The Structure And Function Of The Nail Flashcards
The nail plate
The nail plate is composed of compact translucent layers of keratinized epidermal cells, it makes up the main body of the nail. The layers of cells are packed very closely together, with fat but very little moisture.
The nail gradually grows forward over the nail bed, until it finally becomes the free edge. The underside of the nail plate is groove by longitudinal ridges and furrows, which help to keep it in place.
There are no blood vessels or nerves in the nail plate, this is why nails like hair can be cut without pain or bleeding. The pink colour of the nail plate derives from the blood that passes beneath it, the nail bed.
FUNCTION, to protect the living nail bed of the fingers and toes.
The free edge
The free edge is the part of the nail that extends beyond the fingertip, this is the part that is filed. It appears white as there is no nail bed underneath.
FUNCTION - To protect the tip of the fingers and toes and the hyponychium. The free edge when filed can be shaped into a variety of shapes.
The matrix
The matrix sometimes called the nail root, is the
