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From: "::darkshadows::" <bat@cave.org>
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Subject: How do fingernails grow?
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Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 02:13:29 -0500
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How do fingernails grow?
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.
The base of the fingernails and toenails, as well as some of the nail
along both sides of the nail, are embedded into the skin. Unlike other
skin, this skin contains elastic fibers that connect it to the
fingernail or toenail, and hold it firmly in place. The cuticle, a rim
of skin over the lunula, protects it from bacterial infection, serves
as a shock absorber, and shields the nail from any sudden impacts.
Though many consider dressing the fingernails up to go out a statement
of beauty, or one of vanity, they serve those in the medical field as
a diagnostic tool. Normally, the lunula, or half-moon, is white in
color, indicating proper nutrition and good overall health. Blue
lunula raise red flags that circulatory problems to the fingers may
exist. Nails that are hard, brittle, and tend to split easily, may
also be clues to poor circulation, infection, or disturbances of the
glandular and nutritional systems.
Further nails that curl sharply around the finger point to coronary,
liver, or lung diseases. Nails that are sunken in appearance often
indicate anemia, a condition where an insufficient amount of oxygen is
carried by the blood.
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