to person and having been about 30 years now i do not remember how long it took to work on me. Best of luck to you.
I had the habit of peeling a callus on my thumb until one day i peeled too much and it got infected. Like the people in the video, I didn’t realize how bad it was until it had spread to my lymphatic system (I had a red streak running up to my armpit). It was a common cellulitis infection...but if I didn’t get treatment when I did, I could have lost the arm. Or worse.
this scary. Ive actually gotten the green infection on the corner of my finger twice in my life. And it hurt real bad when draining the pus, but never knew it was deadly.. 😨😨😨😨
Omg I have green infection on my finger. I just drained it, what are the chances that I’m fine😭 help
@@GamingPretzel116 99.1% you'll live 👏
@@HexaDrex oh thank goodness, why do people make these scary videos😅🥲
Those who feel true anxiety like me know that even this video is not enough alone to make us stop nail biting.
I guess that "true anxiety" isn't high enough to fear an amputated Finger or Death.
Oh ya so true..I’m 45 and the only thing that will stop it is when I get acrylic nails. But when I can’t afford 80 every 3 weeks for new ones I just go back to biting.
@@SomeJerkOnTheInternetthat only provokes more anxiety, that results into more nail bitting.
@@SomeJerkOnTheInternetThat’s not how you get rid of a stress based medical disorder
@SomeJerkOnTheInternet nope it isn't. Some people with high anxiety have repeatative behaviors that they do to release nervous energy and to try to stop is like trying to hold back a sneeze. I can avoid it for a few hours but eventually I won't be able to control the urge to bite.
That nail biting addiction episode from Rocko's Modern Life was no joke.
My anxiety forces me to bite my finger nails every day even the skin around the nails
I have been biting my nails for the majority of my life. This is exactly the warning i needed. Thank you brew crew
I bit my nails when I was young. Then one day when I was a teenager, I was hanging out with a young married couple I knew. The wife was biting a broken piece of a nail when her husband gave her a hard time about it, saying it made her nails look bad. She grabbed my hand, put in his face and said "my hands don't look like this."
I never chewed my nails again.
Man... I thought I had a bad habit of chewing on my nails... Turns out I was just blind of how bad it can get.
Definitely needed this video. I've been biting my nails for as long as I can remember and I really needed a good push to get me to stop again.
I actually got one of those exact bright green finger infections when I was a teenaged nail-biter, it's what made me stop for good, haven't done it since. I caught it really early and was able to get rid of it with ointment before it spread to any dangerous level, but it was still scary to see a bright green wound.
Man: "Doc my finger turned green..."
Pharmacist: "Allright, no big deal."
I used to bite my nails at 10 or 11. This girl in my class had such long nails and I was impressed, and I decided to quit biting my nails. Now during that time of trying to not bite my nails, I didn’t fully stopped biting them, cause the urge to bite was still hanging, so I bit my nails every now and than, but I started to bite less and less. It didn’t take long, probably like a month maybe. I think ever since I stopped biting my nails I grew germaphobic and hated biting my nails or putting my fingers in my mouth.
It's important to emphasize that the introduction of bacteria into the nailbeds comes fom the mouth, one of the dirtiest areas of the body; it is the beginningof the GI tract, after all (and think about what's at the other end 😳).
you stopped my nailbiting right this second.
so if we get paronychia we head to the doctor to get our entire arm amputated
I used to bite my nails a lot, mainly from stress. While I’m still stressed, I was able to stop because of acrylics actually. I absolutely hated those things but for some reason they’re the only thing that worked.
I bit my nails since I was a kid now im 22 & I stopped 7 months ago now im crazy about keeping my nails perfectly shaped & clean
as a teen i bit my nail and chipped a little bit of my front tooth, very good remedy, never did it again
2:05 As a Canadian I can confirm that is how we apologize to people
4:16
me a competitive swimmer:
Welp it was nice knowing y’all.
Rest in pepperoni
I’m a swimmer too but only swim 30mins a week
Are u dead yet
I now have anxiety from biting my nails due to this vid
I'm a nail biter, and I've had the pus under the skin a fair few times. Good thing my mom is a nurse and she taught me at a young age how to take care of it when they form. I haven't had one of those in years though.
