r/nailbiting

Hello all! 👋🏻 I was a constant nail biter for at least 15 years. When I was quitting, I had a very hard time finding long-term update photos so I’m sharing one! I’m in between nail appointments and I finally have a nail bare enough to do it. I’ve stopped biting now for around 10 years, and as you can see, my nail bed has SLOWLY been growing back. It’s distinctly a different color, but it still makes a big difference. So just wanted to say, if you leave them be, they might not look perfect but they will heal themselves some.

I quit purely out of spite - started dating someone who smoked and he agreed to stop smoking and I agreed to stop biting my nails. We’re still married now haha. I wish I had more helpful advice than being stubborn with a pact. The most practical advice I have is Nailtiques Formula 2 clear coat really helped me pick and bite less, my nails were a lot harder with it on.

Almost a year after I stopped biting I can finally make this post.

The hardest part was getting from Picture 1 to Picture 2. That’s probably the longest I had ever gone without biting. I had to get my nails long enough to not be embarrassed walking into a nail salon to get my nails done for the first time in years (Picture 3).

The longest I managed to get them to was the Christmas and New Years set (Picture 5 and 6). I shouldn’t have because my nails were too weak and my nail bed wasn’t ready for it which lead to my nail breaking (Picture 7). It was so painful and had to run to a pharmacy to get help removing it because I couldn’t do it myself.

Last picture are my current nails. My thumb nails have now broken in half (don’t have pics) because I just can’t bring myself to cut them when I have made such progress but I should.

It doesn't look too bad from a normal angle but viewing the ridge from the top one side grows down

Hey.

It’s April 19th, 2026. I am a few months away from turning 19. I have been biting my nails and fingertips for as long as I could remember. I knew it wasn‘t good for me, I got teased for it plenty, struggled with knots and picking cards and coins off the floor plenty. But there were plenty of things in my life that I put before this, and this is the result.

Ingrowns on both sides of every finger, inc the thumbs, constant pain in every finger tip to the point where every day tasks like typing and holding a pencil or pen are painful, think of somewhere like the worst leg day you’ve ever had localized onto your finger tips constantly, and a tenderness where even light pressure elicits pain that makes your whole body convulse. I cannot even imagine what my hands would look like with “normal” nails. I’m pretty sure my fingers, esp my thumbs, have changed shaped bc of the lack of nails throughout my entire life from birth till now. (can anyone confirm is this is actually a thing or just my imagination bc I have no personal reference for having nails)

Im posting this as a before picture to start my process of growing out my nails for the first time ever, and for anyone out there looking for something to scare their kids with. I hope this would have been enough to dissuade 3 year old me and nip it in the bud.

I will be back in 1 year.

I bit my nails for years and only stopped once I applied nail polish. I had them looking so good. Ah well, guess I’ll go back to using nail polish. Not even a lot either. Just a few dabs on the problem fingers and once I have those looking nice again hopefully I fully stop with the other 2.

ive been awful at picking peeling chewing off and generally fucking up the skin surrounding my nails for my entire life and have finally trying to be mindful about snapping out of the trance, however i still keep catching myself in the act :[

my problem is i cant tell if my nails and skin have healed at all or not...my frame of reference for what 'healthy' nails and fingers look like has been messed up because my nails never looked like anyone elses when it was really bad, and i got used to the scabs and scars and raw skin 24/7 as just what my nails looked like at a baseline, and i cant tell if my nails look normal anymore now that im not tearing them up 24/7

i guess im just wondering if my nails look healthy or if theres anything i should be looking out for, if the redness is healthy or a sign of something

idk if i explained any of this right but if i didnt pls lmk and i can attempt to clarify, thank u guys in this sub for having a place for people to ask for support and support others dealing with BFRBs 🫂❤️

my press on nail fell off and now my nail look like this. i know that if i pull the hang nail i’ll be in a lot of pain. also im scared because ive passed out before due to pulling off a nail after a press on nail was removed. im a horrible nail biter and im scared ill bite it off due to habit. how do i fix this

After 25 years of biting, I finally found a fix. I’ve tried every bitter polish and trick out there, but nothing worked until my wife took me to a nail salon.

I got acrylic infills without a tip (just the acrylic over my natural nail). The results were immediate. The "thick" and heavy feeling of the acrylic creates a huge psychological barrier; I’m much more aware of my nails, which completely kills the autopilot urge to bite.

The progress:

Week 1.5: Went back for a cleanup because they were actually growing.

Week 8: My nails look near perfect.

I just keep getting them refilled as they grow out. If you’re a lifelong biter and nothing has worked, give this a shot. The physical weight of the acrylic is a total game-changer.

[swipe to see where the journey started last year ➡️]

He did cut them a little shorter than I wanted, but they grow so fast now, I don't even care... After 1 year and 4 months clean (and finally having all 10 nails without cracks/ broken) I finally got to experience a manicure! :)

You can see in the first image the pionter finger the nail has a spot on the bottom where I tried. I literally couldn't bite through it. I didn't know nails got this strong, but yeah. As of now, 3 weeks in and no nail loss. Despite trying. I will not try to again, but yeah.

Bitter nail polish was the solution! I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I still rub my nails across my teeth but haven’t bitten them! Also got my first manicure last weekend.

You can do it! I believe in you :)

Idk why the nail keeps getting peeled off smh

I cut everything my teeth can grip. I have an overbite so my teeth can’t grip which is helpful😂😂

I was just cleaning so my finger look weird.

Officially the longest I’ve ever lasted!

Photos from today and from the day I stopped biting.

Incredibly proud of myself 🙂