All nail growth occurs at the nail's base, where the specialized cells that make up the nail's plate are produced; these cells are pushed forward as new cells form behind them.
Nails look as if they grow only from the tips of the fingers or toes and this is the portion, which we cut or trim. But in fact, nails start growing from the nail bed, a small surface that is just below where your nail disappears into your fingers or toes.
Cells of nails grow outward and not upward, whereas cells of the epidermis grow upward.
Nail Growth
It takes six months for a fingernail to grow from the root to the free edge. 1 Toenails grow much more slowly, at just 1 millimeter per month. It takes a toenail 12 to 18 months to grow from root to tip.
Once you've managed to stop biting your nails, one of the questions often asked is whether bitten nails can grow back to normal. The bad news is that although fairly uncommon, nail biting can lead to permanently damaged nails.
The rate of nail growth is affected by a number of activities and environmental conditions. For example, during the day and in the summer, nails grow faster than at night or in winter. Nails grow more rapidly on longer fingers and on the dominant hand.
Rather strangely however the longer your fingers the faster your nails grow and the nails on your more active hand grow faster than on the other. Your middle nail grows the fastest and your thumb nails the slowest.
Like your regular fingernails and toenails, nail beds also grow; however, they don't become longer over time. Despite this, you can still help the tissue of your nail beds grow and regenerate at a healthy rate by adopting good grooming habits and performing the right treatments after a nail bed injury.
The standard rate of growth of a normal fingernail is between 0.5 – 1.2mm per week, but this differs from one individual to another. On average, this is approximately 0.1mm a day.
Unlike the dead keratin cells in the nail plate, the keratin cells in the lunula have nuclei (centers). These nucleated cells reflect rather than transmit light, creating a grayish-white half-moon.
As nails grow longer, the c-curve tends to tighten because the tips are drying out. They start to curl in the same way an autumn leaf curls as it dries out.
For both hair and fingernails, growth rates are affected by season, gender, age and heredity. Hair and nails grow faster in the summer months than at any other time of the year. Men's hair and fingernails typically grow faster than women's hair and fingernails; pregnancy and old age are the exceptions to this rule.
How is cutting nails disrespecting Goddess Lakshmi? It is believed that Goddess Laksmi visits home in the evening to bless the household. Cutting nails in the evening is considered disrespectful to the Goddess. Therefore, it should be avoided at all costs.
Your nails also change with age. They grow more slowly and may become dull and brittle. They may also become yellowed and opaque. Nails, particularly toenails, may become hard and thick.
The nail grows slower in cold weather and faster in warm weather because circulation is slower in the cold weather, causing a growth slow down. If there is damage to the matrix, the nail may be deformed (thickened, brittle, etc.).
Don't Cut Your Cuticles.
Cutting them could open the door to infection or irritation. "If you remove the cuticle, that space is wide open, and anything can get in there," Scher says. Cutting your cuticles can also lead to nail problems, such as ridges, white spots, or white lines.