Hello friends... have you ever thought of what your nails made of? I am sure most of you have not yet :). I am sure that you don't even care to think of your nails until mommy says you should now trim them. Nail care is important... many people, like me, cut nails with teeth... that's not done! Well you know this, but what you do not know about nails is that what you nails are made of. Have you spared a thought over this?
Nails are made of KERATIN (Pronounciation: kair-uh-tin), which is a protein made by the nail cells. Keratin is the same thing that your hairs are made of, and even the top layer of your skin is made of. Note that you had nails in your fingers and toes even before you were born. You must have noticed that your finger and toe nails begins to grow at the starting point of the U-shaped cuticle (a point where your nail meets your skin) of your fingers. Well there are a lot more going on beneath it. Remember you have nail root in each of your finger - hidden under the cuticle, and the nails start to grow from the root. Cuticles have significant role to play here. It help to protect the new nail as it outgrows from the root of your nail.When the cells at the root of your nails grow old, the new nail cells push the old nail cells out. This old nail cells come out of the cuticles of your fingers, and finally get flattened and hardened. The new born nails then slide along the nail bed, which is a flat protective surface present just under each of your nails. The nail bed actually sits right on top of the tiny blood vessels, which give nutrition to it. This is why your nails appear pink in color.
Interesting fact about your nail: Your fingernails grow slowly. The nails of your fingers grow about one tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) each month. At that rate it normally takes around 3 to 6 months to completely replace an old nail.
Nails are made of KERATIN (Pronounciation: kair-uh-tin), which is a protein made by the nail cells. Keratin is the same thing that your hairs are made of, and even the top layer of your skin is made of. Note that you had nails in your fingers and toes even before you were born. You must have noticed that your finger and toe nails begins to grow at the starting point of the U-shaped cuticle (a point where your nail meets your skin) of your fingers. Well there are a lot more going on beneath it. Remember you have nail root in each of your finger - hidden under the cuticle, and the nails start to grow from the root. Cuticles have significant role to play here. It help to protect the new nail as it outgrows from the root of your nail.When the cells at the root of your nails grow old, the new nail cells push the old nail cells out. This old nail cells come out of the cuticles of your fingers, and finally get flattened and hardened. The new born nails then slide along the nail bed, which is a flat protective surface present just under each of your nails. The nail bed actually sits right on top of the tiny blood vessels, which give nutrition to it. This is why your nails appear pink in color.
Interesting fact about your nail: Your fingernails grow slowly. The nails of your fingers grow about one tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) each month. At that rate it normally takes around 3 to 6 months to completely replace an old nail.
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