Healthy nails.

BRITAIN'S inclement weather is the key to healthy fingernails, new research suggests. Nails thrive when there is a certain amount of moisture in the air, researchers at the University of Manchester discovered.

They found that fingernails are less likely to break when there is 55% relative humidity, and are more brittle when humidity is lower.

Scientists Dr Stephen Eichhorn and Dr Roland Ennos performed tests on fingernail clippings at different levels of humidity. They found that at higher levels of humidity nails are more flexible - although they are more susceptible to shearing. Researchers say this seems to explain why it's easier for people to cut their nails after a bath or shower.

Dr Stephen Eichhorn said: "We have found that fingernails cope remarkably well over a range of humidities, but it is best to not get them completely dry or wet.

"At an average of 55% humidity, which is what you would experience normally, it appears that nails have optimum mechanical properties, and resist bending." The research team presented their work in a recent issue of The Journal of Biomechanics. The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Doctoral Training Account and The University of Manchester.

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