Several thousands of people around the world suffer from one of the strangest of disorders, skin biting.
It is actually a form of obsessive compulsive disorder, wherein the person suffering from it bites into his or her own skin compulsively.
Scientifically termed as 'dermatophagia', this is one of the strangest kinds of disorders that are found in human beings.
People suffering from this disorder typically start with biting the soft skin around the nails and then gradually move on to other parts of their body.
Sufferers cannot seemingly stop themselves from doing so and many parts of their body often end up discolored and even bleeding sometimes.
People who are known to suffer from this disorder are known to suffer in silence and usually avoid socializing, due to sheer embarrassment.
Although there is no specific medication available for treating the condition, the best possible treatment available is in the form of behavioral therapy.
The behavioral treatments are designed in such a manner that the sufferer gradually tries and replaces the habit with another positive habit.
Behavioral treatments are known to give good results when it comes to treating skin biting.
For those particularly prone to biting around their nails, there is a special nail polish available, which releases a bitter flavor, which is applied, in order to discourage the suffers from chewing on them.
Mouthpieces are yet another method using which skin biting can be prevented.
Although there are various treatment methods available, almost all of them work well only when combined with behavioral therapy.
The therapy basically focuses on replacing the habit with a more constructive one, apart from finding out and then eliminating the triggers that lead to the biting urges.
By constantly reinforcing the positive points about another constructive habit, sufferers are encouraged to give up the habit, once for all as part of behavioral therapy.