Our hair and nails have always played an important role in defining who we are and our social status. The importance of hair and nails can also be understood from the fact that during the Covid Lockdown, many people praised the skills of their hairdressers and nail artists.
Even Taylor Swift revealed that she cut her own hair during the lockdown. Just imagine what would happen if taking care of our hair and nails became too difficult for us and we decided to give it up. Will our hair and nails continue to grow? The answer is yes. Hair on our head grows an average of one centimeter every month, while our nails grow an average of more than 3 mm every month. Left unchecked, our hair and nails can grow to impressive lengths.
The longest hair and nails in the world
Aliya Nasyrova, known as the Ukrainian Rapunzel, holds the world record for the longest hair of a living woman. Her hair length is 257.33 cm (CM). Talking about the record of nails, it is in the name of America’s Diana Armstrong whose nails are 1,306.58 cm long.
How do hair and nails grow?
Most people trim their hair and their nails regularly. The interesting question here is why do some people’s hair and nails grow faster? Tell me, what are they made of? Hair and nails are mostly made of keratin. Both grow through the division of matrix cells found under the skin.
Nail matrix cells are located under the skin at the base of the nail. These cells divide and push older cells forward. As they grow, the nails spread. The flat area under the nail appears pink due to the abundant blood supply.
Hair grows from matrix cells. When a hair begins to grow, the visible part of it forms the shaft. This shaft grows from a root that is wrapped in a sac under the skin called a hair follicle. This sac contains the nerve supply, there are oil glands that lubricate the hair. There is a small muscle that makes the hair stand up when it is cold.
At the base of the hair follicle is the hair bulb, the most important of which is the hair papilla that supplies the follicle with blood. Matrix cells near the papilla divide to form new hair cells, which then harden to form the hair shaft. As new hair cells form, the hair grows above the skin.
The papilla also plays an integral role in regulating the hair growth cycle. This signals the stem cells to migrate to the base of the follicle and form the hair matrix. The matrix cells then receive the signal to divide and initiate a new phase of growth.
Unlike nails, our hair grows in cycles
Scientists have identified four stages of hair growth. The first is the anagen or growth phase, which lasts from two to eight years. The second stage is the catagen or transformation stage.
Meanwhile, hair growth slows down. This period lasted for about two weeks. In the third phase, the telogen or resting phase, hair does not grow and lasts for about three months. The final phase of hair growth is the shedding or shedding phase. During this period, there is no growth, instead the hair falls out and new hair grows from the same hair follicle.
This process starts again. Each hair follicle goes through this cycle 10-30 times in its lifetime. If all our hair follicles grow at the same time and enter the same phase at the same time, there will come a time when the person will go bald. However this is not usually the case. any
At times, only one in ten hairs is in the telogen, or resting, phase.
On an average, a person has more than 1,00,000 hairs on their head and the growing process continues. We lose 100-150 hairs every day. Sometimes this process becomes unbalanced.
What affects the speed of hair growth?
Genetics is the most important factor in this. Hair growth rates vary among individuals, but are similar among family members.
Nails are also affected by genetics, as siblings, especially identical twins, have similar nail growth rates. But there are other implications as well. Age makes a difference in hair and nail growth, even in healthy people. Young people usually have a faster growth rate due to slower metabolism and cell division.
In addition, hormonal changes can have an effect. Pregnancy often accelerates hair and nail growth, while menopause and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol can slow growth. Nutrition also changes the strength and growth rate of hair and nails.
Hair and nails are mostly made of keratin, they also contain water, fats and many minerals. As hair and nails grow, these minerals need to be replaced. Therefore, a balanced diet with adequate nutrients is essential to maintain healthy hair and nails. Nutrient deficiencies can contribute to hair loss and brittle nails, disrupting their growth cycle or weakening their structure.
For example, iron and zinc deficiency increases the rate of hair loss and makes nails brittle.
Hair and nails do not grow after death
It has long been a myth that hair and nails continue to grow after death. But that is not the case at all. After death, the skin shrinks due to lack of water in the body, due to which the hair and nails start to look long.
Doctors are well aware of this. Some people inject tissue filler into the fingers of the deceased to reduce this effect. No matter what happens, one thing is for sure that the task of taking care of our hair and nails is never ending. We stay or we don’t stay.