Same. I've been a nail biter since childhood. Anxiety at its worst. As an adult, I'm 57, I go through spells of biting them and not biting them. I'm also a chronic hand washer from having worked in the medical field for over 20 years, so I haven't experienced an infection more than 3 or 4 times. Having worked as an MA for hand surgeons, I never saw a patient that had to have a partial or full amputation if a finger for being a nail biter. However, we certainly had our fair share of partial and full finger amputations from infections under acrylic nails. To put that into perspective, I counted 17 partial or full finger amputations in 4 years as a result of infection setting in under acrylic nails. Several patients we saw more than once for that reason. Some went to our foot surgeons for the same reason as we saw patients for their hands. Not once was it because anyone was a nail biter.
~ APRIL LIPKE
Is it wrong to pop the infection?
So how do u take care of them when they form?
@darrenz7472 I want to know this too. I put ice on it one time.
i've been biting the nails down to nearly the skin and even ripping skin off my fingers my entire life due to stress.. never really had any issues..
Yet. I know the habit is hard to break so I won’t say to stop, but maybe try to remember to wash your hands and maybe use some neosporin/rubbing alcohol if you see blood. That’s how I avoid most infections myself.
@@AllAmericanLies Anything is possible if you are determined enough.
One positive thing about Covid, it got me to stop biting my nails because I was so worried about germs...so my OCD may have contributed to the biting, but it also got me to stop biting them. I still pick at them with my other fingers though.
Thx a lot because I have been bitten nails for 2 years!!! God bless you for saving my life.
I used to bite my nails and I remember seeing small green spots like 2 times but I just ignored it and they ended up going away after about a week.
Steven's story (the third one) is one of the reasons why you don't have to go to the pharmacist when you think you might have something, but you have to go to your doctor!!! I always see people in line at the pharmacy, not only to buy something, but to get medical advise from the pharmacist and buy whan they advise and listen to their opinions. They go on and talk for so long to the pharmacist! Not only they keep the line, but they're not doing anything good for themselves by not going to a doctor! Go to your GP, people!!!
Exactly!
0:50 stop to check fingers and toes
Frrr
Toes 🤨
Fr my anxiety has me in a chokehold
I used to bite my nails until I couldn't anymore without hurting myself, but thankfully I have stopped for the most part. Nowadays I only bite my nails in a futile attempt to get them somewhat even when I don't have a nail file or clippers.
Scissors please 🥺
@@Strength_In_Wisdom i don't understand why some people use scissors, I use nail clippers that are supposed to be used for nails. To me, scissors are for cutting things to a shape I need them to be, or to cut things open(like packages)
This sounds unreal honestly ...
Trust me it’s real
It happened to me once
Truth is often stranger than fiction
It happened to me lol....i got surgery like 2 years ago....
I bit my nails until I was around 17, so I can speak from experience that it is an extremely difficult habit to shake.
What I recommend to other nail-biters is as follows: instead of trying to unlearn the habit (which can be almost impossible), try replacing the habit with a less harmful one. What I did was I simply carried a nail clipper with me; whenever I felt the urge to take a bite, I would pull out the clipper instead and clip away. The benefit is multifold:
1. you give your hands something to do, which helps with the anxiety;
2. the clipper does a clean cut, which makes your fingers look nicer and reduces the chance of infection to near zero;
3. you keep your nails short, so you've got less motive to bite or fiddle with it.
Believe it or not, this simple method made me ditch the habit in a few months without much difficulty. Now almost a decade later, I no longer carry a clipper, but I do have one at each of the locations I would spend a lot of time at (e.g. one at the office, one at home, one at parents' place, etc.). The habit to put my hands close to my mouth isn't gone, but I'm no longer instinctively biting at my nails.
P.s. funnily enough, biting my nails growing me up has made me somewhat of an expert in preventing and treating paronychia. Family and friends who know my history would ask me for advice when they catch an infection, which I'm not sure is an honour or an embarrassment 😅.