Fingernails appear, and begin growing, during the third month of pregnancy. From that day on, your fingernails undergo a continual process of growth that takes about six months from start to finish. The process of fingernail growth depends on age, diet and the general state of your health.
Structure
Each fingernail forms from layers of a protein called keratin and contains six separate parts that work together to promote growth. These include the nail root, nail plate, nail bed, the cuticle, the perionychium and the hyponychium.
The nail root, or matrix, is the hidden part of your fingernail that lies under your skin and actually extends down into your finger.
The nail plate is the part of the fingernail you can see. It actually has no color but appears pink due to the presence of blood vessels underneath the nail plate.The nail bed is the skin your fingernail sits on.
The cuticle is skin tissue that protects your fingernail at the base of the nail plate. It connects the nail plate to the skin on your finger.
The perionychium is the skin on the sides of your fingernail. Hangnails and ingrown nails occur in this area.
The hyponychium is at the edge where your nail starts to extend past the nail bed. This area has an abundance of nerve endings and is what causes much pain from things like splinters or cutting your nails too short.
Process
Growth begins at the nail root with cells in the nail bed that bond to form keratin. These cells begin to form layers and slowly make their way from the nail bed out toward the base of your nail. The white moon shape you see at the base of the nail is actually a collection of tightly packed keratin cells. As new cells continually form, older cells harden and push out towards the tip of your finger. While age, overall health and diet affect the rate of nail growth, fingernails generally grow at the rate of 1/10 to 1/8 of an inch per month.
Function
Fingernails function to protect your fingers and increase feelings of sensation to your finger. The nerve endings in your fingertip allow you to process information about objects you touch. In addition, your nail acts like a counterforce that increases sensory output when you touch something.
Considerations
Fingernails act as an indicator of general health and well-being. MayoClinic.com lists seven nail conditions that indicate health problems you may want to discuss with your doctor. A yellowish discoloration could indicate a respiratory condition such as chronic bronchitis. Pitting, or small indentations on the nail plate, can indicate a skin condition such as psoriasis or chronic dermatitis. Clubbing displays as swollen fingertips with curved nails and can indicate lung, cardiovascular or liver disease. Spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency and appear as soft nails that scoop out from the middle of the nail. This resulting depression can be large enough to hold a drop of liquid. A dark band at the tip of your nail, called Terry's nails can be a sign of aging or can be an indicator of congestive heart failure, liver disease, diabetes or malnutrition. Indentations that run across the nail can indicate diabetes or a circulatory disease. Onycholysis, or nail bed separation, can indicate thyroid disease or psoriasis.
Misconceptions
Forget advertisements, forget vitamins and forget gelatin supplements that claim to strengthen fingernails or encourage them to grow faster. According to MayoClinic.com, these do not work. If you want your fingernails to grow faster, eat well, avoid damaging your nails and engage in activities that increase blood flow to the fingernails.
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