Dermatillomania. When an innocent lip-biting habit becomes a problem

Reasons for the habit

The bad habit of biting your lips doesn’t just appear. It can form at any age, but usually it is the period of childhood and adolescence. In most cases, the habit indicates problems of a psychological nature.

The main reasons for the habit:

1. Lack of parental attention. The child receives little love from his parents. He needs his mother's hugs, kisses, and praise. He has a bad relationship with his family. Instead of love and affection, he usually receives punishment for bad behavior and bickering. In such cases, the child involuntarily begins to slightly bite his lips, and may also gnaw on the inside of his cheeks. After some time, this unconscious movement turns into a habit.
2. Negative emotions. Adults bite their lips or cheeks when they cannot control their emotions. Some are hysterical, and there are those who simply silently bite their cheeks in the hope of getting rid of emotional discomfort. The habit may occur when stress is experienced at work. The person reacts too emotionally to this situation. He is overwhelmed by frequent anxious feelings and, in order to calm down, he bites his lips and cheeks. In this way he inflicts pain, wanting to quickly bring himself to his senses. Sometimes a person bites his cheeks even while laughing.
3. Desire to get rid of rough skin. In frost or strong wind, lips become chapped. Their surface becomes rough and the skin cracks. This creates some discomfort. Some people end up chewing off the flaky crust.

Another reason when they bite from the inside of the cheek is that the person is in thought. This simple action helps keep him focused on the problem and not lose focus. After he has thought through all the important issues, the action stops.

If a child had a good, carefree childhood, then he will not have the bad habit of biting his cheeks. Otherwise, you should first find out the reason why this disorder was formed and later try to eliminate it.

Treatment

No one wants to suffer from cheek biting, whether it is caused by stress, cancer, or an accident. The best way to deal with this problem is to know what causes it. While considering the causes, we have already mentioned some treatment methods.

Now let's look at common ways to stop cheek biting, as well as treatments that can help get rid of this problem.

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Relaxation therapy and stress management

One of the excellent methods to get rid of the cheek biting habit is relaxation. This will be effective if you bite your cheeks due to boredom, anxiety, stress or habit, as it helps achieve calm while reducing anger, pain, anxiety or stress. There are many techniques that include deep breathing, qigong, meditation, pranayama, yoga nidra, visualization, self-hypnosis, biofeedback and others.

Mouth guard

These are dental appliances that are worn not to treat but to prevent and control the problem of cheek biting. Most of them are temporary, but some may be permanent. This includes special mouthguards and prostheses.

Bite correction and jaw alignment

Surgical and non-surgical bite adjustments are often recommended for people whose inner cheeks suffer from crooked teeth, especially molars and premolars. If your jaws are misaligned, they can also be straightened through various procedures that include plastic surgery.

Realize

The first step towards treatment is awareness of the problem. Once you realize that constant cheek biting is not normal, get the necessary treatment.

Get distracted

People for whom cheek biting becomes an obsessive problem usually need alternative distractions, such as chewing gum or replacement therapy, to help combat the habit.

In addition to this, you should follow certain rules while eating. Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly. Avoid talking while eating or being distracted by reading or watching TV. Be responsible when choosing dental prosthetics and piercings. Contact your dentist for help in treating your specific cheek biting problem.

Consequences

Biting your lips indicates that a person is very worried, worried, stressed, or experiencing other unpleasant sensations. He develops small wounds. The lips begin to become inflamed, and this is fraught with the fact that they begin to react to spicy and salty foods, cold and hot water. This creates an unpleasant feeling of very chapped lips.

Another negative consequence is the possibility of contracting an infection. Microwounds are an excellent environment for the development of bacteria that lead to skin inflammation. As a result, various diseases can form and actively develop, one of them is cheilitis: unsightly herpes appears, which also worsens the appearance of the lips and face.

For girls, bitten lips mean the inability to apply lipstick due to the excessively red border of the lips. The cosmetics will lay down in an uneven layer and will further emphasize the unsightly cracks. This is especially important for women whose professional activities involve communicating with people.

Biting your lip during a conversation

Accidentally biting your lip during an exciting conversation indicates excessive talkativeness. The person said too much, and the universe gives a signal to stop. This does not mean that you need to suddenly fall silent and leave without saying goodbye, leaving your interlocutor in bewilderment. But it's better to change the subject.

According to another theory, an injury to the lip indicates an enemy who has wormed his way into the environment. This person gossips about you, distorts the truth and tries to denigrate you in the eyes of his friends. Another option for interpreting superstition is an underlying desire to leave as quickly as possible. The conversation did not live up to expectations, so I want to end the meaningless conversation.

