Fingernails grow about twice as fast as toenails.
A fingernail grows roughly 3.5 millimetres a month and takes around six months to replace itself completely. A toenail grows about 1.6 millimetres a month and needs over a year.
Why is this true?
Growth is linked to blood flow and to how much the nail is used. Nails on the dominant hand and on the longest fingers grow fastest, and all nails grow faster in summer than in winter.
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More about human body
Your own body is a reliable source of surprises. It replaces cells by the million every second, keeps bacteria that outnumber human cells, and runs sensory tricks that make the world feel smoother than the raw signal ever is. The facts collected here stick to mainstream physiology, avoid the wellness myths that circulate alongside them, and explain the underlying mechanism rather than just quoting a startling number.