Your nails grow all the time, even while you sleep. The cells that make them are hiding under the skin at the base of each nail.
Drag to turn it around. Use the buttons to zoom in and try things from the lessons.
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The nail matrix is a small patch of busy cells tucked under the skin at the bottom of each nail, behind the cuticle.
See the pale half moon at the bottom of some of your nails? That is the front edge of the matrix peeking out.
Look at your thumbnails. Can you spot the pale half moon at the bottom? Some fingers show it more than others.
Matrix cells divide to make new cells. The new cells fill up with tough keratin and get flat and hard. They become the nail.
New cells keep coming from behind, so the nail slides slowly forward. That's why you need to trim your nails.
Fingernails grow faster than toenails. If a fingernail falls off, it can grow back, as long as the matrix is OK.
Press Grow the nail on the 3D model to see it move.
By Peekaboo Kidz. A fun video for kids.
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