You're listening to LifeKit from NPR.
Hey, it's Marielle.
I am always impressed by the designs people have on their nails.
Nail art truly is an art.
I saw a video the other day of a nail tech painting a portrait of bad money on her nails,
and I said, kyechebere, Nina.
But our nails are far from just aesthetic.
They're essential to our daily routines.
If you lose a nail, try picking up a coin off the floor or try buttoning your shirt.
It's hard or almost impossible to do.
This is Dr.
Sherri Lipner,
a professor of clinical dermatology and director of the nail division at Wild Cornell Medical Center.
Yeah, they have an entire nail division.
She says, along with being tools that help us handle small objects,
our nails can enhance our sense of touch and protect the thousands of nerve endings in our fingertips.
But some odd reason, I don't know where that came from,
that would be bypass caring for our fingernails.
Our fingernails are indicators number one.
That's Titellio Bankoli, also known as the global manicurist.