QuickCheck: Do hair and nails continue to grow after death?

WHEN it comes to the human body and death, many rumours and old wives tales have emerged over the years.

One of them is that a person's hair and nails continue to grow even after they are dead.Is this a myth, or is it true?

VERDICT:

FALSE

This is actually false; human hair and nails do not continue to grow after death - and while there haven't been many scientific studies looking at this specifically, there are several facts we should take into account.

The first is that different cells die at different rates. After the heart stops beating and the oxygen supply to the brain is cut off, nerve cells die within three to seven minutes .

When it comes to fingernails growing, new cells need to be produced and this cannot happen without glucose; death puts a stop to the supply of glucose, and therefore to fingernail growth.

A similar process occurs for hair. A group of cells divide to produce new cells that make hair strands longer, but only when supplied with energy. This comes from the burning of glucose, which requires the presence of oxygen.

Why then do myths persist about stubble growing on dead people’s chins and fingernails lengthening?

While such observations are false, they do have a biological basis. It is not that the fingernails are growing, but that the skin around them retracts as it becomes dehydrated, making them appear longer.

After death, the body undergoes various changes in a process known as postmortem decomposition.

The skin and other tissues may dehydrate and contract, giving the appearance of lengthening hair and nails.

Morticians sometimes have to apply large amounts of moisturising cream to human bodies to keep this from becoming obvious even just days after death. Men with beards, especially, require ample moisture to keep the shrinkage at a minimum.

With this myth put to bed, you can now take leisurely strolls in any graveyard with no worry of tripping over someone's overgrown nails.

References:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130526-do-your-nails-grow-after-death

https://uamshealth.com/medical-myths/do-a-persons-hair-and-fingernails-continue-to-grow-after-death/

https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/or-not-nails-grow-after-death/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2151163/