Nails grow from the pocket under the skin known as “matrix” that produces new cells. The old cells are forced by the new ones to get packed together and become hard and flatten. Then, they are finally moved up to the surface of the skin. If you lose the entire nail due to an illness or an injury, it will grow back only if the matrix is not damaged. You should speak to an expert doctor to know how long will it take for the nail to regrow and what can be done to protect that area while it’s occurring.