Melvin Booth has the ‘longest fingernails’ – OFFICIAL GUINNESS WORLD RECORD!

The photo above was taken just a few months prior to Redmond’s accident which resulted in the loss of her fingernails, for the 2010 Edition of Guinness World Records. Lee Redmond’s nails are more famous, Melvin Booth has the world record! The official Guinness World Record ‘longest fingernails’: 2008 – Melvin Boothe, whose nails measure 9.05m (29 ft 8in) Female record ‘longest female fingernails’: 2008 – Lee Redmond, whose nails measure 8.65m (28 ft 4in) In an interview with Guinness World Records Lee Redmond talked about her meeting with Melvin Booth: “I have very, very fond memories from Melvin, he touched my life. He also broke my heart, to see this man who wouldn’t even go out of his home. Tears when I left, both he and I. I hope that some day he will realise that he’s more than his fingernails. . . I think the difference between Melvin and me, for one thing they didn’t keep me from going out in public, and they didn’t make me be secluded. I would have never, never chose to keep them if they would have had to keep me away from people or you know, living whatever normal is you know.” “I hope he will decide to go out and interact with people and I’m sure that he felt the love that I had for him and respect. It wasn’t his fingernails; it was him that I cared for.” SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • The full story about Lee Redmond’s world record fingernails! • Fingernails grow faster on a proteine diet! • How to grow long, strong fingernails & avoid brittle nails! • Fingernail quality depends on humidity & climate!

JAPANESE NAIL ART – Impressions from the TOKYO NAIL EXPO 2009!

Tokyo Nail Expo presents: overwhelming Japanese nail art! TOKYO – NOVEMBER 30: Visitors look at designed nail chips that are displayed for a competition during the Tokyo Nail Expo 2009 at Tokyo Big Sight on November 30, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. The nail industry has grown to nearly 200 million Japanese yen market in 2008 and the annual event attracts 50,000 visitors. The photo above shows ‘Hello Kitty Gumball nails’ at the Tokyo Nail Expo 2009 – which still proves one thing: Japanese people likely have a lot of trouble wiping themselves. But IF they wipe, it looks for sure adorable!!! The Nail Queen 2009 Awards Ceremony took place on Monday at the Tokyo Nail Expo. The annual event attracts 50,000 visitors. More impressions from the Nail Queen contests below! SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • The basics of Japanese Nail Art! • Lee Redmond’s nail art: the longest female nails! • What you should know about artificial nails • MORE FUN: How to make fingernails from onion and cheese! PHOTO: More impressions from the Tokyo Nail Expo 2009:

Five differences between the primate hand and the human hand!

Primates have ‘human-like’ short, flat fingernails! Did you know that far most primates have ‘human-like’ short, flat fingernails? Except for marmosets and tamarins, all primates have flat fingernails and toenails instead of claws. What are the major differences between the hands of primate species and the human hand? • 1 – Primates usually have a shorter thumb than humans – the thumb of the macaque (see photo on the left) does not rearch out behond the distal border of the handpalm. • 2 – Primates usually have a lower ‘2D:4D digit ratio’ than humans – the hand of the macaque is featured with a much longer ring finger (digit 4) than the pointer finger (digit 2). • 3 – Primates usually have more fingerprint- and palmar whorls than humans – the hand of the macaque is featured with 5 palmar whorls. • 4 – Primates always have a lower ‘ridge density’ than humans. • 5 – Primates usually have (various) palmar transversal hand creases, a.k.a. ’simian lines’ – the hand of the macaque has one ’simian line’. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • PRIMATE HANDS – Finger length linked with social behavior! • Understanding our past: the human hand vs. the primate hand! • The Monkey Palmist! • Hands in the perspective of evolution! • More interesting stories about the hands of primates! PHOTO: Impression from the hand of a chimpanzee:

FINGERNAILS – 3 Signs of Health Problems: Beau’s lines, yellow fingernail syndrome & nail pitting!

