Functions:
Nails protect sensitive tips of fingers and toes and protect them from injury, and helps in picking up small objects. Nails can be an indicator of person’s general health and illness which often affect their growth. Without nails it would have hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot.
Diseases:
There are various conditions which affect nails like paronychia which is the infection of nail fold. Pseudomonas which is a bacterial infection of nail, a fungal or yeast infection which results in onychomycosis, tinea unguis is a ring worm of a nail. Leukonychia is a white line or spot in the nail.
Interesting Facts:
Nails don’t sweat, nail bed does not have sweat gland so it can’t perspire, and it is the skin around the nail that gets sweaty. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger, the slowest on the thumbnail. Nails grow at the rate of 0.1mm daily, so for a fingernail to re-grow completely it takes between 4 to 6 months. For the toe nails, the period of re-grow is 12 to 18 months.
