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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Plast Surg 2024; 57(04): 317-323
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1790200
Original Article

The Normal Growth Rate of Human Fingernails in Indian Population

Vishnu Babu
1   Institute of Craniofacial and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, India
,
Mohamed Ibrahim
1   Institute of Craniofacial and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, India
,
Shyamnath Krishna Pandian K
1   Institute of Craniofacial and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, India
,
Latha Madhavan
1   Institute of Craniofacial and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, India
,
Anirudha N. Sharma 
,
Krishnamoorthy R.
1   Institute of Craniofacial and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, India
,
Mukund Thatte
2   Department of Plastic Surgery, Bombay Hospital, Mumbai, India
,
Anil Bhat
3   Department of Hand Surgery, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
,
Sridhar K.
1   Institute of Craniofacial and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, India
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Abstract

Background: India, with a large population working in industries, has a considerable amount of nail bed injuries day to day as well as infections and other issues with nails. However, there are no normative data for nail growth in our population. This study aims to measure and analyze the rate of nail growth in the Indian population, which will be a valuable tool for clinical assessment and treatment.

Objective: The aim of the study was to estimate the average rate of nail growth of all fingers in the Indian population between the age group of 18 to 40 years.

Materials and Methods: Fifty young adults whose 500 fingernails were painted with three coats of nail polish following a standardized protocol, and the rate of the growth of the nails was recorded with a digital Vernier caliper from the nail fold every 10 days for 1 month.

Results: The average fingernail growth is 0.103 mm/d. There is no correlation of nail growth with sex or hand dominance. Nail growth is more in the left index finger (0.13 mm/d) and the left thumb, while it is the least in little fingers (0.101 mm/d). Initial fingernail growth was higher in older individuals, however. At the end of the study period, nail growth was equal. The nail growth rate reduces as the days progress.

Conclusion: We have reported the normative data of nail growth as 0.103 mm per day. In the majority of the healthy population, this rate would hold true.

Keywords

fingernail - nail growth rate - nail polish - nail growth

Authors' Contributions

V.B.G. is the Principal Investigator for the project, and contributed to data collection and writing of the manuscript. M.I. contributed to manuscript writing and editing the manuscript. S.K.P. and A.N.S. contributed to manuscript writing. L.M. contributed to data collection and manuscript writing. R.K. contributed logistical support and editing the manuscript. M.T. conception of the ISSH Normative data project and contributed to editing the manuscript. A.B. is the coordinator of the ISSH Normative data project and contributed to editing the manuscript. S.K. contributed to designing the methodology and editing the manuscript.


Institutional Review Board Approval

Institutional review board clearance was obtained for the study individually at the four participating centers where the study was performed and the study protocols conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki.




Publication History

Article published online:
05 September 2024

© 2024. Association of Plastic Surgeons of India. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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