Nails are composed of keratin, and they grow from the base of the nail (called the matrix) to the tip of your finger, growing on average 3.47 millimeters per month—that’s around one tenth of a millimeter per day!
Let’s break down the rate of nail growth by month, day, and year so you can see exactly how long it takes for nails to grow from start to finish.
What Factors Affect the Growth of Fingernails
Factors that affect fingernail growth include age, diet, exercise habits, genetics and even smoking. Learn more about how factors such as these can impact your fingernail growth. What Does a Healthy Fingernail Look Like?
Here are some signs of healthy nails:
- no color changes
- no ridges or grooves,
- no pain or swelling when pressed.
However, each person’s nails are unique; one person’s healthy nail may look different from another’s. It is important to see a doctor if you notice any changes in your nails.
Do Men’s Nails Grow Faster Than Women’s?
There’s actually no scientific evidence suggesting that men’s nails grow any faster than women’s. This assumption may have arisen because nail care is viewed as a female problem—which has led to more market research on women’s fingernail growth.
Men may find it difficult to address nail issues because of taboos about talking about nail health (particularly for guys with manicured nails).
This can lead to shame and embarrassment around growing fingernails that break easily or discolor easily (due to diseases like psoriasis).
In fact, some studies suggest that nail-biting—with its associated hangnail risks—may be more common in males than females.
Acrylic and Gel Manicures Can Damage Fingernail Health
Have you ever noticed that your nails look thinner after a manicure? That’s because artificial nails are not made of natural nail material. When applied, acrylic or gel nails rest on top of your real nail.
This artificial covering can inhibit your natural nail from absorbing nutrients, causing it to become weak and brittle.
And if you have them filed down or removed with acetone, they can damage your nails further.
To give yourself healthier looking nails that won’t break as easily (and will grow faster) at home, try a product like Miracle Nail Growth.
It has everything you need to strengthen and nourish natural fingernails so they look healthy again—without resorting to painful chemicals or other damaging treatments.
What Causes Peeling on Fingernails
Peeling nails can be caused by a number of things that range from medication use to vitamin deficiencies. However, they are most commonly caused by an underlying condition that is negatively affecting your body’s ability to heal itself.
This is known as tissue hypoxia and occurs when blood supply is restricted for any number of reasons. For example, if you were to severely cut or puncture your finger with a knife, it would result in hypoxia in that nail bed because blood flow has been disrupted by injury.
Prevent Dryness on Fingertips & Between Fingers with Hand Creams
If you’re like many people today, you might spend a lot of time using your fingers for various tasks. For example, we use our hands to type on smartphones and tablets (causing them to become dry); on computers (causing nails to become dry); and even when eating greasy foods (creating what is known as fry-hands).
In addition to keeping your cuticles moisturized regularly so they don’t crack or split, it’s important that you also keep your hands well-moisturized in general.
Fortunately, there are many types of hand creams available today which can effectively soften skin on your hands.
How to Remove Cuticles Without Damaging Your Nail
Cuticles are thin sheaths of tissue that hug your nails. Cuticles protect your nail bed from germs and bacteria. They also act as a barrier against outside elements that could harm your nails.
In order to remove cuticles safely, it’s important to be gentle with them. Always cut cuticles with a special tool designed for use on nails. If you’re removing natural cuticles only (and not artificial ones), go slowly!
While it can be tempting to quickly pull off all of your cuticle in one motion, doing so puts stress on your fingernail plate—and may even cause damage in extreme cases.
