Patient's question:
Sucking fingers persistently, seeking specific correction methods. Distracting attention and giving the child timely attention have not worked. I had to put on a small glove for her, but it interferes with her hand movement, and she still sucks her fingers through the glove. The fingers have become thick and calloused.Please provide a specific correction plan. Thank you!
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Some children have the habit of biting or licking their nails, and some continue to bite their nails even when they grow up, or even fail to control themselves as adults. Generally, the habit of biting nails often starts with the thumb and index finger, with a brief duration of biting. However, as it develops, not only does the duration increase and the frequency become more frequent, but it can also affect all ten fingers. The long-term habit of biting nails often results in varying degrees of damage to the nail plate. Additionally, since the biting differs, the extent of the damage also varies. If the nail is bitten at the free edge of the nail fold, the damage often manifests as nail shortening, causing the front edge to become short and uneven, resembling a sawtooth appearance. If the nail is bitten on the surface of the nail plate, on the side of the nail, or on the cuticle, the changes in nail damage are more diverse, such as roughening of the nail plate surface, loss of its original waxy luster, accompanied by longitudinal ridges, pitting nails, and spoon-shaped nails. The nail may atrophy and become smaller; or it may become thin and soft, or there may be bleeding under the nail, leading to the formation of subungual exostosis, deformation of the distal phalanges; or redness, swelling, and pain in the surrounding muscles and skin, sometimes even purulent discharge, which may affect the nail fold, causing paronychia.Biting nails not only causes damage to the nails but also presents other clinical symptoms. Some children who bite their nails often exhibit pale complexion, thin body, distended abdomen, visible blue veins, poor appetite, a preference for various flavors, restlessness at night, grinding of teeth, constipation or diarrhea resembling sheep feces, yellow and dark urine or clear and long-lasting urine, pale tongue with yellow or greasy coating, and a wiry and slippery pulse, indicating disharmony of the spleen and stomach as well as symptoms of parasitic malnutrition. Others who bite their nails may experience irritability, redness of the white of the eyes, red tongue with a wiry pulse, constipation and dark urine, indicating symptoms of liver fire and blood dryness.