Making nails grow faster

[snopes]

Comment: My sister-in-law said that she read in a magazine a few years
back that if you tap your fingers alot that your nails will grow faster.
Is this true?

[Mycroft]

No, it only appears that way as you wear out your finger tips by repeated tapping

they don't grow faster but they do grow stronger. The impact forces the nail back slightly making the growth thicker, the Chinese martial artists have finger boards that they constantly tap to build up this strength I believe.
Don't need it myself my nails grow at an incredible rate especially round the full moon.

Lazerus 'the lycanthropicaly challenged' Duck

[Tarquin Farquart]

Maybe you could stretch them by suspending yourself by just your nails?

[defaultcrush]

I heard it wasn't the nails themselves, it was the pads of the fingers. That way, you're increasing the blood flow to the whole tip of the finger, thus faster growing.


ETA- Just realised that might have been the point of the first post. My reading comprehension isn't so hot first thing in the morning. :P

[Floater]

Originally Posted by defaultcrush

I heard it wasn't the nails themselves, it was the pads of the fingers. That way, you're increasing the blood flow to the whole tip of the finger, thus faster growing.

Sorry, but I have to call BS on this one. Have you ever played the guitar or any other string instrument? The calluses you get on the tips of your fingers have noting to do with "increasing blood flow".

[DawnStorm]

When I was in college, I always observed that my left index finger nail grew like a freaking weed (to the point where it would dig into my middle finger while I wrote). I figured it was because I'm left handed and I was taking a lot of notes.
I've been out of college for a while and this fingernail doesn't grow any faster than the other nine now.