Noah Sinclair
Skin, hair, and nails are made up of proteins, with the main protein in hair being keratin. Nails grow out of deep folds in the skin of the fingers and toes, with new cells growing and pushing old ones through the skin. The nail plate, which is the actual fingernail, is made of translucent keratin. Hair grows by forming new cells at the base of the root, with these cells multiplying to form a rod of tissue in the skin. These rods of cells move upward through the skin as new cells form beneath them.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What are nails and hair made of? | Keratin, a type of protein |
| Where do nails grow? | Nails grow out of deep folds in the skin of the fingers and toes |
| How do nails grow? | As epidermal cells below the nail root move up to the surface of the skin, they increase in number. Those closest to the nail root get flat and pressed tightly together. Each cell becomes a thin plate; these plates pile into layers to form the nail. |
| How do nails get their colour? | The nail plate looks pink because of the network of tiny blood vessels in the underlying dermis |
| How fast do nails grow? | On average, a healthy person's fingernails grow about 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters per month. |
| What affects nail growth? | Nail growth depends on factors such as nutrition, age, health status, and inherited genes. Stress can also slow down nail growth or even temporarily stop it. |
| What are some nail-related conditions? | About 10% of all dermatological conditions are nail-related. These include fungal infections, clubbing (associated with lung disease), and melanoma cancer (due to melanocytes growing in the nail bed). |
| Where does hair grow? | Hair grows all over the human body except the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and lips. |
| How does hair grow? | Hair grows by forming new cells at the base of the root. These cells multiply to form a rod of tissue in the skin. The rods of cells move upward through the skin as new cells form beneath them. As they move up, they're cut off from their nourishment and start to form keratin. This process is called keratinization. |
| How does hair get its colour? | Melanocytes produce melanin, a protein pigment that gives each strand of hair its colour. |
| How fast does hair grow? | Hair grows faster in summer than in winter and slower at night than during the day. |
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What You'll Learn
Nails grow from deep skin folds
Nails and hair are made up of a protein called keratin, which is also present in the skin. Keratin is produced by epidermal cells called keratinocytes. These cells are responsible for the formation of nails and hair through a process called keratinization. During keratinization, keratinocytes produce keratin, which fills up the entire cell, causing the organelles to flatten out and form thin plates. These plates pile into layers, creating the nail or hair shaft.
Nails grow out of deep folds in the skin of the fingers and toes, also known as the nail root or matrix. The matrix lies beneath the skin, at the inner edge of the nail plate, and is responsible for most of the nail's growth. As new cells grow, they push old ones through the skin, forming the nail plate. The nail plate is the visible part of the nail and appears pink due to the underlying network of tiny blood vessels.
As epidermal cells below the nail root move up to the surface of the skin, their number increases. The cells closest to the nail root become flat and are pressed tightly together. Each cell forms a thin plate, and these plates pile into layers to create the nail structure. This process is similar to hair growth, where new cells form at the base of the root and move upward through the skin as more cells form beneath them.
The rate of nail growth can vary depending on various factors, including nutrition, hand dominance, season, and overall health status. On average, a healthy person's fingernails grow about 3 to 3.5 millimeters per month, while toenails grow more slowly. Additionally, stress can cause nail growth to slow down or even temporarily stop, resulting in horizontal lines across the nails when growth resumes.
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Hair growth starts at the root
Inside the bulb of the hair follicle lies the hair matrix, which is the active site of hair growth and gives hair its colour. The hair matrix contains two different cell types: follicular keratinocytes and melanocytes. Follicular keratinocytes in the hair replicate rapidly and die in a process called keratinization. During this process, keratinocytes produce keratin, a type of protein that is a basic component of hair, skin, and nails. Keratin is a long filamentous protein that comes in many different forms, but it is generally divided into soft and hard keratin. Hard keratin is much denser than soft keratin, and it gives hair and nails their durability.
As new cells form at the base of the root, they multiply to form a rod of tissue in the skin. These rods of cells move upward through the skin as new cells form beneath them. As they move up, they are cut off from their supply of nourishment and start to form hard keratin. This process is called keratinization. As this happens, the hair cells die. The dead cells and keratin form the shaft of the hair.
The rate of hair growth varies depending on the season, with hair growing faster in the summer than in the winter. It also grows slower at night than during the day.
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Keratinisation of hair and nails
Keratin is a protein that is naturally produced by the body to keep hair, skin, and nails healthy and strong. It is the key structural material that makes up hair, nails, and the outer layer of skin in vertebrates. Keratin also protects the body's epithelial cells from damage or stress.
Hair grows by forming new cells at the base of the root. These cells multiply to form a rod of tissue in the skin. As they move up, they are cut off from their supply of nourishment and start to form keratin through a process called keratinization. As this happens, the hair cells die. The dead cells and keratin form the shaft of the hair.
