• Question: how fast do our nails grow?

    Asked by mynameismaria to Amy, Drew, Julia, Kimberley, Sara on 22 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by crunchiejelly.
    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi maria!

      Apparently 2 inches per year!

      Fingernails and toenails grow from a point near the roots below the skin, at the base of the nail where the nail is very thin. White in color, and half-moon in shape, this semi-circle is appropriately named the “lunula,” and comprises a group of cells that manufacture keratin, a dead, hoof-like protein. The keratin like protein produced, gathers and merges with the nail plate, the dead armor that protects the soft and tender nail bed underneath, and pushes the entire nail up and out. Though the fingernails and toenails grow an average of two inches per year, their growth slows with age, and the average adult’s fingernails grow only one inch over the course of eight months.

      Lee Redmond had the longest fingenails in the world (8 m 65 cm!!!) until she broke them in a car crash in 2009!!

    • Photo: Julia Griffen

      Julia Griffen answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Amy’s got the data!

      I reckon it depends on person to person… depends on your diet.. for strong healthy nails Vitamin A and D are essential (FYI…these also helps with shiny hair!) and calcium..

      My nails always break! I can never grown them long! Frustrating!

    • Photo: Sara Imari Walker

      Sara Imari Walker answered on 22 Jun 2011:

      Hello maria! Nice name! Looks like Amy’s got all the crucial details on this one =)

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