When I was just a young boy, I slammed my thumb in a car door. That fingernail proceeded to fall off about a week later, revealing a brain-like section of skin that both intrigued my boyish self and absolutely terrified every normal adult who had the misfortune of seeing it. And now, nearly two decades later, I’ve decided to find out, once and for all, what was really going on under my departed fingernail. Let’s get to it…
Turns out, the skin under our fingernails isn’t much different to the skin on any other part of the body (but I swear on my 10-year-old self that it looks strange, presumably because it’s hidden away from the elements). Unlike the rest of our skin, however, the skin under our fingernails adheres to the bottom of the nail and is chock-full of nerves to provide our hands with the extra sensation needed to perform day-to-day tasks. “For the most part, this skin is very sensitive because of the abundance of nerve endings we need there in order to help us with touch,” explains dermatologist Anthony Rossi.
