Nails are horny structures (because of their horn-like consistency) that are located on the most distal part of the fingers and toes.
Nails are mainly made of hardened dead cells, which contain keratin, a protein naturally produced by the body.
Nail comes from the Latin ungula, which is a diminutive of unguis which is nail.
PARTS OF THE NAIL:
Matrix
This is the living tissue part of the nail unit. It is located under the skin and is where the nail originates.
Nail plate
It is the plate or plate of the nail itself.
Lunula
The semi-circle that is almost always seen at the base of the nail. It is the visible part of the root of the nail.
Nail bed
The tissue underneath the nail plate. It is the area that turns red when one puts pressure on the nail.
Cuticle:
A thin strip of skin made up of dead cells that lies over our nails, at the base of the nail.
Eponychium
A thin strip of epithelial tissue (living tissue that lines surfaces of the body) that is found bordering the base of the nail lunula or the base of the nail.
Hyponychium
The epidermal layer or tissue under the free edge of the nail. The prefix -hypo, comes from the Greek hupo which is underneath. Hypo refers to inferiority.
Paronychium
It is the strip of skin on both sides of the nail plate.
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