7 Fun Facts About the Human Body

The human body is an amazing thing.

It heals itself, breaks itself, regenerates in places, and overcompensates in others. Listed below are a few fun facts that you may have always wondered about, or maybe have never crossed your mind!

Here Are 7 Fun Facts About the Human Body:

1. How long does it take for hair to grow one inch?

On average, hair grows six inches in a year. That breaks down to about an eighth of an inch each week. For anyone who has ever tried to keep their legs hair-free over the summer pool months, it may seem like it grows faster on sunny days than on snowy ones, but alas, it does not.

While hormone changes from pregnancy and medical treatments absolutely change the thickness and growth speed of your hair, most other changes are based on personal perception and nothing more.

2. How long does it take for nails to grow?

The average fingernails grow at about 3.5 mm per month. And it is absolutely true that the nails on your dominant hand grow faster than those on your non-dominant hand. Why? Your dominant hand sustains more trauma through cuts, scrapes, bruises, and bumps. When your body wants to fix these new little imperfections it immediately sends a rush of blood to that area. This stimulates nail growth.  Your nails also grow faster during the summer months and fingernails grow approximately three times faster than toenails. Which is good, because who really enjoys clipping their toenails anyway?

If you’ve ever lost a nail to a traumatic injury you know first-hand (ha!) that it can take six months or more to get that nail back completely.

3. How long does it take to lose one pound of body fat?

Keeping in mind that every single body is different, it would take an average of five to six days to lose a pound of body fat assuming you reduce your diet by about 700 calories each day. Additional factors such as an increase in exercise, cutting out sugar and processed foods, and increasing water will speed up that weight loss. But experts recommend not losing more than two pounds per week over the long term.

4. How long does it take for a scar to heal?

When your body senses a break in your skin, it immediately goes into “fix-it mode.” When it’s a serious cut, the skin collagen that is produced is twice as thick as normal skin in an effort to close the hole and block out any potential bacteria. As time passes, some of that extra thick skin gets reabsorbed by the body, but honestly, if you suffered a deep cut, your scar may never go away completely.

Looking for an actual number? Give your skin two years to heal itself and return to its “new normal” state. Sometimes you’ll have a permanent red line to remember the trauma, other times a slightly raised, bumpy patch.

5. How long does it take for a sunburn to heal?

Please, please, please protect your skin whenever you are in the sun. But if you slip up and forget and find yourself with a sunburn, give it three to five days to heal completely. Drink lots of water, moisturize with Aloe Vera, and for gosh sake, be more careful next time.

6. How long does it take for a pimple to go away?

With the increase in stress and processed foods in our lives, adult acne is on the rise. It takes two to seven days for a pimple to heal assuming you don’t mess with it! If you get bacteria in this tiny wound you’re only prolonging the healing process. There are of course, acne creams you can apply and a warm compress will help reduce the swelling, but in general, don’t be tempted to intervene. Let your body heal itself.

7. How long does it take for a piercing to heal?

Have a new piercing? You’re looking at about six to eight weeks of close care before the piercing is completely healed. Depending on the part of your body that was pierced, it could take up to four months to heal completely. If you are on the other end of the piercing timeline and hoping to have an old piercing grow closed, it will be about eight weeks before the hole is non-existent except for a small scar.

The human body is an amazing thing and the more we know, the better off we are.

Do you know of any other fun facts about the human body that were overlooked in the list above? Please let us know in the comments below!

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*Originally published on April 13, 2019.

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