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A nail is a protective plate characteristically found at the tip of the digits (fingers and toes) of all primates, corresponding to the claws in other tetrapod animals. Fingernails and toenails are made of a tough rigid protein called alpha-keratin, a polymer also found in the claws, hooves, and horns of vertebrates. Manicures (for the hands) and pedicures (for the feet) are health and cosmetic procedures to groom, trim, and paint the nails and manage calluses.

Health and care

The best way to care for nails is to trim them regularly. Filing is also recommended, as to keep nails from becoming too rough and to remove any small bumps or ridges that may cause the nail to get tangled up in materials such as cloth. Bluish or purple fingernail beds may be a symptom of peripheral cyanosis, which indicates oxygen deprivation. Nails can dry out, just like skin. They can also peel, break, and be infected.

Toe infections, for instance, can be caused or exacerbated by dirty socks, specific types of aggressive exercise (long-distance running), tight footwear, and walking unprotected in an unclean environment. Common organisms causing nail infections include yeasts and molds (particularly dermatophytes).Nail tools used by different people may transmit infections. Standard hygiene and sanitation procedures avoid transmission. In some cases, gel and cream cuticle removers can be used instead of cuticle scissors. Nail disease can be very subtle and should be evaluated by a dermatologist with a focus in this particular area of medicine.

However, most times it is a nail stylist who will note a subtle change in nail disease. Inherited accessory nail of the fifth toe occurs where the toenail of the smallest toe is separated, forming a smaller “sixth toenail” in the outer corner of the nail. Like any other nail, it can be cut using a nail clipper. Finger entrapment injuries are common in children and can include damage to the finger pulp and fingernail. These are usually treated by cleaning the area and applying a sterile dressing. Surgery may sometimes be required to repair the laceration or broken bones.

Length records

Guinness World Records began tracking record fingernail lengths in 1955, when a Chinese priest was listed as having fingernails 1 foot 10.75 inches (57.79 cm) long. The current record-holder for men, according to Guinness, is Shridhar Chillal from India who set the record in 1998 with a total of 20 feet 2.25 inches (615.32 cm) of nails on his left hand. His longest nail, on his thumb, was 4 feet 9.6 inches (146.3 cm) long.

The former record-holder for women was Lee Redmond of the U.S., who set the record in 2001 and as of 2008 had nails with a total length on both hands of 28 feet (850 cm), with the longest nail on her right thumb at 2 feet 11 inches (89 cm).[36] However, as of 2022, the record for women is held by Diana Armstrong from Minneapolis.