Ex nail biter: will I ever have nice nails?

[Fabapocalypse]

Having been a life-long and pretty severe nail biter - to the point where doing virtually anything with my hands was painful (bag of crisps? Ow!) - I finally managed to stop, with professional help, just over ten years ago.

I stopped with the aid of a set of acrylics which I wore for three months and then my own nails were naked (apart from polish), which they have been since, apart from a summer a couple of years back when I had a gel overlay (if that's the word) to protect them while some building work was going on at home, again for about three months. I didn't enjoy the removal process for either of these; the gel was supposed to be soak-off but there was still buffing at the end which left my nailbeds sore for a while and my nails feeling thin.

My nails look okay-ish with polish on, but rubbish without; even after all this time, I still have a relatively long 'white' as if the nail isn't 'fixed' to the nail bed far enough up the nail which means they snag and break easily. My nails also stain easily: no matter what base coat I use, they're yellowy. Over the past year or so one or two have taken to peeling badly, quite large areas sometimes.

I have vertical ridges on both ring fingers but none of the others; I only have half-moons on my thumbs. My hands and nails look dry; I use good handcream and oil on them every day (either Solar or Avoplex) but this doesn't improve and the nails have a habit of 'tearing' at the sides sometimes below the quick which is unsightly and sore.

I use quality products and am doing my best to look after them (gloves for housework, keeping them short, not over buffing, etc.) but they're pretty grim if not polished and break more easily if I don't paint them, too.

I like having colour on them but it would be nice to know my nails also looked good underneath and that I wasn't going to tear one almost in half just by washing my hair, which happened yesterday... I do have a couple of health issues but the medics say they've not heard of either of them causing damage to this extent.

I've never used anything other than standard nail polish on them myself so haven't damaged them by misusing anything more 'technical'.

I've taken one of those 'skin hair and nails' supplements for three years now with no noticeable effect and I think it's time for professional help again but there are so many issues at once and there are so many products offered I don't know what to ask for! I'm also a bit embarrassed about how they look 'naked'. :sad:

Is there any hope for me to ever have nice, 'normal' nails or is it opaque polish forever? Can anyone recommend salon treatments or programmes?

Sorry for the long post!

 

[Nikki May]

Have you tried IBX? Im successfully using it with my ex nail.biters

Sent from my ST23i using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Fabapocalypse]

Thanks for responding.

I'm just a member of the public, so have only so far used things you can buy retail, like the oils and OPI Nail Envy.

Need a professional, and something to help rebuild my nails somehow! I've no idea why they should be so bad now since I've not bitten for over ten years.
Is IBX a structural thing, like an overlay?

Since writing the original post I've managed to tear my thumbnail on a plastic carrier bag (yesterday) and tonight the nail I tore the other day went nearly right the way across when I was getting my glasses out of my bag. It's high up the nail so made me feel quite ick!

 

[Nikki May]

If you can find a salon that offers IBX or a Mobile tech that would help you im sure. Its a repair treatment that repairs inside you nail unlike any that sit on top of your nail

Sent from my ST23i using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Fabapocalypse]

Many thanks for that - I looked on their website, and am now Googling to try and find somebody near me that offers it.

 

[Chickafish]

Your nails sound like they're very thin and delicate, and you really shouldn't be doing any buffing on them at all. You sound like you take very good care of your hands and nails, but the damage may be greater than anything that can be applied topically. If your nail biting was as severe as it sounds, it may actually be the matrix (point where the nail grows from) that's damaged, hence the vertical ridges growing in on certain fingers. (I'm assuming they're very deep ridges?) The free edge (whites as you called them) look longer because the nail bed (pink) is not reattaching as your nails are growing. Most likely it's because the nail structure is not in a good enough state for it to do so, so the skin pulls back rather than reattaching itself as the nails grow. I see this with my clients with nail enhancements and gel polish. When they have their enhancements or gel polish on, the nail is hard enough to where it doesn't over flex or break, allowing the nail bed to reattach while the nail grows. As soon as they go natural, the nail bed appears shorter as the skin has shrunken back.

A course of IBX (once a week for a month initially) would be beneficial for your nails as it would harden your nails and stop the peeling and breaking, but for now and while you're on the course of treatments, you will need to keep your nails short (no further than up to the finger tips) until the nails are strong enough to support a longer length. While you're trying to find an ibx tech, continue using your solar oil as much as you can everyday. The hand creams are most likely water-based and will not be as effective as the cuticle oil.