ANI
 
London, Aug 8: Now all those habitual and compulsive nail biters are in for a relief, for the world's first treatment centre for nail biters is to open in Venlo, Netherlands next month.

Alain-Raymond van Abbe, Director of the Institute for Pathological Onychophagy (IPO) said that his expertise centre has developed a health aid over the past two years that is fitted to the individual and makes nail biting impossible.

"This is the first place ever to tackle this very serious problem. We are expecting clients from all over the world,” Ananova.com quoted Van Abbe, as saying.

Basic treatment for nail biting takes a few hours and individuals can expect to be entirely cured in about four weeks. The treatment has been successful for 98 per cent of the first trial patients, adds Van Abbe.

"The treatment has been successful for 98 per cent of the first trial patients. Very few fall back into the habit," he said.

The centre fits a special device to the hands that permit normal activities but prevent nail biting, and simultaneously gives patients extensive therapy and counselling to get them to stop.

Van Abbe says that the Netherlands has about 2 million nail biters. Recent studies show that about 15 per cent of adults, 33 per cent of young children and 45 per cent of adolescents bite their nails.