Nail Composition Flashcards
Free edge
The part of the nail plate that extends beyond the end of the finger or toe, and protects the tip of the finger or toe
Onychodermal band
Appears as a glassy grayish band at the point where the nail plate meets the hyponychium
Nail plate
Nail body; the visible nail area from the nail root to the free edge. It is made up of several transparent layers of hardened cells, which do not contain any nerves or blood vessels.
Nail wall
Consists of the folds of skin on either side of the nail groove
Lunula
The white half moon shape at the base of the nail
Eponychium
The area that overlies the matrix at the base of the nail. It also serves as a watertight seal that protects the matrix against infection.
Cuticle
The loose and pliable overlapping skin, which forms of watertight seal around the nail. It is a thin layer of skin that, as it sheds, attaches to the top layer of the nail plate.
Nail matrix
The active tissue that generates cells, which harden as they move outward from the nail route to the nail plate
Nail root
Is attached to the nail matrix at the base of the nail, under the skin and inside the mantle
Mantle
Pocket-like structure that holds the nail root and nail matrix
Nail bed
The area of the nail on which the nail plate rests. Nerves and blood vessels found here supply nourishment to the entire nail unit
Nail body ligaments
Specialized ligaments; attach the nail bed to the bone
Nail folds/nail grooves
The tracks on either side of the nail that the nail moves on as it grows
Perionychium
The skin that touches, overlaps, and surrounds the side of the nail
Bed epithelium
A thin, sticky layer of the epidermis that attaches the nail plate to the nail bed