A generalized explanation of the sign is a harbinger of major troubles. Due to talkativeness, insincerity or hasty judgments, a major scandal will break out, which will entail serious consequences.

Don't forget that there are also natural reasons for biting your lip. They are not associated with mysticism: an incorrect bite, a poorly made denture, an inappropriately broken tooth, and much more. When persistent wounds interfere with your normal life, visit the dentist.

Correction

Getting rid of the habit of biting your lips is difficult, but it is possible. This will take 10–40 days.

The first thing to do is to find the reason for this habit. You need to listen to yourself, focus on your behavior. You will notice under what circumstances you start biting your lips. You need to try to control yourself and not commit such manipulations.

It is important to learn to control your actions and emotions as well. In moments of strong emotional outbursts and when thoughtful, try to restrain yourself from biting your lips. Remember what the consequences of this addiction are: inflammation, cracks, burning sensation on the lips.

Other recommendations to help you overcome your bad habit:

How to stop biting your lips and cheeks on the inside. Getting rid of the habit of biting your lips

The habit of biting lips is a problem for most adults. Thinking about the problem, worrying and worrying, they bite their own lips. It looks unaesthetic. This way it is easy to cause infection and inflame the skin.

You can get rid of such a habit. You need strict control over your actions and detailed psychoanalysis.

Possible reasons

We use our lips to express our feelings. There are people who have developed the habit of biting their lips or cheeks. This expresses their feeling of self-doubt and worry. This facial gesture shows that a person is puzzled by something, feels fear and is nervous about something.

The habit begins in childhood. Its causes: lack of attention, lack of parental love, frequent stress and nervous breakdowns. By biting his lip, the child tries to hold back tears or anger when he is scolded. He does this when he doesn’t know the answer in class and is nervous about it. He bites his skin every time he experiences negative emotions. If the baby does this regularly, then the action becomes a habit. And being of a conscious age, he cannot get rid of it.

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Biting the skin helps calm you down. In this way a person tries to cope with emotions. When he makes this gesture, he feels better and calms down faster. They believe that physical pain sobers up and helps you come to your senses.

The habit of biting your lips is a way to get rid of rough skin. In a strong wind, lips often become chapped, the skin becomes flaky and irritating. And instead of lubricating it with a moisturizing balm, the person once again chews off the rough skin. But often this brings discomfort. Lips can be bitten until they bleed, which will lead to the formation of cracks.

Consequences

Bitten lips look unattractive. Especially if wounds with blood are visible. Even beautiful lipstick won't help hide it.

Other consequences:

1. Inflammation. Infection can occur through cracks. Especially if you have another bad habit - biting your nails. And herpes on women’s lips looks ugly.
2. Discomfort. For a person with bitten lips, every meal will be problematic. There will be a burning sensation and pain in places where there are wounds. Especially if the dishes are salty and spicy.
3. Skin condition. Due to constant biting, the skin will become rough.

Problems with the lips and chewing on the inside of the cheek can cause problems throughout the mouth. This negatively affects the condition of the teeth. Microbes penetrate the oral cavity and begin to multiply instantly. The result is plaque, caries, ulcers on the inside of the lip.

Self-treatment

It is imperative to get rid of bad habits. This develops willpower.

Learn to control your actions

Pay attention to what you do in moments of stress and anxiety. Motivate yourself

If the process could not be stopped in time, you can come up with a light punishment.

Ways to get rid of the habit of biting your cheek and lips:

Pamper yourself after every small victory. If you manage to spend the planned time without biting the skin on your lips, give yourself a little encouragement. This could be a sweet, half an hour of rest, a walk. Relaxing treatments like going to a spa or massages are excellent motivation. Taking vitamins. Deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals negatively affects the skin

It is important to start taking the appropriate medications to get your lips and mouth in order. You need to drink the whole complex

For a list of medications, you should consult a dermatologist or cosmetologist. Sedatives. If cheek biting is caused by nervous breakdowns or mental disorders, calming pills will help. They improve the condition of the nervous system, making it easier for a person to find harmony with himself. Be sure to contact a neurologist for an appointment. Proper care. This is especially true for girls. It is necessary to use special creams and ointments. Before going to bed and going outside, thoroughly lubricate your lips with a moisturizing balm or hygienic lipstick.

Folk recipes

Even if a person takes a vitamin course, lips need to be looked after externally. Special masks and balms that can be made at home will help with this.

