The human body is full of many miracles. Although some of these miracles can be explained scientifically, others have not been fully explained yet. One of the unexplained secrets of the human body is nails.
Today, we will talk about the difference in elongation between our finger and toe nails from the point of view of science.
Theoretically, although our fingernails and toenails perform the same function, it is impossible to say that they are exactly the same.
The nails on the hands and feet in the human body protect the soft tissue in our fingers and protect our fingers from various diseases, especially infection. In addition, they are the harbingers of some diseases, thanks to their color changes. Our fingernails also help us in some functions such as holding, cutting and grasping, unlike our toenails.
Our fingernails grow 4 times faster than our toenails, so while we cut our fingernails 4 times a month, we only cut our toenails once.
Although it varies according to age, gender, diet, types of activities during the day, genetic factors and seasonal conditions, generally our fingernails grow 4 times faster than our toenails.
Again, although it varies according to the above factors; While a nail in our hand reaches from the root to the tip in about 6 months, this period is about 2 years for our toenails. While our fingernails grow an average of 4 millimeters per month, our toenails are content with 1 millimeter.
Both are ours, both are nails, so why does one grow faster than the other?
Although both our fingernails and toenails are made of keratin, also known as the hardened protein, there is a significant growth rate difference between them. According to science, there are 3 reasons for this growth difference.
According to the most commonly defended theory, the reason why our fingernails grow faster is because our hands are closer to the heart. Our fingernails thus obtain more nutrients and oxygen and grow faster than our toenails.
There are two other theories that scientists defend at least as much as the first theory, and that, when we think about it, we can say that they may be right.
The second theory is that our fingernails grow faster than our toenails because we use our hands more than our feet. It is thought that our cells are triggered to grow because we use our fingers actively during the day, almost constantly.
In fact, according to this theory, right-handed people use their right-hand nails more often, so their right-hand nails grow faster, but this difference is not so serious that it can be seen with the naked eye.
The third and final theory is the natural balance. Since our fingers, that is, our hand bones, are longer than our toes, our fingernails naturally grow faster.
Nails should not be ignored, our nails can be the harbinger of some diseases.
You may have noticed that our nails change color from time to time. These color changes are usually temporary, but long-term color changes may be a sign of some diseases. For example, a bluish or purple nail bed can be a sign of cyanosis, also known as oxygen deficiency.
You don’t need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to have healthy nails, just being well-groomed is enough!
If you have a question like “how can I have healthy nails” in your mind, the answer to this question is also extremely simple. It is enough to cut our nails at regular and reasonable intervals, without lengthening, and to do this with our own nail clippers.
Although nail clipping and a surgery are two different procedures that cannot be equated, using someone else’s nail clippers can cause you to get an infection. For this reason, just like toothbrushes, use nail clippers as a personal product.
Although nail extensions are not welcome in many Western countries, there are world records in this field as well.
Especially in the 80s, young people who used banned substances used to extend a fingernail for ease of use. For this reason, in some Western states, even today, nail extension is not welcome. Although there are rumors in our society that it is a sin to cut nails at night or on Wednesdays, these rumors are completely unfounded. When your nails grow, you can cut them at any time, 7 days a week.
When it comes to nails, it’s okay if we don’t talk about the names that entered the Guinness Book of Records with their long nails. In 1998, Indian Shridhar Chillal made history with 146 cm in men, and in 2001, American Lee Redmond made history with 89 cm.
Bonus: Nails grow faster in women, especially during pregnancy
Although many people are not aware of it, during pregnancy, many women’s finger and toe nails grow faster due to pregnancy hormones. Nails not only grow faster during this period, they also become thinner and rarely break.
Experts state that this process ends after pregnancy, it is not right to use chemicals to protect nails during pregnancy, and the only thing to do is to pay attention to nails in terms of hygiene.
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