Nail Anatomy
This time the structure of the nail unit is under the microscope. Do you really know what you're working on during a manicure? Within the nail unit we can distinguish many structures, each of which performs specific tasks:
Nail folds
They form the visible border of the nail, and their job is to protect and seal the nail unit. We distinguish the lateral nail folds and the proximal nail fold. Together they create a physical seal for the nail. They protect against materials getting under the nail in the places most exposed to it.
Cuticle (eponychial band)
This is the horny layer of the nail folds, which gradually exfoliates. It is tightly attached to the nail and its role is to seal the space between the eponychium and the nail so that nothing undesirable reaches the nail matrix. When the cuticle grows beyond the eponychium, it means its job is done and it can be removed during the manicure.
Eponychium
It is located in the proximal part of the nail, right next to the fold, and forms a living part of the tissue; beneath it lies the newly formed nail. During a manicure you must be especially careful not to damage it.
Matrix / nail root
It forms an epithelial structure in which the cells that build the nail plate are produced. The size and shape of the matrix determine the size, shape and thickness of the nail plate. The cells it produces are white in colour.
Lunula / half-moon
It is the convex part of the matrix visible through the nail plate. The white colouring results from the presence of still-immature nail plate cells (once they mature, they become transparent).
Nail bed
It forms the vascular bed on which the nail growing from the lunula rests. It is an area usually pink in colour, seen through the nail plate.
Hyponychium
It is the most distal part of the nail lying on the bed, the margin of its free edge (not attached to the bed), separated from the fingertip.
Distal groove
It is a skin ridge separating the space between the structure under the nail and the fingertip.
Now that you know the secret of the nail's structure, you can approach working on nails with greater awareness.