The first recipe is an oil-based balm. To prepare it you need to take:

• Shea Butter;
• wax;
• cacao butter;
• almond or coconut milk;
• cocoa powder.

All components are taken in the amount of 1 tsp. First, the wax is heated in a water bath, after which it is mixed with all the other ingredients. The product is placed in a lipstick tube or in a small container with which it will be convenient to spread on the lips, and placed in the refrigerator for a day. After this, the product should be applied as needed or when the lips begin to dry out. Shelf life – up to 6 months.

Another recipe is a balm with honey. They take 1 hour. l. honey and 1 tsp. butter. A prerequisite is liquid honey. The components are not heated, but simply mixed. The product is applied to the lips before going outside or before going to bed. It will help you quickly get rid of dry lips and can be stored for up to 2 months.

Both products are harmless and can be used even during pregnancy. The only contraindication is individual intolerance.

Symptoms

Most often, cheek biting occurs in the area of ​​the chewing teeth. White ridges are formed on the inner surface, the structure resembling a callus. A person feels pain and discovers an unevenness or a wound that may or may not bleed. This causes discomfort when talking, eating, or brushing teeth. Upon examination, the doctor will detect a violation of the mucous membrane and an inflammatory process.

Without treatment, acute inflammation will become chronic. Ulcers and erosions form. As a result, the bite can result in serious diseases (see photo):

• tuberculous ulcer - yellow in color, granular in structure, with uneven, undermined edges, very painful,
• leukoplakia - keratinization of the oral mucosa,
• cancer - compaction in the center of the ulcer and along the edges, the wound does not heal for a long time, the process spreads to neighboring tissues.

A lump on the lip is a painless thin-walled mucous cyst that does not degenerate into a malignant one (we recommend reading: a lump appeared on the lower lip: causes and treatment). There are cases when the lump grows, becomes crusty, itches, and causes excessive salivation. These are signs of lip cancer.

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Specialist help

Sometimes you should consult a psychologist. It will help put your nervous system and thoughts in order in order to find harmony with yourself.

In the treatment of persistent biting of the cheeks or lips, several therapy methods are used:

• cognitive-behavioural;
• group;
• individual;
• psychoanalysis;
• NLP.

All of them have one goal - to eliminate the reason due to which the habit of biting lips and cheeks from the inside was formed. The only difference is in the approach to treatment.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoanalysis are very similar: the patient is initially asked to think and respond to the following:

• why I like to peel my lips;
• how do I feel after this process;
• Is it getting easier for me?
• who said it would last forever;
• what will happen if I change this habit to another;
• Do I understand the consequences of my actions, etc.

After this, the doctor asks the patient to imagine a situation that causes him stress. He carefully observes the patient's reaction and the nature of his actions. This will allow you to understand how strongly developed the habit is. After this, the psychologist asks you to switch to something more pleasant.

The peculiarity of cognitive behavioral therapy is that its main part is homework. The doctor may ask the patient to find a hobby to learn to distract himself from problems and psychological stress. It could be:

• reading an interesting book;
• playing sports;
• meditation and yoga;
• visiting cultural events;
• trips;
• communication with other patients, etc.

The purpose of homework is to find yourself and enjoy life. This will have a positive effect on breaking the habit, lifestyle and personal growth of the client.

In group classes, in addition to general pastime, patients are taught breathing techniques. The basic rule is to take a deep breath through your nose (3-4 seconds), exhale slowly through your mouth (2-3 seconds). Usually 5 breaths are enough to come to your senses.

In addition to a psychologist, visiting a dermatologist and cosmetologist is mandatory. Experts will prescribe a specific course of vitamin preparations and give useful advice on how to care for your lips.

A cosmetologist will help you change the appearance of your lips, and a psychologist will help you put things in order in your head, thoughts and soul.

How to stop biting your lips and get them in order. Tip 2: How to stop biting your lips

Any bad habit most often does not bring pleasure, but rather, on the contrary, brings only inconvenience. One such manifestation is the habit of biting lips. What should be done to forget about this manner forever?

You will need

• - expensive lipstick,
• - cream,
• - hygienic lipstick.

Instructions

1

Pay attention to exactly when you bite your lips. Try to identify patterns

Most often, people bite their nails or lips in moments of stress or when they are thinking about something, or are distracted, for example, by watching a movie. Write down on a piece of paper when you noticed that you were biting your lips. Give yourself the task of carefully monitoring yourself in these moments.

2

The reason for the emergence of such habits has a psychological basis.

