A woman from Scotland has issued a dire warning to those who bite their nails, after her friend’s nail-biting habit led to them contracting a potentially fatal infection.
Karen Peat has publicly shared gruesome photographs of her unnamed friend’s finger, which was visibly swollen with a yellow tinged blister. This individual was rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary after biting their nail down so far down they ended up with an infection.
Horrifyingly, they required emergency surgery on the finger as the infection had begun to spread up their arm. If they had have left it much longer, it could have cost them their life.
Taking to Facebook on January 7, Karen urged other nail biters to think twice before having a cheeky nibble.
Although widely seen as a bad habit, the health consequences of this social faux pas are rarely considered, so Karen’s grim post makes for sobering reading.
According to Karen:
A message to nail biters out there STOP!!! Someone I know who prefers to remain nameless who bites their nails ended up having to get rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary today for emergency surgery because they had bitten their nails down too far and had got an infection in the finger.
She continued:
This person had been to two chemists and spoken to two separate pharmacists over the past few days who had advised to use magnesium sulphate and keep it covered it still got worse and when finally went to the A&E this morning was told if left much longer it could have been fatal as the infection was travelling up the arm hence the emergency surgery!
So please please stop biting your nails!!
Giving an update about her friend’s recovery process, Karen said:
Surgery done and on a drip for antibiotics for the next few days and this is how it looks now. PS minus a nail on that finger which may never grow back but on the plus side, one less nail for them to bite!
According to Healthline, nail-biting carries multiple risks including infection, tissue damage and abnormal growth.
This habit can also result in changes in how your nails look, more frequent colds and other illnesses, as well as damage to the teeth due to the hardness of the nails.
Giving up biting your nails can be tricky, but you can begin by keeping your nails short, getting a manicure or flavouring your nails to make them taste unappealing.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.