Nail and its Structure

Nail
•The nail is a plate of keratin that lies on
the tips of the fingers and toes.
•1. Lunula – The pearly colored and crescent-shaped area of a
fingernail or toenail.
• 2. Cuticle – the overlapping epidermis around the nail.
• 3. Free edge – the part of the nail that can be filed and shaped.
• 4. Matrix – the part of the nail situated directly beneath the cuticle.
•5. Nail bed- the part of the nail where the nail plate rests
on, also a continuation of the matrix and it is abundantly
supplied with blood vessels and nerves.
•6. Nail walls- the folds of the skin that overlap the sided of the nail.
•7. Nail plate – is the visible nail that rests on the nail bed
up to the free edge.
Shapes of the Nail
• 1. Oval – this is common among people with long, perfect
nailbeds.

• 2. Round – ideal for shorter nails, the nail is allowed to grow out
straight at the sides for approximately 1.5 mm.

• 3. Stiletto/pointed – filed away at the sides to a point at the

tip; this shape is very weak as the sides of the nail are totally lost.
• 4. Squoval- Similar to the above but followed by squaring off the
tip, giving the nail tip strength over the oval shape.

• 5. Square – the most popular among the nail shapes.