Quite often you can observe the following pattern: children and adolescents who were deprived of attention or those who were often scolded by their parents are more prone to the habit of biting their lips. Think about how long ago you started biting your lips, and whether this is related to any childhood fears

3

Try not to bite your lips in stressful situations, but replace these manipulations, for example, with deep sighs. This, firstly, will help you calm down and come to your senses faster, and, secondly, it will gradually get rid of the annoying habit.

4

One way to wean any creature from something is to develop a conditioned reflex. Apply some cream to your lips, for example, preferably one that tastes unpleasant. Every time you try it while trying to chew your lips, you will feel an unpleasant taste. After some time, you will forget that you ever suffered from such inconveniences.

5

Another option is to buy expensive lipstick. You will remember that your lips are made up and gnawing on them is, to say the least, offensive. Of course, this method is more suitable for women. Men can use hygienic lipstick.

6

Constantly moisturize your lips: both special creams and hygienic and decorative fatty lipsticks are suitable. If your lips are moisturized, the desire to bite them will be much weaker, and, therefore, you will do it much less often.

How to fix the problem

So, a person usually begins to bite skin in childhood, when he lacks attention and tenderness. The following treatment methods are available:

1. Make yourself happy after any victory, even a small one. If you haven't bitten your lips for a long time, treat yourself. It could be something sweet, a short rest, a walk. Going to a SPA salon and massages are great motivations for people. Look after yourself.
2. Take vitamins and minerals. The lack of necessary vitamin and mineral components negatively affects the skin. You need to take special products if you want your lips to become healthy. To obtain a list of medications, you need to visit a dermatology or cosmetology office.
3. Sedatives. If you bite your skin due to stress, use sedatives. They will help you remain friendly, just don’t overdo the dosage. It is better to check with a neurologist.
4. Take proper care of yourself. You need to use special creams, ointments, and hygienic lipstick. This way you minimize the negative effect of harmful movements.

If the skin is bitten and there are cracks, you should not use lipstick. This can complicate things. It is allowed to use only special care products. Thanks to this, the skin will look well-groomed, soft and beautiful.

Relatives can help you get rid of the habit. Ask them to remind them not to bite off the skin. You will feel a sense of shame, and you will want to quickly overcome your bad habit.

Why does malocclusion form?

Statistics show that 90% of people have some signs of occlusion; The root cause of anomalies is considered to be genetics. However, heredity is far from the only factor.

According to orthodontic experts, the following factors influence the formation of the dentofacial apparatus in children:

• artificial feeding: when breastfeeding a newborn, the jaw apparatus is formed more correctly, while the habit of sucking a pacifier inherent in “artificial babies” affects the process negatively;
• difficulty changing teeth: loss of baby teeth too early or, conversely, with a delay can affect the health of the jaw apparatus;
• injuries, untreated caries, inflammatory gum diseases (all this is fraught with jaw displacement).

A child’s habit of sucking their thumb in their sleep can also lead to malocclusion in the future. But for adults, the greatest danger is the loss of teeth: the absence of even one unit in the dentition can lead to a violation of the load distribution, as a result - to deformation of the occlusion (this is another argument in favor of dental implantation, and the dentition must be restored as quickly as possible - before a problem such as malocclusion appears).

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I bit my cheek and an ulcer formed: how to treat it

It is with this question that many women come to see the dentist. Don't get upset or panic if this problem often haunts you. It is imperative to take the following steps so that it does not bother you anymore:

• If we talk directly about the wounds and ulcers themselves, then they can be caused not only by damage. To exclude the presence of other pathologies, consult a specialist;
• As the experience of many patients shows, home therapy does not eliminate the problem forever. Your sores may disappear, but you have no guarantee of a recurrence;
• strictly follow all oral hygiene principles. If you really do everything right and take care of yourself, you don’t need to see a doctor.

Modern methods for diagnosing autism in children

1. Consultation with a psychiatrist . This is a conversation with parents and observing the child in free play. The doctor looks at how the baby behaves, how he interacts with his parents, whether he looks him in the eyes, whether he gives objects in his hands, or throws them on the floor. If the child speaks, pay attention to speech, intonation, and construction of phrases. The doctor carefully collects the history of the child’s life and development, and the history of the mother’s pregnancy. It is important when he began to pronounce the first sounds, when he stood on his feet, crawled, began to walk, what his gait was like.
2. Consultation with a speech therapist to exclude autistic speech. The doctor will determine whether the speech delay is due to autism or other disorders. Children with autism have a unique development of sound pronunciation, and an experienced speech therapist will immediately recognize it.
3. Consultation with a neuropsychologist to identify which developmental stages the child may have missed.
4. Examination using tests (autism diagnostic scales):