Hi, just a gal wondering how the heck do nails grow??
I look at my nails and I see where my cuticle is, but where does it come from? How does it develop in length? How come one week my nail polish looks perfect, and the next week there’s a line from where it was at my cuticle? Where is my nail coming from? Please explain!
In: Biology
Nails start in the nail root, hidden under the cuticle.
When cells at the root of the nail grow, the new nail cells push out the old nail cells. These old cells flatten and harden, thanks to keratin, a protein made by these cells. The newly formed nail then slides along the nail bed, the flat surface under your nails. The nail bed sits on top of tiny blood vessels that feed it and give your nails their pink color.
Your fingernails grow slowly — in fact, they grow about one tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) each month. At that rate it can take about 3 to 6 months to completely replace a nail.
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