2006-07-29 08:01:51 · 20 answers · asked by dccuttie75 6 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
since hair and nails are just dead cells, they will keep growing, to a point.
2006-07-29 08:05:47 · answer #1 · answered by By Your Command 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, they do not.
When you die, your body dries out, causing your skin to shrivel and shrink. One of the places where this is most noticeable is on the hands. The fact that the cuticles and skin on the finger tips shrinks makes it appear like you fingernails have continued to grow, when they actually have not.
The same thing happens on your scalp. Your scalp tissue loses all its moisture, which makes your hair appear longer.
The stories of hair and nails continuing to grow after death are just old wives tales from what people observed in the past. They didn't fully understand the physical changes that happen after death, so they assumed stuff was still growing when it was not.
2006-07-29 08:10:22 · answer #2 · answered by Bronwen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. The hair and nails need a continuous supply of nutrients to keep growing. Since the blood circulation in the body has stopped, no nurients are supplied.
When a person dies, the soft tissues begin to dessicate (dry out) and as they do the skin shrinks and pulls away from the root of the hair and nails making them appear longer.
2006-07-29 08:07:05 · answer #3 · answered by Albannach 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No this is no longer authentic. the reason that hair and nails look longer on a corpse is using the fact the physique fluids are decreased and the physique mass shrinks extremely..positioned it appears that evidently, the physique dehydrates and the palms cut back somewhat as does the face while there is no stream and no fluids in those aspects to plump them up. have you ever considered a dull plant improve? A lifeless animal improve? that's ridiculous to think of that something on a individual will improve after dying. And, hair and nails are already lifeless cells first of all! The physique is sloughing them off and that's how they improve, so while the physique is lifeless, the cells that produce those issues are lifeless as properly, and the place there is dying, no longer something unique to the physique will improve.
2016-11-03 06:29:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES it is true. Not infinitely, but it takes longer than you think for all your bodies functions to shut down completely. Nails are basically just calcium and need little or no oxygen so they will continue to grow for awhile after your body is dead. Same with hair.
2006-07-29 08:06:07 · answer #5 · answered by cannon1977 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is not true. They just do not decompose as quickly. Some hair/nails is still under your skin, so when your skin is gone, they look longer.
PS that would be creepy if it did grow, wouldnt it?
2006-07-29 08:05:15 · answer #6 · answered by Andrea 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it is not true.. After death the circulation of blood stops , and therefore there is no feeding to the hair and nails and they die also.
2006-07-29 08:19:16 · answer #7 · answered by Nilehawk 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a story about St.Xaviour's body at Goa (India),that the dead body's nails and hair has been growing... I don't belive it. Try asking this question at www.howstuffworks.com
2006-07-29 08:08:01 · answer #8 · answered by shalem65 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the skin shrinks as it dries making it appear as if the hair and nails are getting longer.
2006-07-29 08:11:50 · answer #9 · answered by btmduk 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, no. The skin shrivels and recedes making it appear as if the aforementioned articles are continuing to grow.
2006-07-29 08:06:47 · answer #10 · answered by The Stranger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because vital organs stop functioning (death) doesn't mean that all cellular activity will suddently cease. Tissues will continue to automatically do their job until the stop receiving the necessary fuel & materials and begin to break down.
2006-07-29 08:06:02 · answer #11 · answered by Rance D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