How to Grow Your Nail Beds

Co-authored by Mia Rubie and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: December 2, 2022 References

Healthy nail beds are essential to having strong and beautiful fingernails and toenails. The nail bed is the layer of skin beneath your nails that supports and secures the nail into place on your finger.^{[1]
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Research source} Like your regular fingernails and toenails, nail beds also grow; however, they don’t become longer over time.^{[2]
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Research source} Despite this, you can still help the tissue of your nail beds grow and regenerate at a healthy rate by adopting good grooming habits and performing the right treatments after a nail bed injury.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Adopting Good Grooming Habits

1
Apply lotion around your fingertip to moisturize the whole nail.^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Use your hand to rub lotion on and around the nails of the opposite hand. Moisturizer is a great preventative measure that keeps your nails from drying out.
- Cuticle oil is also a great moisturizing option. Use the applicator brush that comes with the bottle to apply it evenly around your fingertips.^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Mia Rubie
  Nail Artist
  Expert Interview. 23 April 2020.}
2
Stop biting your nails. If you chew on your nails, you should try breaking the habit, as nail-biting can hurt your nail beds.^{[5]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Additionally, biting your nails can introduce bacteria to the edges of your nail beds, which can potentially cause an infection.^{[6]
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Research source}
- Add a coat of bad-tasting nail polish to help break the habit.^{[7]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  American Academy of Dermatology
  Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
  Go to source}
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3
Avoid getting an acrylic manicure. Try not to get acrylic manicures when you go to the nail salon. As beautiful as they look, the process of getting them is extensive. After two weeks, you have to return to the salon for maintenance, and eventually you have to get them removed. The removal procedure involves either dipping your nails in acetone for almost an hour or using special tools to remove the fake nails. Regardless, the chemical or mechanical process will likely hurt your nail beds.^{[8]
X
Trustworthy Source
American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source}
- Gel nails that can be soaked off your fingers are a better manicure alternative.
4
Rub vinegar on your nails with a cotton swab before applying any nail polish. Use a Q-tip dipped in white vinegar to clean off any natural residue from your nails. By wiping them down beforehand, you’re ensuring that your manicure will be applied in a clean environment, which is good news for your nail beds.^{[9]
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Research source} If your nails are clean, there’s a smaller chance of bacteria getting into them.^{[10]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Performing the Right Treatment After an Injury

1
Meet with a medical professional to discuss your options. Talk to your healthcare provider before approaching any treatment to repair your nail beds in order to help them grow or regrow. There are many ways to get your nail beds healthy and growing again, but your treatment plan might be different depending on the type of injury that you have.
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Receive a nail bed graft if you’ve lost a portion of your nail bed. Have a medical professional repair a damaged or partially missing nail bed by grafting part of another nail bed onto the injured area. This can help provide more instantaneous results. Performing a graft can help the damaged nail bed begin to grow again.^{[11]
X
Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} Nail bed injuries like these can happen when a lot of pressure or force is applied to the nail, like stubbing a toe.^{[12]
X
Trustworthy Source
University of Wisconsin Health
Integrated healthcare system of the University of Wisconsin focused on treating and providing support to patients and public health initiatives
Go to source}
- Nail grafts can be taken from both fingernails and toenails.^{[13]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  Go to source}
3
Get stitches if the nail bed separates from the finger. A hand surgeon should apply special stitches to repair the nail bed and realign the finger bone in the case of a big injury. This procedure physically reconnects the nail bed to the fingertip, allowing the growth process to continue. These injuries occur after moments of intense trauma, like slamming a door on your finger.^{[14]
X
Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}
- Sometimes, a wire needs to be added to set the bone into place.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I make my nails grow faster?

Mia Rubie
Nail Artist
Mia Rubie is a Nail Artist and the Owner of Sparkle San Francisco, a nail studio based in San Francisco, California. She has over eight years of nail artist and management experience and is known for her push-the-envelope designs and artistic eye for colors. Her clients include Sephora, Target, and Vogue. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and StyleCaster. She holds a BBA focusing on Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from San Francisco State University. You can find her work on her Instagram account @superflynails.

Mia Rubie

Nail Artist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

So if you can, get biweekly manicures at a nail salon. If you can't swing that, give yourself a manicure at home every couple of weeks. It's also really important to moisturize and take care of the overall health of your nails using cuticle oil. This will help your nails grow a little faster. You may be able to take a biotin or collagen supplement to help your nails grow faster, but talk to your doctor first.