Fingernails grow about 3.5 millimeters each month And toenails grow about 1.5 millimeters per month. Those are the averages for healthy adults. Whether you're getting proper nutrition and how well you take care of your nails can affect the growth rate.
Your fingernails grow at an average rate of 3.47 millimeters (mm) per month, or about a tenth of a millimeter per day. To put this in perspective, the average grain of short rice is about 5.5 mm long. If you happen to lose a fingernail, it may take up to six months for that nail to completely grow back.
Your fingernails grow slowly — in fact, they grow about one tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) each month. At that rate it can take about 3 to 6 months to completely replace a nail. Where your nail meets your skin is your cuticle. Cuticles help to protect the new nail as it grows out from the nail root.
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.
The average nail grows around 2-3mm a month (so around 0.6mm a week) however, some people find their nails growing at a much faster or slower rate.
“Fingernails tend to grow about 0.7 mm or about 0.03 inches per week,” she says, adding that toenails take about 2-3 times longer to grow.
A fever, injury, chemotherapy, or major stress can cause your nails to grow slowly or stop growing. If you cannot think of what could may have caused your nails to grow slowly or stop growing, see your dermatologist or primary care doctor. Once you find and get rid of the cause, nails often start growing normally.
The lack of various minerals and vitamins can slow down the growth process of nails. Silicon, Calcium, Vitamin B7 and D are very important for nail growth. To supplement the lack of essential minerals and vitamins in your nail, the experts at Herome have developed a serum: the Herome Nail Growth Explosion.
Actual growth rate is dependent upon age, sex, season, exercise level, diet and hereditary factors. Contrary to popular belief, nails do not continue to grow after death; the skin dehydrates and tightens, making the nails (and hair) appear to grow.
After a nail separates from the nail bed for whatever reason, it will not reattach. A new nail will have to grow back in its place. Nails grow back slowly. It takes about 6 months for a fingernail and up to 18 months for a toenail to grow back.
Healthy fingernails are smooth, without pits or grooves. They're uniform in color and consistency and free of spots or discoloration. Sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail.
(One or two millimeters, in our book.) If you look at your fingers from the side, the whites of the nails shouldn't be so long that they start to divorce the rounded shape of the finger. If the nail is so long that it extends past the fingertips, you're due for a trim.
A file is the only thing you should use to shape your nails. If you cut them you run the risk of trimming off too much length and leaving little room for fine-tuning the shape. Always file your nails in one direction starting at the outer and working your way around.
How often should you clip your fingernails? According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, fingernails grow about 2.5 millimeters each month. If you injure your fingernail and it falls off, it takes about 6 months to grow back. If you want to keep your nails a certain length, trim them once every week or two.
Olive oil penetrates the nail and promotes quicker and stronger nail growth. Thus, olive oil is good for dry brittle nails. Warm olive oil in a microwave for 10 to 15 seconds and massage it into your nails and cuticles for five to ten minutes. After that, put on cotton gloves and leave them on overnight.
ANSWER: This is an urban legend. Every person has a speed at which their nails will grow that is largely genetically determined, and a person in good health will grow nails at that speed. Certain medical conditions, such as malnutrition and thyroid disease, can slow down nail growth.
Why are the tips of my nails white? As your nails grow out beyond the nail bed, they usually change to white. This is because the nail is dry. This is nothing to worry about and is a sign of healthy nails.
Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.
As for nail length, there's a small spectrum of acceptable lengths. You should leave at least a sliver of “white” at the top of your nails—that space where the nail starts to separate from the skin it protects. (One or two millimeters, in our book.)
Helps improve nail health
If you don't take care of your nails, over time, they will become really brittle and break easily. Drinking enough water not only keeps your nail bed healthy, but also aids stronger and faster nail growth.
Whitening toothpaste, when applied, can lighten and brighten your nails in just a few short minutes. The same clinically proven natural whitening ingredients in products such as Tom's of Maine Luminous White Toothpaste can double as a treatment for surface stains on nails.
''The middle and fourth finger tend to grow a little faster than than the fifth and the thumb. That's a Trivial Pursuit question, believe it or not. '' ''Nails grow faster in summer, some research indicates, while winter and a cold environment tend to slow nail growth,'' he added.
In general, fingernails grow about 3mm per month, or about 0.1mm per day. Toenails grow slightly slower, at a rate of about 2mm per month, or 0.07mm per day. However, these are just averages – some people may find that their nails grow faster or slower than these rates.