INFOCUSPage B2 · The Pioneer · January 27, 2011

Bitten

(Top) Ross Livingstone, 59, of Trenton, has been a nail biter his whole life. (Left) John Holota, 25, of Quinte West, bites the skin around his nails. “Since I was a kid, 6 or so... I just remember noticing the skin around my nails would sometimes stick up, so I started biting...” (Below right) Doug Shoenhals, 52, of Bayside, has bitten his nails all of his life. His father and his grandfather both bit their nails, and he believes he had just picked up the habit from watching them.(Bottom right) Leigh-Anne Allan, 28, of Belleville, has been biting her nails her whole life. Her mother also bit her nails. Oddly enough, she gets pedicures in the summertime. “Even though my hands may not be “pretty” at least my toes can be.”(Bottom left) Dana Shoenhals, 24, of Bayside, has been biting her nails since she knew she could. Her father, grandfather and great grandfather all bit their nails — that’s four generations of nail biters.

Story and Photos by Clover Raftis

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, hat makes someone bite their nails? A habit that is largely viewed as ‘dirty’ is carried on by five per cent of the adult population. Teenagers make up for the majority of nail biters with a whopping

50 per cent nursing the habit. Often finding it embarrassing, most nail biters will hide their hands, either in their pockets or hidden

behind their back. A nail biter will do anything to hide the ugly truth behind their chewed nails, admitting to the habit sheepishly, slowly looking at their hands.

Many individuals cannot even remember when they began biting, but are continuing a generational habit passed down from parents and grandparents. The very first nail biter clinic opened up in September of 2007 in the Netherlands. The clinic boasts a 98 per cent success rate with a treatment that lasts a few short hours.

Among the typical products found at beauty boutiques to help break the habit of nail biting, a person with this habit has a multitude of treatment options now among them, hypnotherapy and prescription medications such as anti-depressants.

Meet five individuals that span a wide age range, who are all nail biters. Each individual started biting for different reasons, but the majorities have had the habit for as long as they can remember.

All wish they could stop.

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