Amazing Facts about Nails Growth and lifecycle

Our nails are made up of many layers of dead alpha Keratin Protein Cells. Keratin Protein is also found in our hairs and skin. Nails in primates and some mammels are similar to claws in other animals. Nails are mostly used for Protection, Scraching, Climbing and Digging. Normally a nail grows 2 to 3 mm in a month.  Here we will present some amazing facts about the human nails.

How Nails are Made:

Our nails comprises of Nail Plate, Nail Bed, Nail Folds, A Cuticle, A Lunula and Nail Matrix.

Nail Plate- This is top hard part of the nail. It is made up of Keratin Protein. Many layers of compected dead cells of keratin protein makes our nails strong and flexible.

Nail Folds- The skin around our nails is called nail folds. It covers and protects our nails from sideways and makes it more stronger.

Nail Bed- Nail bed is sensitive skin below nail plate. Nail beds consists of Epidermis and Deep Dermis tissues. Epidermis is  a layer just below nails and moves along nail plate till finger tip and deep dermis is the living tissues below epidermis which is consists of capillaries and glands.

Cuticle- A cuticle is type of tissues which protects newely formed keratin at the botton of nail plate.

Lunula- A lunula is half moon shaped part visible mostly at the base of the thumb nail and sumtimes in fingers. A lunula is visible part of nail matrix.

Nail Matrix- Nail matrix is responsible for producing nail plate. Nail matrix is part of nail bed and lies at the base of nail plate. Nail matrix consists of blood vessels, keratogeous membrane and nerves. It produces keratin cells at the base of nail bed and pushes older cells forward.

Now you know how your finger nails are made and what they are made of, We will see some amazing facts about the growth of your finger nails

1.      Fingernails grows faster than toenails. Although no scientifc evidence has proved why this happend but some studies has shown that fingernails are closer to the heart and receives more blood than toenails. This is why our fingernails grows faster than toenails.

2.    Nails on your dominent hand grows faster than other hand. Rodney Dawber an oxford dermatologist has exposed in a study that fingernails grows in response to how much there fingers are used. According to Dawber frequent use of finger indicates to the nail matrix that there are more chances of nails being torn and hence it responds with faster growth.

3.    Weather can also affect nail growth. A physicist named Willian Bean has studied fingernail growth and discovered that growth of finger nails is affected by blood flow in body and our metabolism. As blood circulation is faster during summer season than winter season, hence growth of fingernails and toe nails are faster compared to winter season.

4.    Nails growth slows down with age. Although nail growth is not so fast in infant babies. It is maximum at the age of between 10 to 15 and gradually slows down with age. This is also because our blood circulation slows with age and hence effect our nails growth.

5.     Cutting your nails more often will enhance your nail growth. As per Dawber and trauma theory Nail Matrix responds to how fast nails are chopped or sliced at the fingertip.

6.    Growth and colour of our nails may indicate our health condition.
As per theory from American Academy of Dermetology slow growth of our nails may be due to low blood circulation in our blood. Yellowish nails may be due to poor condition of lungs and diabetes or jaundice. Pale and fragile nails may be due to Anemia, Liver disease or malnutrition.

7.     Nails growth in womens is affected during pregnency. In most of the pregnent women growth of nails is faster and rapid than normal. This is due to harmonal changes in the body during pregnency. Some women have also reported fragile fingernails which may be due to malnutrition and must be consulted with a docted immidieately.