Nails grow out of deep folds in the skin of the fingers and toes. As epidermal cells below the nail root move up to the surface of the skin, they increase in number. Each cell becomes a thin plate; these plates pile into layers to form the nail through keratinization. As with hair, when the nail cells accumulate, the nail pushes forward. The skin below the nail is the matrix, and the larger part of the nail is the nail plate, which appears pink due to the network of tiny blood vessels in the underlying dermis.
Keratin can exist as alpha-keratins and beta-keratins, depending on the configuration of its polypeptide chains. Alpha-keratins are mostly fibrous, with a helical structure, and are found in the hair, epidermis, horns, and nails of mammals. Beta-keratins are sheets of polypeptide chains that extend in parallel directions, giving them a tough and rigid structure. They are found in the nails, scales, and claws of reptiles and the feathers, beaks, and claws of birds.
The evolutionary relationships of keratins are complex and only partially known. Keratin plays a crucial role in the health and appearance of hair and nails, and various treatments and products containing keratin are available to strengthen and improve the look of hair.
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Skin's role in nail growth
Skin, the largest organ in the human body, has many functions. It protects the network of muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and everything else inside our bodies. It forms a barrier that prevents harmful substances and germs from entering the body. It also helps control body temperature through sweating when we are hot and by keeping heat in the body when we are cold.
Skin plays a crucial role in nail growth. Nails grow out of deep folds in the skin of the fingers and toes. As epidermal cells below the nail root move up to the surface of the skin, they increase in number. Each cell becomes a thin plate; these plates pile into layers to form the nail. As with hair, nails form by keratinization. When the nail cells accumulate, the nail pushes forward. The skin below the nail is the matrix. The nail matrix lies beneath the skin, at the inner edge of the nail plate, and is responsible for most of a nail's growth. It's where new cells grow and then advance forward to form the nail. The larger part of the nail, the nail plate, looks pink because of the network of tiny blood vessels in the underlying dermis.
The whitish crescent-shaped area at the base of the nail is the lunula. The nail bed is also referred to as the sterile matrix. It extends from the edge of the lunula to the tissue known as the hyponychium. The nail bed contains blood vessels, nerves, and melanocytes that produce melanin. As the root grows, the nail streams down along the nail bed and adds material to the underside of the nail to make it thicker. When the nail grows properly, the nail bed is smooth, but if the nail doesn't grow correctly, the nail may split or develop ridges.
Nail growth is affected by various factors, including stress, age, health status, nutrition, and nail care. Additionally, nails grow faster in the summer than in the winter, and fingernails grow faster than toenails.
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Melanin and hair colour
Melanin is a natural pigment that determines the colour of your hair. The two types of melanin that you may have are eumelanin and pheomelanin. The subtypes of melanin range in colour from black to reddish-yellow, and their relative quantities define a person's hair colour. People with brown or black hair have varying amounts of brown and black eumelanin. When there is no black eumelanin and a small amount of brown eumelanin, it results in blonde hair. Blonde hair is the result of small amounts of brown eumelanin with no black eumelanin. Pheomelanin colours hair orange, red, and yellow. People who have equal parts eumelanin and pheomelanin have red hair. All human hair has some amount of both pigments. Over 95% of melanin content in black and brown hair is eumelanin. Pheomelanin is generally found in elevated concentrations in blonde and red hair, representing about one-third of total melanin content.
Melanin is produced in melanocytes, which are located in different areas of the body, including the innermost layer of the skin, the pupils and irises, the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus (areas of the brain), the medulla and zona reticularis (areas of the adrenal gland), and the stria vascularis of the cochlear duct (part of the inner ear). Melanocytes move melanin into small sacs called melanosomes, which are taken up by newly formed follicular keratinocytes, giving hair its colour. Over time, these melanocytes stop producing melanin, which is why hair turns white as people age. This greying of hair is called achromotrichia and normally begins in the early to mid-twenties in men and late twenties in women.
Vitamins B6 and B12 have been proven to boost melanin production. Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to trigger the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that boost the metabolism of the hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles. Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, promotes healthy hair growth by increasing the production of red blood cells. However, there hasn't been enough scientific research to prove that melanin supplements can help prevent or reverse grey hair.
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Frequently asked questions
Nails grow from underneath the skin at the nail's proximal end under the epidermis. The growing part of the nail is known as the nail root or nail sinus.
Hair grows from the hair follicle, a tube-like structure within the skin. The hair root is found at the base of the hair follicle and extends down to the deeper layers of the skin.
The hair root supplies the hair with blood and nutrients, allowing it to grow. New hair cells are constantly forming in the hair bulb, close to the hair root. These cells stick together and harden, gradually pushing the hair up and out of the skin.
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