@laurennnichols/TikTokMost of us have a bad habit we want to shake, though this girl had no choice but stop hers after nearly having to have part of her finger amputated because of it.
Lauren Nichols, 18, had the habit of biting her nails. Following an horrific infection causing her to almost have part of her finger removed, however, it’s safe to say she won’t be nibbling at them anymore.
Lauren, a college student from Texas, shared the story of her ordeal on social media, where she warned others to not bite their nails.
@laurennnichols/TikTokTaking to TikTok, Lauren said:
To my fellow nail biters, stop what you’re doing. I almost had to get the tip of my finger amputated because I bite my nails.
The infection began for the 18-year-old in January this year, when a large ‘green spot’ surfaced on her cuticle.
The next day Lauren went to the doctors where she was diagnosed with paronychia, a skin infection that occurs around nails and is caused by irritation or injury. She was then prescribed antibiotics for the infection.
You can watch her TikTok commentary here:
@laurennnnicholsplz watch… it could save your finger’s life 🥺 #seeya #WhatsYourStuf #fyp #foyoupage #foryourpage #foryou #foryoupage♬ original sound – laurennnnichols
However, despite being prescribed medication, Lauren’s finger only got worse and she decided to pop the spot on her cuticle – something which didn’t help her situation.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Lauren said:
[The doctor] told me that he has to amputate the tips of people’s fingers because the infection gets too bad, and that I’m lucky I came when I did.
Since this has happened to me, I have stopped biting my nails because I never want to have to go through that again.
I made the TikTok to educate people to not bite their nails because it can have serious consequences.
@laurennnichols/TikTokLauren went on to have surgery called a ‘therapeutic washout’ to get rid of the infection, and has since recovered from the ordeal.
The teenager also said she has since bought a finger cube, also known as a fidget cube, to keep her hands busy and away from the dangers of biting her nails. Fidget cubes, similar to fidget spinners, are designed to sit comfortably in your fingers. Not meant to eliminate constant fidgeting, they instead help alleviate it and give the person something to reach for, rather than, say, their own fingernails, scraps of paper or that old chewed up biro on the end of your desk.
Alternatively, treat yourself to a manicure – there’s no way anyone would want to nibble on their nails after spending their hard earned cash on making them look fab.
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Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.