Your fingernails can provide clues to your overall health. But do you know how to read the signs? MayoClinic presented a slideshow of various signs of possible health problems: Learn about some nail conditions that might require medical attention. If you have a nail problem that doesn’t seem to be going away, or is associated with other signs and symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor to get it checked out. 3 IMPORTANT FINGERNAIL PROBLEMS: Causes & remedies of Beau’s lines: Beau’s lines are indentations that run across your nails. They can appear when growth at the area under your cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness. Diseases or illnesses associated with Beau’s lines include: • Circulatory diseases, such as peripheral artery disease; • Illness associated with a high fever, caused by pneumonia, scarlet fever, mumps or measles; • Uncontrolled diabetes; • Malnutrition. Causes & remedies of yellow fingernails: Yellow nail syndrome concerns the yellow discoloration in your fingernails may result from a respiratory condition, such as chronic bronchitis, or from swelling of your hands (lymphedema). In yellow nail syndrome, nails thicken and new growth slows, resulting in discoloration. Nails affected with this condition may lack a cuticle and may detach from the nail bed in places. Although this condition is often a sign of respiratory disease, it’s possible to have yellow nails and not have a respiratory condition. Yellow nails may also result from any condition that causes the growth of your nails to slow down. Causes & remedies of nail pitting: Small depressions in the nails are common in people with psoriasis — a skin condition that produces scaly patches. They may also result from nail injuries. Pitting may cause your nails to crumble. Pitting is also associated with conditions that can damage your nail’s cuticle, such as chronic dermatitis of your fingers or alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss! MORE RELATED SOURCES: • Nail disorders in the hands of children! • Nail disorders in the hands of the elderly! • More news & facts about fingernails!

Short, clean fingernails may prevent you from catching the H1N1 influenza virus! (swine flu)

Swine flu (H1N1) prevention starts with proper hand hygiene! Hand sanitation for swine flu prevention begins with proper hand hygiene. Clean, short fingernails are absolutely essential for good hand sanitation because organic material can easily hide under fingernails. The circled hand in the picture above is a good example of good nail hygiene! An overview of the latests new findings in how ‘hand hygiene’ is linked with the spread of the H1N1 influenza A virus (a.k.a. swine flu, or the Mexican flu): • Is ‘hand hygiene’ still the best strategy for swine flu prevention? • ‘Hand-to-face touch’ is a crucial link to catching swine flu! • Hand washing is a defence, but may not stop the swine flu virus! • More reports on hand hygiene! • Discover the basic principles of proper hand hygiene! A funny and provocative video on how the H1N1 virus spreads:

Michael Jackson: ‘fingernails of time’!

Michael Jackson’s fingernails in time! Were Michael Jackson’s dark fingernails + nail moons caused by his health condition? Was his nail condition the result of medication/drug abuse?? Or, did the color of his fingernails look ‘weird’ merely because the color of his skin had become lighter over the years??? Obviously, during the past few months many people got wondering about those questions. Therefore a new PHOTO ESSAY on Michael Jackson’s finger nails is presented in order to find permanent answers. A QUOTE FROM THE PHOTO ESSAY: “Between 1989 and 1999 his skin had become lighter, and the condition of his fingernails became a bit more ‘pink’. But at the Michael Jackson meeting with Nelson Mandela the color of his fingernails appeared as quite ‘balanced’ and ‘normal’ (possibly only a bit ‘faint’ in the center of the nail plate). In the last period of his life (2006 – 2009) his skin had become a bit whiter, however his fingernails had become darker and appeared to have ‘brownish’ look: the condition of his fingernails could no longer be described as ‘normal’.” RELATED STORIES & MORE: • In memoriam: the hands of Michael Jackson! • Famous hands: the hand of celebrities! • ‘Hand facts’ – News reports about hands!

Nail disorder in the lunula – Blue nail moons: a.k.a. ‘Azur lunulae’!

FINGERNAIL DISORDERS: Blue lunula

How to recognize ‘blue lunulae’? A blue (purple) lunula is characterized by a bluish color of the nail moon (notice: the nail moon usually has a ‘whitish’ color). Common causes for a blue nail moon: In general blue nail moons are an indiation for circulatory problems (cold weather may be a part of the cause), or a lack of oxygen (smoking and/or obesity might play a role in this!). More rare causes blue lunulae can be: • A drug’s side-effect; • Wilson’s disease (genetic disorder in which copper accumulates in tissues); • Argyria (a condition caused by improper exposure to chemical forms of silver); If the condition persists, it would be wise to consult the opinion of a doctor – for, even though this is a clinical sign of a simple condition, the cause can actuallly be more severe as well. MORE DETAILS: THE COLOR & SHAPE OF THE LUNUA: Do you have a lunula nail disorder?

PHOTO – Where to find the lunula, a.k.a. the’nail moon’:

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING:
• The FINGERNAIL TUTOR: an online nail disorder identification tool!
• 20 Common nail disorders!
• More reports about nail disorders!
• More hand & fingernail facts!

Your fingernails, hair and ears are the only body parts that grow untill you die!

