Anxiety, Stress, and Lip/Cheek Biting

I have been chewing on my cheeks since i was about 5 years old and i am 23 years old now and i do it worst then ever now. From my mom to my all of aunts they all do it as well and i notice that me and my older sister do it as well as well as my cousins. i was just wondering if cheek biting was genectic in any kind of way. I do not have any kids right now but that one nastyldren habbit that i do not want pass down to my future children

So far chewing gum has also been my only remedy to my lip/cheek biting, until I read this I thought it was foolish now I see I was on the right track :)

ok late but I so do it to. I just realised that its from stress. I've only started this year and tend to chew during class, on the bus and when doing homework. I was doing my homework right now and realised I was chewing my lip. now there is a rough spot on my lip. I also think its a reaction from having braces. I got my braces off a year ago and remember the braces always cutting into my cheeks and I think im chewing as my braces use to do what the chewing does now. There are sometimes I wont chew for about a week or more and then I will suddenly chew. I try to put lip gloss or something on my lips so that they are smooth again but it doesn't work. All I can think is find a new way to relieve stress but I know its hard to stop chewing

Hi.... I may be able to help.  I have had this issue as well and I have gotten around it by using a pedi-paws on my nails.  I stopped biting my lip and cheeks and cannot scrape them either with my nails.  It alleviates stress as well.  I am aware that this will not work for everyone, but if you are interested, give it a shot.  It worked for me.

wow there are so many people and I am surprised to see this.  I am going to start looking at womens lips more. lol.  I use camphor sometimes to numb my lips and it also allows me to rub off all the dead skin.  It does help. I also use neosporin and that helps a little.  I find that what ever I can do to numb my lips seems to keep me from picking them.  I need to try a hot pepper.  I have also tried anbesol...helps as long as the lips are numb.  It drives me crazy and it is gross

 I have this same problem. I thought it was just me. You know how that goes. I think for me and maybe some of you it's the taste of blood which is linked to iron deficiency. It's something to consider.

I'm a 16 and I've been biting my the inside of my cheeks for a long time...to be honest, since I was 3 years old. I started biting my cheeks when my father left. My father had an affair with my mom, I didn't understand at that time. Except the fact that my dad was never coming back. So I've been biting the inside of my cheeks, pulling my hair, cutting, and a nail biting habit. Though the hair pulling habit is nearly once in a while and nail biting is gone, I still have the cheek biting habit and the cutting. I also have social problems...I can't make friends and I feel ignored. Maybe cause I'm very quiet? I don't know...but I have a bad social circle...I can't even decide who my REAL friends are. I can't trust anyone, not even myself at some point. I just want to know if there are ways to stop this habit of both cutting and cheek biting. I started noticing my habit of cheek biting when I bite down to hard and took a chunk of my cheek and bleed like crazy. I couldn't stop the bleeding for over an hour. But when it stopped, I left my cheek alone for 3 days. But once it healed, I started getting the damn habit again. I never learned my lesson the first time. But my family never realized my habits. I feel cut off at some point. I guess I'm what they called "Depressed" but I don't think I am. Well, I honestly don't see it. I'm just really quiet. I'm not Depressed though. I don't know if cheek biting is even the one of the signs of depression as what my therapist have said it was. I just want to get rid of the habit as much as anyone else that wants to as well. :-|

I have been doing the same thing for 10 years... strangely only on the inside of my right cheek. Definitely seems to be stress related. Happens when my mind starts wandering off about all the things I have to do. 

I got the same story as most of you. Did it for years, and just recently wondered if anyone else had the problem, and googled it. I'm mostly an inside bottom lip biter. I do it for the same reasons previously mentioned by others - habitualy trying to smooth out skin, anxiety, etc. I'm in the middle of a flair up. I'm going to try to chew more gum I guess. I'm also going to start taking iron pills. I might even try some of the sticks and creams. Not sure how I feel about that yet though. The additional and foreign slimy-ness gets to me. I wonder what other characteristics we all might share?  I drink a c**p load of pop/soda.  I use Listerine mouthwash. I tend to like spicier foods - sometimes. I tend to brush hard.  I tend to be a worrier - at times.  I love pizza. I workout 1-2 a week. Sweat like a boss. Oilier skin. What else? Could it simply be anxiety that causes all to do this?

This LITERALLY is the same thing I go through. LITERALLY. SAME EXACT THING. Except I don't want to stop..

I know exactly how you all feel. Ive been doing this since I was 5 years old. But unlike most of you, I start, and continue until i cannot reach anymore. I end up making myself bleed, and have chewed almost all the way through my lip, making a hole the size of my tooth. I have done it to my entire mouth, the inside of my mouth is absolutlely nothing but scar tissue. I have bit threw nerves, and veins in my mouth, the one time it was so bad, that i couldnt open my mouth, and i had such a bad infection, that it was starting to go to my brain, and almost killed me. And yet i cannot stop myself. I do it when im stressed, when im bored, when im really into something(such as a book), or anything that involves deep concentration. I have tried many things to stop, but I cannot bring myself to stop. When I start, i dont even notice that i have done it til i taste the and by then its to late to stop. no mattter what i do, i cant stop. hope someone has some idea on something to stop/prevent this. it would be nice to not have sores in my mouth all the time

It does lead to premature deep lines around the mouth. I have a difficult time with it also. I have only done this for about 2 years and in that time have put some pretty deep lines around my mouth. I'm trying to figure out how to quit.

I have the same problem, I had been able to curb it; and one thing that helped was applying lip balm, it heals the damage but also in your head somewhat restrains yourself so you won't rub it off, try to think of why you shouldn't when you want to. This really is the only thing you can do, as well as maybe apply a lip balm with a flavor not to your liking and continuously apply

I HAVE THE SAME EXACT HABIT AND IT HAPPENS FOR THE SAME REASON STRESS, ANXIETY, MY FRIEND TOLD ME TODAY I MAY NEED MEDS FOR IT...IDK WAT TO DO EITHER

MALIKA -- TAMPA FL

I was at the dentist today and got told off for doing it but I only chew the left side I have no idea why :(