Diana Armstrong, a woman from the United States, has set a Guinness World Record for having the longest fingernails. She shares the challenges of her daily life with nails measuring up to 1306.58 cm in length.
Incredible Record: The Longest Fingernails in the World
Diana Armstrong (USA) holds the Guinness World Record for the longest fingernails in the world. The total length of her nails reaches 1306.58 cm (measured in 2022), with an average length of about 1.3 meters per nail—truly an impressive figure!
Reasons for Not Cutting Her Nails
Maintaining and beautifying her nails is a costly and complicated process.
According to Diana, she stopped cutting her nails in 1997, the year her daughter passed away from asthma. She recalls, “The day before my daughter died, she spent a lot of time trimming my nails.” After the sudden death of her daughter, Diana felt unable to cut her nails anymore.
After nearly 30 years of careful maintenance, her nails can now stand upright on the ground.
Daily Life Full of Challenges
When the news of Diana’s nail length record was published, many social media users were curious about her daily life. The most frequently asked questions were: “How does she use the bathroom and maintain personal hygiene?” “How does she keep her nails from breaking?”
To address these inquiries, Diana openly shared about her life.
Eating and Using the Bathroom
Eating has become difficult with her long nails. Diana mentions that when she eats, she often places her right nails on her left hand for support while holding a spoon or fork with her right hand. This technique helps her get food to her mouth but also makes it easier for food to fall due to the weight of her nails.
Eating has become difficult with long nails.
When dressing, she can only choose certain styles, especially wide-sleeved shirts. Diana cannot wear jeans because she can’t pull up the zipper. Tasks like buttoning and picking up objects require help from family members.
Challenges in Personal Hygiene
Diana states that drinking from a bottle isn’t too difficult, but for canned drinks, she needs to use a knife to open them. In the past, she could drive, but as her nails grew longer, driving became dangerous, and she decided to stop.
Diana explains that using the bathroom is a unique process for her.
Using the bathroom is the biggest challenge. At home, she finds it easier, but in public places, it becomes especially difficult. Diana usually chooses the largest stalls because a cramped space makes it impossible for her to manage. The most important issue is personal hygiene.
Diana shares that her bathroom routine is not different from others, but the way she positions her nails during the process is unique. She says, “Others can wrap toilet paper around their hand to wipe, but I can’t do that. I can only use a lot of toilet paper and wipe slowly.”
After using the bathroom, washing her hands also presents a challenge. She can only wash one hand at a time and cannot rub both hands together with soap like others do.
Nail Care Requires Time and Effort
Ultimately, Diana shares that caring for and beautifying her nails is the most costly and complicated aspect of her life. She hasn’t visited a nail salon in 22 years, as her nieces and nephews have been helping her with maintenance.
Each nail takes about 10 hours to complete.
When it comes to trimming her nails, she cannot use regular tools. Diana has to use carpenter tools to file and polish them. Each nail requires about 10 hours to finish. The nail polish process can consume up to 20 bottles of polish each time. It takes her nieces and nephews 4 days to complete the nail painting, which is truly a significant undertaking.
The Meaning Behind Her Nails
Initially, Diana’s children felt dissatisfied with their mother’s long nails. However, upon learning that this was a way to remember their family, they accepted and supported her.
Many people feel uncomfortable with such long nails, considering them unsanitary and somewhat grotesque. Nevertheless, maintaining such long nails requires remarkable perseverance, which is truly admirable!