Fingernails, hair and ears are the only body part that show considerable constancy of growth untill the moment of death. Though many people assume that the nose grows until beyond the age of retirement, the ‘Handbook of normal physical measurements‘ describes that by fact with age the nasal bridge rises producing a more prominent root – which implicates that the nose is not growing much beyond age 18! Some facts reported by the Telegraph about fingernail & ear growth are: “The actual rate of nail growth one may (or may not) be interested to learn is 0.123mm a day. But what is remarkable is its staggering constancy over many years – almost as if the nails were aware of the higher purpose they are intended to serve.” “The only other body part (besides the hair) that shows a similar constancy of growth in adulthood are the ears. They increase in size by the same amount in a year as the nail does in a day. This compensates for the gradual age-related decline in hearing – and accounts for why those in their seventies and eighties have apparently oversized ears. Who says there is not a Designer?” RELATED STORIES ABOUT NAILS & MORE: • Examining fingernails in the hands of children! • Examining fingernails in the elderly! • The latest news about fingernails • Find more hands & fingernail facts at: ‘HandFacts’

William B. Bean’s 35 year study on fingernail growth!

In 1941 Dr. William Bennett Bean started his study on nail growth. His investigation began back in 1941 when he filed a horizontal line just above the cuticle and then measured its stately progress up the fingernail. The American physician subsequently published his findings – once (incorrectly) described as the most boring scientific study ever undertaken – as “Nail growth: 35 years of investigation”. The actual rate of growth one may (or may not) be interested to learn is 0.123mm a day. But what is remarkable is its staggering constancy over many years – almost as if the nails were aware of the higher purpose they are intended to serve. The growth slowed remarkably when Dr Bean was laid low by mumps, but compensated by doubling its speed for the following six months. Disease and trauma might be expected to have an adverse effect, but not so: the nails accelerate as if to “grow out” the damage – a fifth as fast again in regular nail-biters. The only other body part (besides the hair) that shows a similar constancy of growth in adulthood are the ears. They increase in size by the same amount in a year as the nail does in a day. A milestone in William Bean’s nail growth research concerns his 1963 paper: ‘A Discourse on Nail Growth and Unusual Fingernails’ William Bennett Bean (8 Nov 1909 – 1 Mar 1989) American physician and author. His research in nutrition included induced vitamin deficiencies in humans. He contributed more than 500 articles to professional journals, served on editorial boards, and wrote several books. RELATED STORIES & MORE: • Research says: ‘nails grow faster on a protein-diet & vitamin D!’ • Lee Redmond’s story behind ‘World longest fingernails’! • The latest news about fingernails • More fingernail reports at ‘HandFacts’

In 2009 nails grow 25% faster than 70 years ago: about diet, environment & lifestyle!

Nails grow 25% faster than 70 years ago!

Fingernails grow faster on a protein diet & vitamin D! Last months researchers from the University of North Carolina presented a study in which they monitored 195 fingernails and 188 toenails over a period of three months. Then they compared their results with studies on nail growth that were in 1938 and the 1950’s. The new study points out that today people’s fingernails grow 25 percent faster than 70 years ago!

THE RESULTS IN A NUTSHELL: The new results revealed that fingernails now grow by 3.47mm every month – almost twice as fast as toenails. Thumbnail growth rate was 3mm a month in 1938 and 3.06mm in the 1950’s study. However, the average thumbnail now grows by 3.55mm a month – an increase of more than half a millimetre over seven decades. The little finger nail grows much more slowly than other fingernails, at a rate of 3.08mm each month. The middle finger has the fastest-growing nail. The results also confirmed that the nails of younger people and men grow faster. Nails tend to grow faster in summer. Cold environments and smoking are factors that can slow down growth. FOOD & LIFESTYLE: A rapid change in the environment, lifestyle and health conditions – such as diet, physical activity and body composition – has occurred over the past 30 years. During post-war rationing, foods rich in protein were scarce. Instead, diets consisted of carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes and bread. However, the modern diet is rich in protein from readily available fish, meat, eggs and poultry – may be behind the spurt in nail growth. Teresa Smith, director of a mobile manicure service said: “Nail length has increased, the main reason being that we have a far more healthy, balanced diet. Also, people are more aware of their bodies’ nutritional needs. The sun does help nails grow faster, too, because of Vitamin D. And people tend to drink more water in the summer which flushes out toxins and makes the body healthier, so nails grow stronger.” MORE ABOUT GROWING LONG FINGERNAILS: • New research says: ‘nails grow faster on a protein-diet & vitamin D!’ • About fingernails & medical hand analysis! • More research reports about nails! • Lee Redmond was on a protein-diet when she grew her record ‘world longest fingernails’!