Why do we have Nails?

Nails are an integral body part for us humans. We can’t do quite a few important things without them. Both fingernails and toenails play an important role in assisting us in our daily chores. Nails can be considered as flattened and evolved version of claws as they were found in animals as well as our primate forefathers. They help humans to scratch if there is itching somewhere, to grip things, to open or peel edible objects, to protect the ends of the fingers and toes and to perform many other diverse tasks.

Nails are produced by our body near the end of the fingers and toes in the nail root. When they start growing and get separated from the skin beneath them and their length increases, their color changes from pink to white. Our hair and fingernails have one thing in common, that is, they both are made up of a protein called keratin. The top layer of our skin contains this protein. The reason behind the increase in the length of the nails is that the nail cells are flat and hardened due to the presence of keratin and when new cells emerge from below they start pushing the hard cells outside and become nails. It’s quite an interesting fact that in the real sense, nails are dead tissue which is why we don’t feel any pain while cutting them. They don’t need any nutrients or food but they appear pink in color due to the presence of tiny and minute blood vessels under them in the nail bed. There are some interesting facts about nails like, the length of the fingernails increases two times faster than the toenails; the growth is faster in summers as compared to that in winters; the bottom part of the nail is called lunula which has a half-moon shape; the middle finger nail is the fastest growing nail and the slowest growing is the thumbnail.

The color of our nails also comes in handy if anybody wants to check how healthy a person is, because the pink color signifies that the amount of iron in the person’s blood is sufficient and he is healthy. Weak and brittle nails can be taken care of by eating more of food products which contain keratin, like gelatin which is produced from the hooves of animals. Many people consider fingernails as an unimportant part of our body, but try spending a day without bringing them in use and you will understand their importance immediately.

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